May. 4, 2016
CWU to Host Worldview and Social Justice Forums
The place and role of ethics in today’s society will be examined during Central Washington University’s Worldview and Social Justice forums. Mary Poplin, an internationally acclaimed author and frequent guest speaker on college campuses, will lead the the series of free, public events, May 9-11 in the Student Union and Recreation Center (SURC) Ballroom.
“Ethics is an area that faculty regularly ask their students to consider in their courses,” said Mark Pritchard, event coordinator and CWU management professor. “I felt she could help engage our students in discussing a variety of issues related to this.”
Pritchard says he came to that conclusion after hearing Poplin, an educational studies faculty member at Claremont (Calif.) Graduate University, speak to students and staff at two other universities.
Poplin, whose research involves contemporary intellectual trends in the humanities, sciences, and social sciences, will deliver a pair of lectures during the forums. The first, “Four Worldviews and Their Influence on University Knowledge,” will take place Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. It’s based on her 2013 book, “Is Reality Secular? Testing the Assumptions of Four Global Worldviews.”
Poplin’s forum-concluding lecture, “What Mother Teresa Taught About Justice, Calling and Goodness,” Wednesday at 7:00 p.m., will recount her experiences working with Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity in Calcutta, India.
In addition, Poplin will help lead two panel discussions. The first, Monday at 4:00 p.m., is titled “Is Reality Secular?” CWU philosophy and religious studies professors Gary Bartlett and Jeffrey Dippman, and student moderators from William O. Douglas Honors College, Campus Ambassadors, and SALT student club will comprise the panel.
A second discussion, Tuesday at 3:30 p.m., pertains to the “Foundations and Applications of Social Justice.” University professors James Avey, management, and Chuck Reasons, law and justice, will be joined by student moderators from the law and justice and Catholic Ministries clubs for that forum.
Media contact: Robert Lowery, director of Radio Services and Integrated Communications, 509-963-1487, loweryr@cwu.edu
May 4, 2016
Photo: Mary Poplin (courtesy The Veritas Forum)