JANUARY 23: SUSO teams up with the Griffin Forum for The 2012 Election: What does it mean to you?
Get our 2012-13 flyer! See all the forums below.
Spring 2013 Forums
January 23 (Wednesday)
From the Ballot Box to the Inauguration:
Looking Back, Looking Forward
Facilitator: Jim Hill (PSC)
7-9 pm, UC Auditorium
February 18 (Monday)
The End of Media as We Know It?
Journalism in the Digital Age
Facilitator: Troy Hicks (ENG)
7-9 pm, UC Auditorium
Fall Forums: ELECTION 2012
September 19 (Wednesday)
CAMPAIGN ME$$AGES: Who’s Paying,
Who’s Talking and What Are They Saying?
Facilitator: Andrew Blom, (PHL/REL)
7-9 pm, UC Auditorium
October 3 (Wednesday)
Speaking to the Issues: Which Voting Blocs
Will Turn the Elections?
Facilitators: Kathy Donohue, (HST) and
Justin Smith, (SASW)
7-9 pm, UC Auditorium
October 17 (Wednesday)
Foreign Policy: The Candidates and
Their Platforms
Facilitator: David Jesuit, (PSC)
7-9 pm, UC Auditorium
October 30 (Tuesday)
The Domestic Policies of the Candidates:
Two Americas?
Facilitators: Merlyn Mowrey, (PHL/REL) and
Ken Sanney, (BLR)
7-9 pm, UC Auditorium
November 6 (Tuesday)
Election Watch!
Facilitator: Ted Clayton, (PSC)
7 pm, UC Down Under Food Court
Purpose of the Series
“Speak Up, Speak Out: The Current Events Series” is not a lecture series―it’s more like a town hall meeting called to discuss important events and topics in the news. Each forum is an opportunity for all participants to collaborate in thinking through the issues, identify problems, and consider solutions.
Format of the Forums
In order to create a common ground for discussion, each forum begins with a 30-45 minute video to provide relevant and useful information about the selected topic for the audience to analyze.
After the video, a panel of faculty, staff and students initiates discussion by providing additional information and insights, and soliciting responses from the audience. As facilitators, panelists model strong critical thinking skills, effective questioning, and civility in disagreement in order to engage the audience in open discussion and inclusive dialogue.
That doesn’t mean that panelists remain neutral on the topic under discussion, or that they agree with one another. Explaining how they arrived at their position or why it is a justifiable position helps others see how to put together a reasonable and defensible position of their own. It is through learning skills such as these that each of us becomes a more engaged and effective citizen, capable of developing thoughtful positions on the issues, willing to listen to reasonable alternatives posed by others, and open to the life-long learning that enriches our own lives and the democratic society for which we are responsible.
Sponsors
"Speak Up, Speak Out: The Current Events Series" is sponsored by the following:
- The College of Humanities and Social & Behavioral Sciences
- The College of Communications and Fine Arts
- The Office of the Dean of Students
- The Assessment Council
- The Office of Diversity Education
- The Volunteer Center
- Pi Sigma Alpha
- The Center for Professional and Personal Ethics.
