All events are free unless otherwise noted
October 7, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Midway, St. Paul.
"Selfishness and the Common Good: Was Adam Smith Right?"
Lecture by Walter Schulz.
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
In the late 18th Century, Adam Smith significantly shaped the modern world by claiming that when people individually pursue their own interests, they together are led towards achieving the common good. But can a population of selfish people achieve the economic common good in the absence of moral constraints on their behavior?
Dr. Walter Schultz teaches philosophy at Northwestern College, holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota, and is author of
The Moral Conditions of Economic Efficiency.
October 11, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Ted Mann Concert Hall, University of Minnesota
"A Revolution in Women's Sports"
Mary Jo Kane and Donna Lopiano
Part of the
Great Conversations series sponsored by the College of Continuing Education, University of Minnesota.
Tickets ($28.50) at 612-624-2345 or
www.cce.umn.edu/conversations.
After 32 years, two of this country's leading figures in women's sports look back on the hard-won accomplishments of Title IX and discuss their hopes and dreams for the future.
Mary Jo Kane is Professor and Director of the University's Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, the first interdisciplinary center of its kind in the country. Recipient of the U's first Distinguished Professorship related to women in sport, Kane is an internationally recognized scholar who has published extensively on the media's stereotypic treatment of female athletes. In 2003 Professor Kane received the Scholar of the Year Award from the Women's Sports Foundation for her significant contributions to the study of women's sports and physical activity. Dr. Kane was inducted into the American Academy of Kinesiology, the highest honor in her field.
Donna Lopiano is the Executive Director of the Women's Sports Foundation. Founded in 1974 by Billie Jean King, the Foundation ensures gender equity in athletic activities and compliance with Title IX throughout the country. Lopiano's extraordinary athletic career includes participation in 26 national championships in four different sports. She has coached collegiate basketball, volleyball, and softball winning 18 national championships in six sports and producing more than 300 All-Americans. A member of the Softball Hall of Fame, Dr. Lopiano was named one of the 100 most influential people in sports by Sporting News.
October 21, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Richfield
"Ghostly Tales: Are There Things That Go Bump in The Night?"
Lecture by Gannon Murphy
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Gannon Murphy discusses the stories, myths, and realities of the paranormal. He navigates through the complexities and offers some explanations to the issues of ghosts, demons, and angels.
Gannon Murphy, Director of the Minnesota Apologetics Project, holds an M.A. in Theology from Bethel Seminary and is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Wales.
November 4, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Midway, St. Paul
"Enron, Ethics, and Excess"
Lecture by Roger Magnuson
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Roger Magnuson uses his experiences in several white-collar criminal cases and securities and shareholder litigation to explore the apparent clash between business and morality.
Roger Magnuson, Esq. is head of Dorsey & Whitney’s Strategic Litigation group, and is one of the country’s most innovative and successful trial lawyers.
November 18, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Richfield
"Douglas Coupland: A Contemporary Search for Meaning?"
Lecture by Jock McGregor
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Douglas Coupland, author of
Generation X, continues to write some of the most insightful and revealing novels of the contemporary period. But beneath his razor-sharp cultural analysis lies a deeper hunger and more than a glimmer of hope.
Jock McGregor is a member of L’Abri Fellowship where he has worked for many years in Switzerland, England, and now Rochester, Minnesota.
December 2, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Midway, St. Paul
"Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Philosophies?"
Lecture by Helen Aling
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
For over a century, scholars have debated Charles Dickens’ religious beliefs. One of his lesser known works, a summary of the Gospels written for his children but not published until 1934, sheds light on this controversy.
Dr. Helen Aling is a Professor of English at Northwestern College and a Dickens scholar. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota.
December 16, 2004 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Richfield
"Bringing Justice to An Unjust World: Experiences in Uganda"
Lecture by Tim Bettenga
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Much of the Third World doesn’t have access to basic legal representation, resulting in a sense of hopelessness. Tim Bettenga shares his experiences as a pro bono lawyer in Uganda where he encounters injustice, suffering, and abuse.
Tim Bettenga, Esq. is Assistant General Counsel at Apogee Enterprises in Bloomington, Minnesota. He earned his degree from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul. Tim has traveled extensively throughout the world and has been involved with justice issues as a pro bono attorney with International Justice.
January 6, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Midway, St. Paul
"Environmental Activism: A Basis in Spirituality"
Lecture by Paul Capel
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Paul Capel is on the cutting edge of environmental protection. He discusses some results of his years of experience and our spiritual responsibility as the environment’s protectors in our day-to-day lives.
Dr. Paul Capel is a Research Chemist at the US Geological Survey and adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota studying the fate of pesticides in the environment.
January 20, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Richfield
"God Is Not Dead: He Has Moved"
Lecture by Walter Sunberg
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
In the late 1800s, German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche predicted the death of the Christian God. However, more people have become Christian since World War II than in any other time in the history of the Christian Church. But, this church’s center has moved from Europe to America, Asia, and Africa.
Dr. Walter Sundberg teaches Church History at Luther Seminary. He holds a M.Div. and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. He has taught systematic theology and is published widely.
February 3, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Midway, St. Paul
"Modern Superstitions and Unpredictable Mysteries"
Lecture by Steven Calvin
Sponsored by the
Heart of the Matter lecture series.
There is great promise in the medical use of adult stem cells. Referencing Wendell Berry’s book,
Life Is a Miracle: An Essay Against Modern Superstition, Dr. Calvin argues that there is an ancient moral boundary that should not be crossed in the use of embryonic stem cells. His vocation and avocation flow from a deep conviction that life is meaningful and miraculous.
Dr. Steven Calvin is a perinatologist specializing in maternal/
fetal medicine and Co-Chair of the program in Human Rights and Medicine at the University of Minnesota. He also teaches in the Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and Women’s Health as well as the Department of Philosophy.
February 8, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Ted Mann Concert Hall, University of Minnesota
"Gender And Race in Medical Treatment"
Anne Taylor and Vivian Pinn
Part of the Great Conversations series sponsored by the College of Continuing Education, University of Minnesota.
Tickets ($28.50) at 612-624-2345 or www.cce.umn.edu/conversations.
Two leading figures in women's health discuss the debate over the relevance of race in determining preventive medicine and the disparities in access to quality health care for patients determined by gender and ethnicity.
Anne Taylor is Professor of Cardiology, Associate Dean of the Medical School, and Director of the University of Minnesota's National Center for Excellence in Women's Health. From 2001-2004, she was Director of the Association of Black Cardiologists Women's Health Center. She chaired the first national clinical study on heart failure in African Americans which lead to the first drug developed specifically for a single ethnic group and ignited a debate on the relevance of race in determining medical treatment. She is the author of The Black Women's Guide to a Healthy Heart, which addresses gender and race disparities in access to quality healthcare.
Vivian Pinn is the Director of the Office of Research on Women's Health at the National Institutes of Health, a post she has held since 1991. She came to the NIH from Howard University College of Medicine where she had been Professor and Chair of the Department of Pathology since 1982. Dr. Pinn has long been active in efforts to improve the health and career opportunities for women and minorities. She is the recipient of numerous awards including the James D. Bruce Memorial Award for distinguished contributions in preventive medicine from The American College of Physicians, the Athena Award from the Partnership for Women's Health at Columbia University, and the Catherine McFarland Award from the University of Pennsylvania for distinguished service in women's health.
February 17, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Richfield
"Academic Freedom and The State of the Campus"
Lecture by Katherine Kersten
Sponsored by the Heart of the Matter lecture series.
The Liberal Arts education is supposed to provide an environment for students to be exposed to many different ideologies and to help them think for themselves and to choose freely. Many universities, however, manipulate the student body by offering only slanted and limited ideologies.
Katherine Kersten is a Distinguished Senior Fellow for Cultural Studies at the Center of the American Experiment in Minneapolis and an attorney by training. She holds degrees from the University of Notre Dame, Yale University, and the University of Minnesota.
March 3, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Midway
"Nation Building In An Age of Cynicism"
Lecture by Robert Osburn
Sponsored by the Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Academics and others have become deeply skeptical about foreign policy and the complicated task of building just, prosperous societies (especially in the wake of the Iraq war). Is it possible to engage the suspicious cynics while fostering a genuinely constructive and Christian vision for societies around the world?
Robert Osburn is the Executive Director of the MacLaurin Institute, a Christian study center at the University of Minnesota. He is a Ph.D. candidate in comparative and international development education at the University of Minnesota.
March 9, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Ted Mann Concert Hall, University of Minnesota
"Design of Everyday Life"
Wendy Pradt Lougee and Henry Petroski
Part of the Great Conversations series sponsored by the College of Continuing Education, University of Minnesota.
Tickets ($28.50) at 612-624-2345 or www.cce.umn.edu/conversations.
Two leading thinkers discuss how curiosity and research can unravel the extraordinary stories behind ordinary objects.
Wendy Pradt Lougee is University Librarian and McKnight Presidential Professor at the University of Minnesota. Prior to accepting this position in 2002, she served as Associate Director of the University of Michigan Library system. Well known for her pioneering contributions to the design and development of digital libraries and electronic publishing, she has been recognized by the Association of College and Research Libraries with the Hugh Atkinson Award and as a Computerworld Honors Program Laureate for technology innovation. A native Midwesterner, Lougee holds graduate degrees from the Universities of Wisconsin and Minnesota.
Henry Petroski is the author of numerous fascinating books tracing the history of ordinary objects including The Book on the Bookcase; The Pencil: A History of Design and Circumstance; The Evolution of Useful Things and Engineers of Dreams: Great Bridge Builders and The Spanning of America; Invention by Design: How Engineers Get from Thought to Thing. He also wrote and hosted the BBC documentary "To Engineer Is Human" which was broadcast on PBS. He serves as a professor of Civil Engineering and History at Duke University. His work has been recognized in his field with the Ralph Coats Roe Medal from the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Civil Engineering History and Heritage Aard from the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is also the recipient of three honorary degrees and the Alumni Centennial Award from Manhattan College where he received his bachelor's degree and an Alumni Award for Distinguished Service from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign where he received his PhD.
March 17, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Richfield
"Techno-Utopianism"
Lecture by Christopher Hook
Sponsored by the Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Utopian ideas have dominated history in the past three centuries and still guide our political and technological thinking today. Among these ideas are utopianism, reductionism, pragmatism, scientism, and gnosticism, all of which underlie and inform the larger movements of communism, fascism, contemporary liberalism, and transhumanism.
Dr. Christopher Hook is a Consultant in Hematology and Internal Medicine at the Mayo Clinic. He founded the Mayo Clinic Ethics Council and has served as the Director of Ethics Education for the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. Dr. Hook serves on the DHHS Advisory Committee for Genetics, Health, and Society.
April 7, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Midway, St. Paul
"Are Ancient Texts Reliable?"
Lecture by Mark Chavalas
Sponsored by the Heart of the Matter lecture series.
What happens when the historian is confronted with multiple accounts of the same historical event? Mark Chavalas examines the biblical account of King Hezekiah of Judah’s rebellion against Assyria, and compares it to the accounts from the annals of King Sennacherib of Assyria.
Dr. Mark Chavalas is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse and holds a Ph.D. in Ancient Near Eastern History from UCLA.
April 19, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Ted Mann Concert Hall, University of Minnesota
"The Struggle and Hope for Southern Africa"
Allan Isaacman and Graca Machel
Part of the Great Conversations series sponsored by the College of Continuing Education, University of Minnesota.
Tickets ($28.50) at 612-624-2345 or www.cce.umn.edu/conversations.
An inspiring advocate for human rights discusses the ravages of war on its most innocent victims with a renowned scholar of African history.
Allan Isaacman is Regents Professor of History at the University of Minnesota. He has spent the past 30 years conducting research, writing, and teaching African history. A prolific author, his many publications include "Cotton is the Mother of Poverty" and "Mozambique: The Africanization of a European Institution", winner of the Melville Herkovits Award for most distinguished publication in African studies. He is also the founding Director of the MacArthur Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change, Sustainability, and Justice which has brought graduate students to the University from all over the developing world. Among his many awards, Professor Isaacman was named Scholar of the College and received a Distinguished Teaching Award from the College of Liberal Arts and a University Alumni Association Teaching Award.
Graca Machel is the former first lady of Mozambique. An internationally recognized human rights advocate, she was appointed by the United Nations to produce the groundbreaking study and subsequent book The Impact of War on Children. She is currently President of the Foundation for Community Development in Mozambique and Chancellor of the University of Cape Town.
April 21, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Richfield
"Efficiency, Management, and Hubris"
Lecture by Jennifer Alexander
Sponsored by the Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Efficiency has come to be a cardinal virtue in our society, but it is really a recent development. Efficiency used to describe the workings of God; now it describes the workings of machines and managers. Dr. Alexander will look at how the change came about, and its relationship to industrialization and consumerism.
Dr. Jennifer Alexander is assistant professor in the Program in the History of Science and Technology at the University of Minnesota. Her present work includes research projects on the history of the technical concept of efficiency and on the history of the biomechanics movement of the 20th century.
May 5, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Midway, St. Paul
Topic to be announced
Lecture by Bryan Dowd
Sponsored by the Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Professor Bryan Dowd is the Director of Graduate Programs in Health Services Research and Policy in the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. He received his Ph.D. in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Pennsylvania.
May 19, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.
Borders Books, Richfield
"Person, Android, or Machine? Visions of Humanity in Science Fiction Movies"
Lecture by Dennis Haack
Sponsored by the Heart of the Matter lecture series.
Films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner, The Matrix, and I, Robot not only entertain, they raise issues worth discussing. What does it mean to be human? Can technology threaten our humanity? Can life be meaningful if we become convinced we are only machines?
Denis Haack is Co-Founder of Ransom Fellowship and editor ofCritique, a publication that seeks to thoughtfully engage culture from the perspective of Christian faith.
