|
|
September 22: Constitution-Love and the Nation’s Way of Being
September 25: Social Justice U with Keynote Speaker Eric Claville
September 27: History of Abortion in America and Effects of Overturning Roe v. Wade
September 29: Why Classics Matters: The Ancient World in Modern Virginia
|
|
Unless otherwise noted, all events are free and open to the public
and are held on the campus of Virginia Wesleyan University.
For more information, please contact the Robert Nusbaum Center:
|
|
The American Fetish: Constitution-Love and the Nation’s Way of Being
Eric Mazur, Ph.D.
Thursday, September 22
7:00 - 8:15 p.m.
Blocker Hall Auditorium
The U.S. Constitution—the central document in the birth and continued existence of the Republic—is accorded none of the ritual privileges of the American flag: It is not saluted, pledged to, handled, or disposed of in any particular way. Nonetheless, it is treated as an American scripture, quoted and interpreted as the ultimate authority to settle our country’s most difficult and divisive disputes. It is, like the flag, part of a “national faith,” a religion-like set of symbols and behaviors that are at the heart of patriotism and civic engagement, as well as foundational in movements like Christian nationalism. Join us for this special Constitution Day event as Eric Mazur describes the role of the Constitution in American Civil Religion: its constituent elements, its expressions in contemporary America, and its benefits and dangers in a modern democratic society. Eric Mazur, Ph.D., is the Gloria and David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies and Robert Nusbaum Center Fellow for Religion, Law, and Politics at Virginia Wesleyan University.
September 17 is designated as Constitution Day to commemorate the signing of the U.S. Constitution on September 17, 1787. Each September, educational institutions throughout the U.S. hold programs about the U.S. Constitution and draw attention to our commitment to the rights and obligations of citizens.
|
|
Social Justice U
Sunday, September 25
3:00 – 5:00 p.m. (doors open at 2:30)
Pearce Suite, Batten Student Center
Social Justice U is an action-oriented informational program that prepares you to talk with your legislators. The event includes educational issue briefings on topics like women’s health care, voter rights, affordable housing, and climate justice. Keynote remarks provided by Eric W. Claville, J.D., M.L.I.S., director of the Center for African American Public Policy at Norfolk State University.
Sponsored in partnership with the Legislative Collaborative Table of Hampton Roads, an ad hoc collaboration of nonpartisan nonprofits that advocates for a joint Virginia legislative agenda of social justice issues.
|
|
A Brief History of Abortion in America AND
The Ripple Effects of Overturning Roe v. Wade
Kathleen Casey, Ph.D. and Jennifer Slivka, Ph.D.
Tuesday, September 27
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Blocker Hall Auditorium
A Brief History of Abortion in America
Kathleen Casey explains the history of abortion and its criminalization in the United States in the 19th and 20th centuries. In addition, she briefly highlights other ways in which women have tried to control pregnancies. Finally, Casey discusses how attempts to regulate access to contraception and abortion have disproportionately impacted working-class women and women of color. Kathleen Casey, Ph.D., is associate professor of history and coordinator of Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at Virginia Wesleyan University.
The Ripple Effects of Overturning Roe v. Wade
Jennifer Slivka discusses the right to privacy established by the decision of Roe v. Wade and explores the wide-ranging repercussions on the bodily autonomy of those who can become pregnant. From a feminist perspective, Slivka considers the ramifications on healthcare, as well as the social, emotional, and economic well-being of women, non-binary, and transgender men. Jennifer Slivka, Ph.D,. is associate professor of English and affiliated faculty for Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies at Virginia Wesleyan University.
Sponsored in partnership with the Virginia Beach Branch, American Association of University Women, and the Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies Program at Virginia Wesleyan University.
|
|
The Goode Place: Why the Humanities Matter Now More Than Ever
Why Classics Matters:
The Ancient World in Modern Virginia
Ben Haller, Ph.D.
Thursday, September 29
12:00 – 12:45 p.m.
Brock Commons
How you frame the world matters. Most people don't buy music because of the number of notes in a song; quantity doesn't matter there. Nobody comforts the grieving owner of a deceased dog by focusing on the financial worth of the pet. Within the university, the humanities disciplines bring students to reflect in unique and foundational ways about values, meaning, and life. Each week, one scholar from the VWU Susan S. Goode School of Arts and Humanities shares reflections on an aspect of their own discipline that illuminates why the humanities matter now more than ever. Bring your lunch or purchase lunch in the Boyd Dining Center and join us for an engaging discussion with Ben Haller, Ph.D., associate professor of classics at VWU.
|
|
ROBERT NUSBAUM CENTER
Dr. Craig Wansink, Professor of Religious Studies and the Joan P. and Macon F. Brock Jr.
Director of the Robert Nusbaum Center
Kelly Jackson, Associate Director of the Robert Nusbaum Center
Dr. Eric Mazur, Gloria and David Furman Professor of Judaic Studies and Robert Nusbaum Center Fellow for Religion, Law, and Politics
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
