Recently in Claremont Discourse Category

Gaston Espinosa, Claremont McKenna College
Founders Room, Honnold/Mudd Library
Wednesday, March 10, 4:15 PM

Religion has been invoked by political parties and presidential candidates to unite, divide, and mobilize the American people. Prof. Gaston Espinosa will examine the tightropes walked by candidates seeking to balance the separation of church and state and yet win the White House on Election Day. This presentation will explore a number of questions about religion and the 2008 Election, such as: What impact did Obama's spiritual journey, Muslim heritage, and Black church experience have on his campaign? How and why did Obama, a liberal Protestant with a strong secular orientation, harness the power of religious rhetoric and conversion in his outreach to the American people? How did Catholics, Evangelicals, mainline Protestants, Jews, seculars, women, Blacks, Asian Americans, and Latinos vote for Obama? Why? What long-term trends may his election signal for the future of American religion and politics?

Gaston Espinosa is Chair and Arthur V. Stoughton Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Claremont McKenna College and co-editor of the Columbia University Press Series in Religion and Politics. His recent books include Religion and the American Presidency: George Washington to George W. Bush (Columbia, 2008); Religion, Race, and the American Presidency (April 2009); and the forthcoming Religion, Barack Obama, and the 2008 Election.

Light refreshments will be provided.

FMI: Adam Rosenkranz.

The Claremont Discourse Lecture Series is sponsored by the Claremont Colleges Library, Claremont University Consortium.

Wed., Feb. 3, 4:15 PM - Founders Room - Honnold/Mudd Library
Richard W. Hazlett, Professor of Geology, Pomona College

When we think of South Africa, we often think of the recent past, charged with the history of Apartheid. But South Africa is also one of the world's most important countries because of the natural resources it has provided to fuel the global economy. The history of globalization in this part of the world is over five centuries old; and the impacts both on the pre-colonial populations and the natural environment, including the fragile and spectacular Cape Floristic Province, have been significant. Professor Hazlett, who holds the first Stephen M. Pauley Chair in Environmental Analysis at Pomona College, will take us on a tour through South Africa, examining its environmental situation in the context of the region's history and development, with a brief look at the forecast for its climatic future as well.

Light refreshments will be provided.

FMI: Adam Rosenkranz

Catherine L. Reed, Dept. of Psychology and Neuroscience, Claremont McKenna College
Wednesday, November 11th, 4:15pm

Humans are social creatures who depend on human interaction. We need to recognize that objects in the world are human and we need to know what these humans are doing. Relative to most other objects, two humans are a lot alike. Most people have the same body parts that move in the same way. Professor Catherine Reed, a cognitive neuroscientist at CMC's Department of Psychology, argues that these correspondences between our bodies and other people's lead to visual processing efficiencies that allow us to recognize more quickly the postures and actions of others. Further, people who do not develop these processing efficiencies may have social deficits such as those observed in autism.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Wed., Oct. 28, 4:15pm - Founders Room - Honnold/Mudd Library.
Phil Zuckerman, Associate Professor of Sociology, Pitzer.
Many people assume that a society without a strong faith in God would be hell on Earth: full of chaos and immorality. Many people also assume that religion is a universal phenomenon because it addresses two essential human needs: the need for answers concerning the ultimate meaning of life, and the need for comfort in the face of death. Pitzer Sociology Professor Phil Zuckerman's research on Denmark and Sweden -- two of the least religious countries in the world -- challenges these assumptions. His research on societies where religion is weak and marginal raises some interesting questions about the role of religion in the modern world. His book, Society Without God: What the Least Religious Nations Can Tell Us About Contentment, was published by NYU in 2008.

Light refreshments will be provided.

FMI: Adam Rosenkranz