Ethics - Brandeis University · at Brandeis University Vol. 13, No.2 SUMMER/FALL 2010 Ethics ......

News from The International

Center for Ethics, Justice,

and Public Life

at Brandeis University

Vol. 13, No.2

S U M M E R / F A L L 2 0 1 0

Ethics Central Ethics Central

FROM THE DIRECTOR – DANIEL TERRIS Climate Change and the Choices We Make: A Year of Exploration

A line of students, faculty, and staff

several people wide circled the

Shapiro Campus Center atrium,

surrounding a patchwork of freshly painted

T-shirts carefully laid out on newspapers

on the floor to dry in the February sun

streaming through the tall windows.

At the end of the line: Hoseob Yoon –

artist, professor, environmental activist

– painting T-shirts to order, mostly with

environmental themes, some with a design

featuring a large “B” created just for this

visit to campus.

Yoon, a South Korean graphic artist and

professor of visual communication design

at Kookmin University in Seoul who has

devoted his career and his life to protecting

the environment, was in residence

last February as the Center’s fourth

Distinguished Visiting Practitioner.

The Yoon residency was a major part of

the Ethics Center’s engagement in a 2009-10

campus-wide initiative focused on climate

change. Academic departments and student

groups brought notable thinkers and creators

to campus, hosted lectures and discussions,

and sponsored some more unusual events, all

designed to raise awareness on the Brandeis

campus about climate change and the choices

we make with regard to the environment.

The International Center for

Ethics, Justice, and Public Life

was built on the conviction

that developing and nurturing active

communities across borders and

disciplines creates the knowledge and

inspiration for meaningful social,

institutional, and political change.

Our programs for international

judges foster vital dialogue between far-

flung courts, strengthening the system

of global justice. We helped develop

the field of coexistence by supporting

practitioners around the world with

publications and institutes that advance

tools and methods for creating just

and stable societies. Our network of

Brandeis students and alumni has

brought the wisdom and experience

of hundreds of NGOs from dozens of

countries into Brandeis classrooms –

and bolstered by their studies they have

moved out to their professional lives

with an even stronger commitment to

improving the world.

This fall, the Center extends that

practice of community building by

taking on a new shape. Following much

planning, we have found a new home

for our Masters Program in Coexistence

and Conflict: Brandeis University’s

Growth, Change, and Continuity

n continued on p. 7

Professor Yoon’s residency also featured

a gallery talk with students and faculty

members about artwork, activism, and

teaching, and how they interact; a keynote

address, “The Green Canvas: The Artist as

Environmental Activist;” and an informal

conversation with students, hosted by the

Korean Student Association in a dormitory

commons.

His visit culminated with the T-shirt

painting session, hosted by Students

for Environmental Action. “Designing a

Greener Future,” modeled on Yoon’s regular

practice of painting T-shirts for passersby

n continued on p. 7

The Distinguished Visiting Practitioner ProgramThe Ethics Center brings respected practitioners from a range of fields to the Brandeis campus for several days to examine the ethical challenges and dilemmas of their work. Brandeis faculty members from any department are invited to propose future distinguished visiting practitioners.For program and proposal details: brandeis.edu/ethics/atbrandeis/practitioner

Environmentally-themed T-shirts designed and painted by Hoseob Yoon drying on the floor of the Shapiro Campus Center atrium.

2 ThE INTErNaTIoNal CENTEr for EThICs, JusTICE, aNd PuBlIC lIfE n BraNdEIs uNIVErsITy

n I N T H E N E W S



Brandeis university

Ms 086, P.o. Box 549110

Waltham, Ma 02454-9110 usa

Phone: 781-736-8577

fax: 781-736-8561

Email: [email protected]

Website: brandeis.edu/ethics

facebook: facebook.com/EthicsBrandeis

Twitter: twitter.com/EthicsBrandeis

StaffDaniel Terris, director

Cynthia Cohen, director of Programs in

Peacebuilding and the arts

Barbara Epstein ’73, Program administrator

for Peacebuilding and the arts

Marci McPhee, associate director

Barbara Strauss ’02, senior department

Coordinator

Leigh Swigart, director of Programs in

International Justice and society

David J. Weinstein, Communications specialist

and Newsletter Editor

International Advisory BoardRichard J. Goldstone, Chair

Diego Arria

Thomas Buergenthal

James Carroll

Hans Corell

Nancy Kassebaum Baker

Kishore Mahbubani

Jamie F. Metzl

Sari Nusseibeh

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah

Michael Ratner ’66

Stephen J. Solarz ’62

Theodore C. Sorensen, founding Chair

Shiranee Tilakawardane

Norbert Weissberg

Mission: To develop effective responses to conflict and injustice by offering innovative approaches to coexistence, strengthening the work of international courts, and encouraging ethical practice in civic and professional life.

Staff Highlights Cynthia Cohen, director of Programs in Peacebuilding and the arts, presented “art and social Transformation: a framework for assessment” at the root Cause/social Innovation forum in Boston, and “acting Together on the World stage” at the uN Commission on the status of Women International Conference in New york in March. In July she co-convened the arts and Peace Commission at the International Peace research association in sydney. n an opinion piece by Coexistence International (CI) director Jessica Berns on a possible french ban on Islamic veils was published by GlobalPost.com in february. she presented “Coexistence and Why a Complementary approach: observations and Questions on latin america” at the latin american and Caribbean social science Conference in Mexico City in May. n Ted Johnson, assistant Professor in the Conflict and Coexistence program, presented on advanced negotiation, intercultural communication, and management culture to World health organization senior managers and directors in delhi in June. n In July, Center associate director Marci McPhee returned from a



The 2010 sorensen fellows had the opportunity to meet with Theodore C. “Ted” sorensen during his visit to the Brandeis campus in March. The fellows discussed their internship plans, and asked sorensen about his work in the Kennedy administration and beyond.

The undergraduate sorensen fellowship honors Ted sorensen for his lifelong commitment to public service and his ten years as founding Chair of the Center’s International advisory Board. sorensen was policy advisor, legal counsel, and speechwriter to President John f. Kennedy, has practiced international law for four decades, and is a widely published author on the presidency and foreign affairs.

The 2010 sorensen fellows worked this summer on a diverse set of projects in five cities in four countries on three continents: Cairo, Egypt; Moshi, Tanzania; Bangalore and Mumbai, India; and the la loma region of Ecuador.

Sorensen Fellows Meet Distinguished Lawyer, Author, JFK Advisor and Speechwriter Ted Sorensen

Read about the 2010 Sorensen Fellows’ projects: brandeis.edu/ethics/atbrandeis/sorensenfellowship/bios2010.html.

The deadline to submit a preliminary internship proposal for feedback for the 2011 Sorensen Fellowship is October 6, 2010 (optional). The deadline for the complete final application is November 1, 2010. For details: brandeis.edu/ethics/atbrandeis/sorensenfellowship

one-year leave of absence spent teaching English in the Marshall Islands. she will talk about her experience september 16th. (See the Center website.) n “lessons on disaster response: Quick Checklist for relief organizations responding to the Earthquake in haiti” by John Lewis Moore, CI Program Manager, was published in the CDA Collaborative Learning Projects Quarterly Newsletter in february. n Congratulations to valued Ethics Center student workers and newly-minted Brandeis alums Tiffany Roberts, Jackie Saffir, and Dara Yaffe. n

senior department Coordinator Barbara Strauss’ short story “ready” was published in the literary magazine technicolor. n

Congratulations to Shannon Taylor, CI Program Coordinator, who graduated from the sustainable International development Masters Program of the heller school. n

In a Los Angeles Times op-ed published in april, Center director Dan Terris explained why he believes personal attacks on Justice richard Goldstone (Chair of the Center’s International advisory Board), by defenders of Israel are wrong. n David Weinstein, who served as Interim Program specialist during Marci McPhee’s absence, officially joined the Center as Communications specialist in July.

3ThE INTErNaTIoNal CENTEr for EThICs, JusTICE, aNd PuBlIC lIfE n BraNdEIs uNIVErsITy

Nathan Cummings Foundation Supports Acting Together Educational Toolkit, Book, and Documentary

n P E A C E B U I L D I N G A N D T H E A R T S

Coming Soon

People working on social justice,

post-conflict coexistence, and

peacebuilding do not commonly

intersect with those in the fields of the arts

and culture. The Acting Together project,

initiated through a collaboration between

the Ethics Center and Theatre Without

Borders (theatrewithoutborders.com), is

designed to strengthen work at the nexus of

the arts and peacebuilding.

A new print anthology and film, both

titled Acting Together, document exemplary

peacebuilding performance efforts around

the globe, and are intended to serve as

resources for education and advocacy.

The impact of this project will be

greatly magnified by support from the

Nathan Cummings Foundation, which has

awarded $75,000 to the Center’s programs

in Peacebuilding and the Arts to enable

the creation of an educational “toolkit” to

accompany the Acting Together anthology

and film, and to aid the distribution of these

resources to educators and practitioners

doing related work.

“In the Acting Together project we have

learned that collaborations between artists

Acting Together will be launched with a special screening at a major international conference on theater and peacebuilding in conflict zones at the la Mama Experimental Theatre in New york City on september 23, 2010. The anthology will be published by New Village Press in two volumes beginning in June 2011.

Visit brandeis.edu/ethics/peacebuildingarts for:• summaries of the case studies• biographies• updates on events• links to related resources• the trailer for the film

To be updated on the anthology and film, complete the contact form on the website or call 781-736-5001

and peacebuilders can be very effective,

yet they are fraught with challenges,” says

Cynthia Cohen, Director of the Center's

Programs in Peacebuilding and the Arts.

“Artists worry about their work being overly

instrumentalized, while peacebuilders

and funders generally need specific,

documentable outcomes. Support from the

Nathan Cummings Foundation will allow us

to reach artists and peacebuilders and help

them engage creatively with this tension,

respecting the strengths and the needs of

both fields.”

Each element of the Acting Together

toolkit – discussion guides, policy briefs,

and short video discussion-starters – is

crafted to stimulate conversation about

an issue or dilemma raised by this work.

The toolkit links the knowledge generated

through the Acting Together project to

particular constituencies, including

students, practitioners, policy makers, and

funders, addressing their distinct needs,

reservations, and concerns.

The anthology will consist of two

volumes of case studies and emerging

theory; the first will be published in June

2011 by New Village Press. The film

is based on interviews with the artists

and researchers who contributed to the

anthology; it will be launched at the La

Mama Experimental Theatre in New York in

September 2010 (see box below).

“The film’s subjects inspire me,” says

Allison Lund, who edited the documentary,

and produced it along with Cohen. Lund, a

filmmaker and editor who has had several

films selected for national and international

festivals, hopes Acting Together “will bring to

light the courageous actions being taken by

intellectuals and artists who believe in their

work as an affirmation of creativity over

destruction.”

acting Together documents performances ranging from reconciliation rituals (e.g. at left, from Australia), to staged works (e.g. at right, from Serbia), to community-engaged theater.

Visit the redesigned Peacebuilding and the Arts website:brandeis.edu/ethics/peacebuildingarts

…we have learned that

collaborations between artists

and peacebuilders can be very

effective, yet they are fraught

with challenges….”

– Cynthia Cohen


n A T B R A N D E I S

“If we are truly committed to social justice, . . . we have to work to make it happen.”

In 2009 the Ethics Center launched Advocacy for Policy Change,

an initiative designed to encourage citizens to bring moral and

ethical insights to the process of making and revising laws. The

centerpiece of this initiative focuses on Brandeis undergraduate

students, through a Legal Studies Program course introduced in

spring 2010, taught by Professor Melissa Stimell.

“Advocacy for Policy Change” (LGLS 161b) combines an

investigation of the ethical dilemmas that arise in the process of

lawmaking with hands-on advocacy work with entities seeking to

reform laws or to propose new ones. Students choose existing laws

they feel could be credibly challenged on ethical or moral grounds,

or proposed laws being promoted to redress perceived wrongs.

Working in teams, students research the issues and design

and implement advocacy projects to address a particular law. They

are mentored by a state legislator and/or a member of an advocacy

organization, who helps them understand the lawmaking process,

connect with colleagues, and set realistic goals.

Vanessa Kerr ’11 says the course stretched her thinking on social

justice, a central component of the Brandeis University mission.

“In ‘Advocacy for Policy Change,’ my belief in social justice was

challenged,” she says. “Through being immersed in an advocacy

organization, lobbying legislators, and personally joining the fight

for positive change in state law, I now understand that social justice

is not something to study, or merely believe in. If we are truly

committed to social justice, then we have to work to make it happen.”

Each student documents and reflects upon the experience in an

“advocacy journal.” What follows is a brief, edited excerpt from the

Advocacy Journal – Vanessa Kerr ’11March 23, 2010

Morgan and I rushed across the Boston Common, inordinately heavy camera and tripod in tow. somehow, between the two of us, we balanced an umbrella over our heads and luggage, chatting excitedly over the noise of the rain about the meeting we were going to have with senator sonia Chang-díaz. When we decided to document our project on film, we thought it would be great to get a legislator on camera to talk about the In-state Tuition Bill. Today it was happening.We got to the senator’s office and breathlessly announced ourselves to the assembly of aides in the office. one looked to the other and I began to suspect that something was amiss.“We weren’t expecting a camera,” one of them said. Morgan looked confused. I knew that she had asked permission beforehand. Working with the student Immigrant Movement students had made us sensitive to privacy issues where filming is concerned, and we would treat the senator no differently. But sometimes, miscommunication happens. Perhaps this particular detail had gotten lost in the shuffle?

“I’m sorry for the misunderstanding,” Morgan replied politely. “Would the senator be willing to speak with us off-camera?”

There was a brief discussion and someone disappeared further into the office to speak with the senator. The aide came back out and asked us what the film was for. We explained it was for a class project, and we wouldn’t show it anywhere else without her permission. Thankfully, the senator agreed to go through with the interview.Morgan and I had heard senator sonia Chang-díaz speak several times and were now finally getting to meet her. her easy-going nature dispelled my nervousness and as the interview progressed her commitment to the immigrant youth of Massachusetts became apparent. she told the story of how her father came to this country with only a few dollars in his pocket and went on to become the first latino astronaut.

When the interview was finished we thanked her and assured her once more that we wouldn’t show the interview anywhere else without her permission. she smiled and said that the caution was really for her media coordinator’s sake, who was out of town and didn’t like her to do on-camera interviews without his approval. as we left, she told us that she expected to see us around the legislature, advocating for our cause.

I smile to remember her parting words. By the end of the semester, I think I spent more time in the state house advocating and attending events than in my own house!

advocacy journal of Kerr. She and her team partner, Morgan Manley ’11,

advocated for legislation to grant undocumented immigrants the

ability to attend Massachusetts public colleges at in-state tuition rates.

Vanessa Kerr ’11 and Morgan Manley ’11 (behind table, left to right) ask Brandeis community members to sign petitions and write letters in support of the Massachusetts In-State Tuition Bill.

Advocacy for Policy Change is supported by generous multi-year commitments from Center board member Norbert Weissberg and his wife, former board member Judith Schneider.

Read more about the Advocacy for Policy Change initiative: brandeis.edu/ethics/atbrandeis/advocacy


Toward an International Rule of Law: The 7th Brandeis Institute for International Judges

n I N T E R N A T I O N A L J U S T I C E

In 2010 Brandeis collaborated with the

Grotius Centre for International Legal

Studies at the University of Leiden to

launch a summer study abroad program at

The Hague in the Netherlands. Eighteen

Brandeis undergraduates spent six weeks

exploring how international law seeks to

further peace, justice, and human rights

amidst the hard realities of a complex world.

The program culminated a process

begun with contacts at The Hague made by

Dan Terris, Director of the Ethics Center and

Brandeis Vice President for Global Affairs,

with the idea of creating a student learning

experience that built on the Center’s expertise

in the field of international justice. Professor

Richard Gaskins (Legal Studies), the Office

of Global Affairs, and the Office for Study

Abroad developed this idea in detail, and

ensured a successful pilot program.

“The students exceeded my expectations,”

said Gaskins, who led the program and

taught with guest faculty from the University

of Leiden. “We really tested their endurance,

setting the bar very high, and I’m impressed

with how much they learned so quickly.”

Along with coursework, students

met with judges, advocates, and policy

specialists, including Hague Prosecutor

Ekkehard Withopf and former NATO

Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer.

They applied readings to events taking

place in the courtrooms, visiting the

International Court of Justice, the

International Criminal Court, and the

Special Criminal Tribunals for Sierra Leone

and the Former Yugoslavia.

“I’m constantly thinking and engaged,”

wrote Shira Straus ’11 during the program.

“Taught by international lawyers and

academics, we’ve covered everything from

overviews of international institutions to

the specific definitions and histories of

international crimes to cross-examination

workshops. It has all been extremely

interesting!”

During workshops at the Grotius Centre’s

Bilingual Summer School, the Brandeis

students connected with graduate students

and professionals from all over the world.

Among the interactive exercises was a moot

court competition. The three Brandeis teams

did well, and one distinguished itself by

winning the top prize – after competing in the

final round against a French-speaking team

of seasoned lawyers – a fitting achievement

for students representing a school named for

Justice Louis D. Brandeis.

Brandeis plans to continue this

program, with the continued involvement

of the Ethics Center’s international justice

community. For details contact the Office of

Study Abroad: [email protected].

Students Encounter International Justice at The Hague

Sixteen judges from thirteen

international courts and tribunals

gathered at the seventh Brandeis

Institute for International Judges (BIIJ) in

Salzburg, Austria this July.

The participants represented a

wide spectrum of international justice

institutions, including long-time supporters

such as the International Court of Justice,

the International Criminal Court, and the

European Court of Human Rights; as well

as two institutions participating for the

first time: the Extraordinary Chambers in

the Courts of Cambodia and the Special

Tribunal for Lebanon.

The theme of this year’s Institute,

“Toward an International Rule of Law,”

encompassed topics including the fairness

of international law, the accessibility of

international courts and tribunals, and the

impact of diversity on the establishment of

an international rule of law. The Institute

also continued a tradition of examining

ethical issues faced by members of the

international judiciary.

“This year’s theme was particularly

interesting,” said Fausto Pocar, a judge and

past president of the International Criminal

Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia. “It allowed

us to discuss a number of topics pertinent

to our work in an integrated manner.”

The institute also featured a keynote

address by United Nations Under-Secretary-

General for Legal Affairs Patricia O’Brien,

and an informal session led by Associate

Justice of the United States Supreme Court

Anthony Kennedy.

Over the past eight years the BIIJ has

developed a reputation among members

of the international judiciary for offering

a unique opportunity to discuss diverse

aspects of their work with colleagues from

far-flung institutions in an intimate and

relaxed setting.

Since 2002 the Ethics Center has

hosted more than 65 international judges

and law experts at the Brandeis Institute

for International Judges. Participants have

met in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe, and

the United States to reflect on the practical

challenges as well as philosophical aspects of

their work, share best practices, and expand

their circle of professional acquaintances.

For more on Brandeis Programs in International Justice and Society, visit brandeis.edu/ethics/international justice

For Institute reports, photos, and more information, see brandeis.edu/ethics/internationaljustice/biij

Gérard Niyungeko of Burundi, a judge of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and Nina Vajić of Croatia, a judge of the European Court of Human Rights, in conversation at the BIIJ in Austria.


n H I G H L I G H T S O F R E C E N T E V E N T S

JANUARYInternational judges and international law experts from the Israeli government, military, academic community, and judiciary convened in Jerusalem for “Balancing Sovereignty, Security, and Regard for International Norms,” organized by the Ethics Center, hosted by the Mishkenot sha’ananim international cultural and conference center, and funded by the david Berg foundation.

Coexistence International and the Masters Program in Coexistence and Conflict sponsored “leadership for Coexistence,” featuring panelists affiliated with the Club of Madrid, an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democratic values and leadership around the world, consisting of former heads of state and government from 50 countries.

FEBRUARYsouth Korean graphic artist and professor Hoseob Yoon served as the Center’s fourth distinguished Visiting Practitioner. See page 1.

MARCHGloria White-Hammond, Co-founder of My sister’s Keeper, presented “Building Pathways to sustainable Peace in sudan: Why We Can’t Wait,” a social Justice leadership series lecture, in cooperation with the schuster Institute for Investigative Journalism.

Panelists discussed “Changing People in a Changing Climate? The Ethical Implications of Climate Disruption”. See page 1.

Brandeis students discussed world events with eminent members of the Center’s International Advisory Board. See article above.

APRILdocumentary films and guest speakers explored conflicts in Bosnia-herzegovina, haiti, and Cyprus at “Women in Conflict,” organized by Masters Program in Coexistence and Conflict (CoEX) students diler Erdengiz and denil Ertug and cosponsored by CoEX, the Graduate student association, and Brandeis Girl Effect.

students from "advocacy for Policy Change" (see page 4) presented their work at “Present and Defend.”

MAYIn an annual tradition, the Center celebrated undergraduates and graduate students who have been affiliated with the Center during their time at Brandeis at “UnCommencement” 2010. honoree Mohammad Kundas ’10 performed with a member of his band Mochila. Photos: facebook.com/EthicsBrandeis.

In a lunchtime conversation, Ron Gerlitz and Ali Hader, Co-Executive directors of sikkuy: The association for the advancement of Civic Equality in Israel, provided insights into their most recent sikkuy Equality Index, measuring the socio-economic gaps between Jewish and arab citizens of Israel. hosted by Coexistence International and the schusterman Center for Israel studies.

JULYThe seventh Brandeis Institute for International Judges was held in salzburg, austria. See page 5.

The Center, in collaboration with the Social

Justice Leadership Series, invited Brandeis

students to small, informal conversations

with eminent members of the Center’s

International Advisory Board in March.

In “The Obama Administration, One

Year On” former U.S. Senator Nancy

Kassebaum Baker, lawyer and former John

F. Kennedy legal advisor and speechwriter

Theodore Sorensen, and businessman and

philanthropist Norbert Weissberg discussed

the political landscape and challenges facing

the Administration.

In “Update from Across the Globe” the

President of Al-Quds University in Jerusalem

Sari Nusseibeh, Special Representative of

Students Engage with World Leadersthe U.N. Secretary General for Somalia

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah of Mauritania, and

Justice of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka

Shiranee Tilakawardane spoke about recent

developments connected with their work.

“The question is,” said Nusseibeh during

the Q&A, “how can somebody step in and

help, not on the basis that he’s on one side

against the other, but with the understanding

that he is in fact for both sides.”

Justice Richard J. Goldstone of South

Africa, Chair of the Ethics Center’s

International Advisory Board, and diplomat

and jurist Hans Corell of Sweden were

guests of the “International Law and

Organizations” course (LGLS 125b).

Former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker (R-Kansas) talks with Brandeis students.

Read more and see more photos:brandeis.edu/ethics/news/2010/2010.March.8.html

n A T B R A N D E I S

Interested in Ethics Center Cosponsorship?The Center provides financial and/or publicity support for selected student-, department- and faculty-sponsored events and activities throughout the year. Proposals are reviewed monthly by a committee of faculty, staff, and students. for the application, complete guidelines, and upcoming deadlines, see: brandeis.edu/ethics/events/cosponsorship


n F R O M T H E D I R E C T O R

n continued from page 1

Growth, Change, and Continuity

Heller School for Social Policy and

Management.

The Heller School, with a 50-year

tradition of blending sophisticated

analysis with real-world practice, is the

ideal permanent home for the M.A.

Program. The Coexistence and Conflict

Program and its longstanding Heller

School partner the Masters Program in

Sustainable International Development

can continue to build mutually beneficial

connections between students, faculty

members, and practitioners in the field.

Coexistence International (CI),

engaged in the vital work of building

bridges between the coexistence field and

fields such as human rights, democracy-

building, and economic development,

will also move to Heller.

We extend our thanks and gratitude

to the faculty and staff who have

built the M.A. Program and CI: Mari

Fitzduff, Ted Johnson, Anne Gudaitis,

Jessica Berns, and John Moore. At the

Heller School they will remain our

Brandeis colleagues, and we anticipate

with pleasure and pride much fruitful

collaboration as we build communities

for knowledge and action.

The Center continues to be the

home for pathbreaking programs in

peacebuilding and the arts, our flagship

program for international judges, the

undergraduate Sorensen Fellowship, and

extensive programming at Brandeis.

Indeed, 2010-11 promises to be

a banner year, with the publication

of a major anthology on theater and

peacebuilding and the release of a

companion documentary (page 3),

our seventh Brandeis Institute for

International Judges (page 5), and the

continued development of the Advocacy

for Policy Change initiative (page 4).

We look forward to new ventures and

new opportunities to build networks of

knowledge and practice that strengthen

the quest for peace and justice.

in downtown Seoul, was one of the most

unusual – and most popular – events of his

residency.

In March, the Center continued its

commitment to the campus-wide climate

change initiative by hosting Changing

People in a Changing Climate? The Ethical

Implications of Climate Disruption, an

interdisciplinary conversation on the

ethical implications of climate change,

with organizers Charlie Chester of

Environmental Studies and Irving Epstein

of the Chemistry Department.

The multi-part event brought

together Michael Appell of the Brandeis

International Business School; Bernadette

Brooten of Near Eastern and Judaic Studies,

Women’s and Gender Studies, and Classics;

Cristina Espinosa of the Sustainable

International Development Program of

the Heller School; and sculptor Tory Fair, a

professor in the Department of Fine Arts.

Changing People included a slideshow

of student environmental installations;

and the first screening of a short film of

Brandeis community members’ perceptions

of climate change and our personal and

collective responsibilities, produced by

n Climate Change–continued from page 1

Charlie Radin, Brandeis Director of Global

Communications and Operations, followed

by responses from the panel.

Changing People was introduced

by Saleem Ali, Associate Professor of

Environmental Studies at the University

of Vermont, and author of Treasures of the

Earth: Need, Greed, and a Sustainable Future.

“Should we think about resources as a

planetary trust?” asked Ali in his keynote.

“Think about it in terms of contingency

planning. But my argument is that we must

not neglect our responsibility as humans.

We in a university have a role to find

solutions to problems ultimately. At some

level, that’s the goal in any department. You

are channeling that great human endeavor

of finding solutions. So, that remains an

ethical imperative as well.”

• The yoon residency was hosted by Eric olson,

senior lecturer in Biology and the heller school.

for more about yoon’s residency, life, and work:

brandeis.edu/ethics/events/yoon.html

• In a continuing collaboration between hoseob

yoon and Brandeis, one of yoon’s designs was the logo of a set of campus sustainability

initiatives around green commuting. Visit the Brandeis Campus sustainability Initiative

website: brandeis.edu/campussustainability

Learn more:• read brief essays by the panel sharing their perspectives on climate change: brandeis.edu/ethics/events/ChangingClimate.html• Explore the issues with the Ethical Inquiry “Who Bears responsibility for the Environment?”: brandeis.edu/ethics/ethicalinquiry/2010/february.html

(Above) Professors Cristina Espinosa and Bernadette Brooten (l-r) discuss the ethical implications of climate disruption.

(Left) During a gallery talk Hoseob Yoon explains his design for a Brandeis T-shirt.


n N E W C E N T E R R E S O U R C E S

Brandeis universityMs 086 P.o. Box 549110Waltham, Ma 02454-9110 usa(781) 736-8577



was established through

the generosity of the late

Abraham Feinberg.

Visit the Center online: brandeis.edu/ethics

find us on facebook: facebook.com/EthicsBrandeis

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Read or download this newsletter online (PDF): brandeis.edu/ethics/publications/newsletters.html

Report on South American Judicial Colloquium now available in SpanishIn collaboration with the International Judicial academy, the Center organized “The Value of International law for National

legal systems” (“El Valor del derecho Internacional respecto de los sistemas legales Nacionales”), in Buenos aires, argentina, in November 2009. Now available to view or download: a complete report in spanish and a summary in English:

brandeis.edu/ethics/news/2009/2009.November.4_7.html

Coexistence Focus Papers newly translated to Spanish and FrenchCoexistence International recently published its first spanish translation, “¿Qué es la convivencia y por qué adoptar un enfoque complementario? (“What is Coexistence and Why a Complementary approach?”), already available in french, and two new french translations: “accent sur la Coexistence et le

renforcement de la démocratie en afrique occidentale” (“focus on Coexistence and democracy-Building in West africa”), and “accent sur la Coexistence et les droits de la Personne” (“focus on Coexistence and human rights”). These and many other publications are available at www.coexistence.net and by request at [email protected].

“Key Issues in Coexistence and Education”The newest installment in the Coexistence International focus Papers series, “Key Issues in Coexistence and Education,” compares and contrasts the education policy choices of Ireland, Israel, the Netherlands, the united states, and others, and discusses how education relates to the creation of shared societies, acknowledging that it can be an opportunity both to reinforce a common national identity and to recognize the diverse cultures within a nation.

n N E W B O A R D M E M B E R

The Center is pleased to welcome Thomas Buergenthal to its International advisory Board. a united states citizen, Judge Buergenthal has been a judge on the 15-member International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The hague since 2000, and will be resigning from the Court in september 2010. he is a former President of the Inter-american Court of human rights and a former member of the uN human rights Committee. recipient of the Gruber foundation International Justice Prize and member of the Ethics Commission of the International olympic Committee, he has been re-appointed lobingier Professor of Comparative law and Jurisprudence at the George Washington university law school, where he taught before his election to the ICJ. Judge Buergenthal is author or co-author of numerous books and law review articles on international law and international human rights topics. his memoir A Lucky Child: A Memoir of Surviving Auschwitz as a Young Boy was published in 2009.

Ethics - Brandeis University · at Brandeis University Vol. 13, No.2 SUMMER/FALL 2010 Ethics ......

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