Jim White, Craver Family Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has announced a series of spring events that seek to help the College community — students, faculty and staff — broaden their understanding of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and offer opportunities for dialogue to explore the many complex and interwoven issues involved.
The events are being organized by several departments as well as the Dean’s Office itself.
Dialogue for Understanding: College Conversations in Difficult Times will tap the deep expertise of College of Arts and Sciences faculty to provide context and insight on relevant topics such as antisemitism, Islamophobia, genocide, foreign policy and free speech. Importantly, the events in the series will also allow members of the community to participate in rich yet difficult conversations that foreground exchange, reflection and understanding across difference and among community.
“I urge students, faculty and staff to take advantage of these events to learn and reflect, White said in an email to faculty and staff announcing the Dialogue for Understanding series.
Beyond the February panel discussion sponsored by the Program for Public Discourse, specifics for each event are still under development. A website for the series will be updated as details become available. It should be noted that departments, centers and institutes in the College will be hosting additional events.
Events:
Feb. 21: The Politics of Israel and Palestine. Hosted by the Program for Public Discourse. UNC political science faculty members Jeff Spinner-Halev and Navin Bapat discuss the politics conflict between Israel and Palestine as part of the Abbey Speaker Series.
March 19, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Faculty Community Conversation on Israel/Palestine. Hosted by the department of religious studies. (For UNC faculty only; advance registration is required. Registration link. )
Late March/Early April: Historical Insights on Key Concepts in the Competing Narratives on Israeli-Palestinian Conflict. Hosted by the department of history. Late March/Early April: Free Speech and Universities: What’s the Legal Perspective? With Mary-Rose Papandrea, the Samuel Ashe Distinguished Professor of Constitutional Law, UNC School of Law. Hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office.
April 15-19: Community Photovoice: Student Reflections on Campus Climate and the Middle East. A public exhibit of work by undergraduate students participating in the spring project. (Hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences Dean’s Office.)