January 22, 2000

Culture of Peace Is Subject of Lecture Series At Ramapo College of New Jersey

(Mahwah) -- "Culture of Peace: Global Challenges for the 21st Century," is the topic of the annual semester-long Ramapo College Lecture Series, to be held on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. in the Mansion York Room. Beginning February 8 with a talk, "Non-Violence: A Reflection," by Dr. Anthony T. Padovano, a professor at Ramapo and the author of 26 books and three award-winning plays, the series will continue through May 9.

The list of speakers includes (in addition to Padovano) Betty Reardon, director of the Peace Education Program at Teachers College, Columbia University; William Pace, executive director of the World Federalist Association, and a leader among non-governmental organizations at the International Criminal Court in Rome; and John Dear, a Jesuit priest, peace activist and the executive director of the Fellowship of Reconciliation, among others. In addition, Rabab Abdulhadi, a Palestinian, and Simona Sharoni, an Israeli, will co-present a session on "Gender and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Politics of Women’s Resistance."

According to Terence Miller, director of International and Intercultural Education at Ramapo, the series is in conjunction with UNESCO’s (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) designation of 2000 as the international year for a culture of peace. This is within the larger context of a decade (2001-2010) "for the culture of peace and nonviolence for the benefit of the children of the world." The Culture of Peace is an attempt to educate humankind to issues of nonviolence, conflict resolution and problems that could ignite conflicts or war in the 21st century. Within this framework, Ramapo College accepted the challenge to educate students to a culture of peace. By inviting 13 experts in areas such as youth violence, African sustainable democracy, economic justice, the role of the UN in the 21st century, gender and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the global AIDS epidemic, civil disobedience, and arms transfer, among others, the College is inviting the voice of the practitioner into the classroom. These practitioners will share with students, faculty and the public their perspective on how these global challenges can be resolved peacefully.

All lectures are open to the public. For more information or to request a flyer on the entire series, call (201) 684-7533.