Peace and Justice Lecture on Civil Discourse

"Breaking the Stalemate: Common Ground for the Common Good" 

Jill Marie Gerschutz Bell, Senior Legislative Specialist, Catholic Relief Services
 

World AIDS Day: An Evening of Awareness and Remembrance

In honor of the 34th annual World AIDS Day the Norman Miller Center is sponsoring an evening event focused on raising awareness of HIV/AIDS and remembering those who have lost their lives to or continue to live with the disease. 
The event takes place in the Campus Center Reflection Lounge on the third floor.
The guest speaker is Ms. Diane Wagner whose brother died of AIDS in the 1980's. Ms. Wagner will talk about her experience with her brother's struggle with the disease as well as her years of activism on behalf of HIV/AIDS after his death.
The evening will also consist of group reflection and art project, a candlelight vigil, coffee, and cookies.

Headlines on Human Rights

In honor of Human Rights Day, the Norman Miller Center will be hosting a panel to discus contemporary human rights issues around the world. The panel will be made up of faculty members to talk about current events and the nature of human rights.

SPRING 2013 ACADEMIC CONFERENCE CALL SERIES

Norman Miller Center Interns Present Papers for WIsconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies

The Formation and Exercise of Conscience Within a Religious Community
by Dr. Robert Pyne and Katlyn Cashman 

Whether seen from the internal perspective of the faithful or the external viewpoint of the secular community, religion is unquestionably a powerful force in society. Religious communities have used their power to make a positive impact on countless occasions, but they have also used this power to restrict and deny human rights in the name of God. Unfortunately, particularly during times of controversy, it can be difficult to identify from within a religious community which of the two is happening. Personal boundaries, particularly with regard to freedom of conscience, make possible the intellectual space necessary for critical reflection. Understanding where an individual stops, where the community begins, and how the two interact will preserve the individual’s identity and the necessary freedom to remain conscientious while still a member of the religious community. This benefits both the individual and the religious group. This paper will outline the formation of personal conscience and offer suggestions to those seeking to exercise it from within communities of faith.

A Realistic View of Peace in South Africa
by Dr. Robert Pyne and Connor Romenesko 

As the twenty-year anniversary of the end of apartheid in South Africa approaches, this paper investigates the state of post-apartheid peace in South Africa. Apartheid ended in 1994, but several recent incidents involving miners in South Africa evidence continuing unrest and income disparity. Other events and socio-economic measures, likewise, indicate a lack of social progress. Some have even referred to the current climate as “economic apartheid.” Based on a broad understanding of peace as human flourishing, this paper will use data from the Institute for Justice and Reconciliation’s Transformation Audits to assess the progress of the country toward economic and social well-being. This paper will move on to offer possible pathways for peace in post apartheid South Africa. 

Towards Universal Education & Improved Maternal Health: Interrelated Millennium Development Goals
By Kaylee Beck and Rachel Schindler

The Millennium Development Goals were created by the United Nations in 2000 to address eight of the greatest current needs in our world. These eight goals are separately defined and measured, giving the impression that borders exist between each of these categories. However, as this paper will illustrate, there are not distinct boundaries between each goal. Instead, they are all interrelated; improving one will surely impact another. A country must focus on meeting all goals instead of just one to be successful by United Nations standards.  This paper will then focus specifically on the interaction between Goal 2 and Goal 5 of the Millennium Development Goals. The relationship between implementing basic education and improving maternal health is correlative; a positive feedback cycle arises with the interactions of bettered health and education. In order to achieve all eight goals, targeted countries must understand the interrelatedness of each goal instead of viewing them as independent of each other.  

SPRING 2013 ACADEMIC CONFERENCE CALL SERIES