Cardinal Peter Turkson, one of the primary contributors to Pope Francis's environment encyclical, Praise Be to You (Laudato Si'): On Care for our Common Home, will contribute to the worldwide dialog on the relation of humans to the natural world that has been sparked by Pope Francis's encyclical. Cardinal Turkson's talk will be followed by a fireside chat with Ohio State's President Drake. Turkson has become the face of climate change at the Vatican, having led the drafting process of Pope Francis' encyclical on the environment. The purpose of encyclical is to elevate the debate on the moral dimensions of protecting the environment and to highlight the intrinsic connection between respect for the environment and respect for people. Turkson's visit to Ohio State is part of a four-day stay in Columbus. Read more and register

Ryan Irwin is assistant professor at State University of New York-Albany. His first book was Gordian Knot: Apartheid and the Unmaking of the Liberal World Order (Oxford, 2012), and he is currently completing two new book projects. The first is a collective biography -- focused on Dean Acheson, Felix Frankfurter, Harold Laski, and Walter Lippmann -- that explores the growth and meaning of American liberal internationalism during the mid-20th century. The second book project looks at six moments when the United States tried to reorganize world affairs in the 20th century. In this talk, Irwin will discuss how a generation of U.S. elites debated the instruments and purpose of global governance in four historical moments from World War I to the 1990s. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/irwinr

The Responsibility, Morality, and Costs of War symposium blends performing and visual arts with leading research to explore the costs of war. Jonathan Shay, author of A chilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character and Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming, will deliver the symposium's keynote address. Renowned Czech designer Simona Rybáková leads the creation of a performance/installation and delivers the Ohio State Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee Theatre Research Institute lecture. Assistant Professor Kevin McClatchy (left) performs his new solo play, Scrap Heap, about a Special Forces veteran with PTSD. Other notable participants include Mershon affiliate and decorated veteran Peter Mansoor, Ohio State endowned chair of History Bruno Cabanes, founder of American Women Veterans Genevieve Chase, and award-winning playwright and actor Bianca Sams. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/costsofwar

Ishan Ashutosh is a critical human geographer whose work encompasses the study of migration, the politics of race and ethnicity from an international and comparative perspective, and urban studies. His research examines the multiple and contested representations of South Asia through projects situation in migration and area studies. The first research project focuses on transnational politics of South Asian diasporas in multiple urban centers in the United States, Canada and Britain. The second research project examines the constructions of South Asia in the social sciences as a site of knowledge production. This talk examines the shifting relations between the Indian nation-state and the South Asian diaspora. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/ashutoshi

David Edelstein is associate professor in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service and Department of Government at Georgetown University. His research and teaching focus on international security, international relations theory, and U.S. foreign policy. His first book is Occupational Hazards: Success and Failure in Military Occupation (Cornell, 2008). He is currently engaged in two major research projects. One is on the time horizons of political leaders in international politics, and the other examines exit strategies from military interventions. In this talk, Edelstein will explore what past cases of rising great powers might lead us to expect in the case of China. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/edelsteind

Climate change poses major challenges to local communities throughout the world as to how best to adapt and innovate. This panel draws on a team of experts that have done community-level climate adaptation research in multiple ecological settings in North America, Latin America and Southeast Asia to identify methods that can work for successful adaptation. Panelists include Cornelia Flora (left), Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Iowa State University; C.K. Shum, Distinguished University Scholar, School of Earth Sciences, at The Ohio State University; and Mary Emery, head of the Department of Sociology and Rural Studies at South Dakota State University. It will be moderated by Craig Jenkins, professor of sociology, political science and environmental science at Ohio State. Read more and register at go.osu.edu/watersecurity

Edward Barbier is the John S. Bugas Professor of Economics at University of Wyoming. His main area of expertise is natural resource and development economics as well as the interface between economics and ecology. He has served as a consultant and policy analyst for a variety of national, international and non-governmental agencies, including many UN organizations, the World Bank and the OECD. Abstract: The global economy is facing two major threats: increasing environmental degradation and a growing gap between rich and poor. These two threats are symptomatic of a growing structural imbalance in all economies - how nature is exploited to create wealth. The root of this imbalance is that natural capital is under-priced, and hence overly exploited, whereas human capital is insufficient to meet demand, thus encouraging inequality. By adopting a Balanced Wealth Strategy we can overcome the structural imbalance between nature and wealth that is inhibiting innovation, growth and prosperity. Read more