Freeman Lecture with Congressman James Oberstar on April 8
9 a.m.-4 p.m., Cowles Auditorium and atrium
Congressman James Oberstar will keynote this year's Freeman Lecture on Tuesday, April 8, in Cowles Auditorium. Panelists will address current conditions and problems confronting Minnesota's water supply. More information is online at www.freemanforum.org.
Global policy workshop on April 8
12:45-2 p.m., Stassen Room (170 HHH)
The Freeman Center for International Economic Policy will sponsor a global policy workshop with visiting scholar Kaye Husbands Fealing from 12:45 to 2 p.m. on April 8 in the Stassen Room (170 HHH). Husbands Fealing will talk about "Technological Change and Regional Prosperity in a Globalized Economy." All are welcome. Refreshments will be served.
"Urbanization in China and the Associated Challenges" on April 9
12:45-2 p.m., Stassen Room (170 HHH)
Assistant Professor Xinyu (Jason) Cao will talk about "Urbanization in China and the Associated Challenges" from 12:45 to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, in the Stassen Room (170 HHH). His lecture is sponsored by the State and Local Policy Program as part of its monthly brownbag discussion series. Refreshments will be served. All are welcome to attend.
"Global Rebellion: Religious Challenges to the Secular State" on April 9
4 p.m., Wilkins Room (215 HHH)
The Sawyer Seminar will feature a lecture by Mark Juergensmeyer, director of the Orfalea Center for Global and International Studies and professor of sociology and religious studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, in the Wilkins Room (215 HHH). Juergensmeyer is an expert on religious violence, conflict resolution, and South Asian religion and politics. His widely read book, Terror in the Mind of God: The Global Rise of Religious Violence, is based on interviews with violent religious activists around the world—including individuals convicted of the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, leaders of Hamas, and abortion clinic bombers in the United States.
"The Crisis in Sudan and the Humanitarian Response" on April 10
4 p.m., Cowles Auditorium
The Sawyer Seminar continues with a presentation by Andrew S. Natsios, the Distinguished Professor in Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University's Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, at 4 p.m. on April 10 in Cowles Auditorium. Natsios has served as administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and managed USAID's reconstruction programs in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Sudan. He will talk about his work in Darfur and around the world.
Workshop about citizenship and public engagement on April 10
4-6 p.m., Weisman Art Museum
Citizens sometimes feel shut out of the political process or unsure of how to exert influence on issues. In Citizenship 101, a workshop co-sponsored by the Center for Democracy and Citizenship, participants will learn about tools and avenues for exercising their democratic rights. All are welcome from 4 to 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, at the Weisman Art Museum.
Dean's International Forum on April 11
9-10 a.m., Freeman Commons (205 HHH)
All are invited to the next Dean's International Forum from 9 to 10 a.m. on Friday, April 11, in Freeman Commons. Dean Brian Atwood will join Andrew Natsios in conversation about the future of American foreign assistance programs. Natsios and Dean Atwood previously served as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). They will talk about their time with USAID and comment on the future of such programs designed to reduce poverty. Refreshments will be provided.
Election administration conference with Norm Ornstein April 13-15
The Center for the Study of Politics and Governance (CSPG) will host a national conference on "The Future of Election Reform: 2008 and Beyond," April 13–15 at the Humphrey Institute. Part of CSPG's Program for Excellence in Election Administration, the conference will feature local and national experts on election reform and voter organization, including Norm Ornstein from the American Enterprise Institute. The three-day conference fee is $375. The luncheon featuring Ornstein is open to the general public; registration is $20. For more information, visit www.politicsandgovernance.org/programs/electionadministration.html or contact Lea Chittenden at chit0018@umn.edu or (612) 625-2530.