Peace and Conflict Studies Welcomes Prof. Jo-Anne Hart on October 23, 2017

Peace and Conflict Studies at Swarthmore is proud to welcome Dr. Jo-Anne Hart for a public lecture on Monday, October 23, 2017.

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Jo-Anne Hart is adjunct professor at the Watson Institute and professor at Lesley University in Cambridge, MA. She graduated from UCLA and received a  fellowship to study Persian language at NYU, where she also received a PhD in political science. She specializes in US security in the Persian Gulf, with particular reference to Iran. In addition to Lesley, she has taught at Brown, the Naval War College in Newport, RI, and Barnard College.

Hart also works as a practitioner in international conflict resolution: she is active with the international NGO Search for Common Ground, where she also serves on the Board of Directors. She has worked with the US military for more than a decade. Hart has convened a US-Iranian working group on avoiding incidents at sea in the Persian Gulf and regularly participates in trainings with the US Army on mutual threat reduction in the Gulf. Hart has years of experience in simulations, in security decision making exercises both as a participant at the national level and in designing simulations to support her own teaching. She gives briefings to senior military leaders and has lectured widely in the US and abroad. At Lesley, she teaches Contemporary Middle East History as well as courses on technology and global learning.

Her lecture, Field Notes from Two Decades Pursuing Conflict Transformation Between the US and Iran, asks the following:

Why has it been so difficult to ease the longstanding hostility between the US and Iran despite mutual interests which could be well served?

Speaking from her own experience taking part in unofficial, so-called Track Two, talks with Iranian negotiators since 1996, Prof. Hart will illustrate the process of seeking conflict resolution. Hart will describe the back-channel process she initiated with Iranians and other key stakeholders in the Persian Gulf to avoid a naval incident at sea in those crowded and critical waters.

The lecture begins at 7:00PM and will be held in the Scheuer Room of Kohlberg Hall. 

This event is cosponsored by Arabic, Islamic Studies, Political Science, Sociology and Anthropology, and the Lang Center for Civic and Social Responsibility.

 

 

WHAT HAPPENED IN CHARLOTTESVILLE? A Teach-in on October 5, 2017

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Peace and Conflict Studies faculty member Lee Smithey will be joined by Bruce Dorsey (History), Nina Johnson (Sociology and Black Studies), Jamie Thomas (Linguistics), and Gina Patnaik (English Literature) for a panel discussion on the recent violence in Charlottesville, VA.

The event will take place on Thursday, October 5 at 6:00pm in the Lang Performing Arts Center Cinema. 

Teach-In Flyer

Human Rights Hummus: A Podcast Produced by Peace and Conflict Studies Alumni

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Swarthmore Peace and Conflict Studies recent graduates Lily Tyson and Marissa Cohen have already produced three episodes of their new podcast, “Human Rights Hummus: Voices of the Holy Land.”

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Lily and Marissa interview Israelis and Palestinians and record their stories, teaching listeners “what their lives are like and about what is going on with this occupation today, as they experience it.”

Swarthmore College, the Lang Center for Civic & Social Responsibility,  and Prof. Sa’ed Atshan of the Peace and Conflict Studies program all proudly support Lily and Marissa on this project!

Check out their website here.

Maria Castaneda ’18, Dreaming at Swarthmore

Maria CastanedaThe Peace and Conflict Studies Program stands with our student, Maria Castaneda ’18, who was featured in a story this week in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Maria is pursuing a special major in Spanish and Peace and Conflict Studies, and we appreciate all she contributes to our intellectual and campus community.


“She was 3 years old when she left central Mexico in her mother’s arms, unknowingly embarked on a dangerous journey north. They were part of a group that crossed the border on foot in Arizona, then headed east by car to North Carolina, where her father had settled after a similar trek.

Today, at 22, Castaneda has achieved a true American dream: She’s a senior at Swarthmore College, succeeding at one of the nation’s elite schools and on track to a fulfilling career in education or law.

Now, she’s wondering if it will all be stripped”  Read more…


There is a great deal of insecurity at the moment over the future of the DACA program, and we wish to express our support for all of our undocumented students.

 

Swarthmore Peace and Conflict Studies Students in the News

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Peace and Conflict Studies special major Maria Castaneda ’18 and Peace and Conflict Studies minor Michael Nafziger ’18 were recently featured in the news.

Read Maria’s story related to President Trump’s order ending the DACA program here.
“From Mexico to Swarthmore, a dream now in danger”

Follow Michael’s involvement in our community in the wake of the alt-right controversy in Charlottesville, VA here.
“Swarthmore Community Reflects on Charlottesville at Collection”

Collection on Charlottesville

On Thursday, September 7th, 7-8 pm, the Collection Committee and Peace and Conflict Studies will co-host a Collection at the Friends Meetinghouse. 
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This Collection is an opportunity to reflect  on recent and ongoing events. We will open with remarks from Michael Nafziger ’18 entitled: “Understanding Charlottesville: Reflections from Michael Nafziger ’18, a Peace and Conflict Studies Quaker Student from Charlottesville”
 
The second part of the Collection will follow the traditional collection format with silence and opportunities for people to speak if and when the Spirit moves them, reflecting on Charlottesville or other recent  troubling​ events.
 
All are welcome.