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ADP speakers, events examine global perspectives
January 6, 2005 | |||||
KOKOMO, Ind.---In fall 2004, IU Kokomo's American Democracy Project (ADP) provided students opportunities to become better informed and involved U.S. citizens. In spring 2005 semester, the project's focus widens to issues faced by people around the globe.
ADP is a national, multi-campus initiative that seeks to offer undergraduates an intellectual and experiential understanding of citizen education. "Citizen education includes social and moral responsibility, community involvement, political literacy, and a solid understanding of the international world," said ADP Committee co-chair Aimee Sadler. "Through our campus ADP program, called 'Building Character. Building Communities,' we're encouraging faculty to weave these concepts into existing classes. We're inviting them to enrich the content of their courses by incorporating the views of ADP's guest speakers and artists, many of whom have studied and been players in current world issues." (See full calendar of activities below for times and locations.) Highlights will include a Congress to Campus visit, an address by Islamic scholar Johannes Jansen, and an April presentation by retired U.S. Rep. Lee Hamilton on his work as co-chair of the 9/11 Commission. The Congress to Campus program sends bipartisan pairs of former members of Congress to college campuses around the country, to encourage students to consider careers in public service. Democrat Coppersmith of Arizona and Republican Kuykendall of California will conduct classes at IU Kokomo on January 24 and 25. They will hold a community forum on the first evening. "At this forum, you can hear fascinating firsthand stories of how Congress hammers out this country's foreign and domestic policy," said Sadler's co-chair, M. Todd Bradley, Ph.D. "You should also hear ideas on how average citizens can have a say in government." Serving in Congress from 1993--95, Coppersmith kept a campaign promise to return a congressional pay raise he opposed. He also gained national attention with his efforts to eliminate the Advanced Liquid Metal Reactor program, leading a coalition of budget-cutters, environmentalists, and foreign policy experts. Between 1999 and 2001, Kuykendall served on the U.S. House of Representatives committees for Armed Services, Science, Transportation and Infrastructure. Previously, as a California State Assemblyman, he co-authored California's "Megan's Law" and wrote the "Tyler Jaeger Act" to protect children from abuse. A Dutch expert on the Arab world and Islam, Johannes Jansen, Ph.D., will speak on the historic roots of radical Islamic fundamentalism Tuesday, January 25. Jansen is the Chair for Contemporary Islamic Thought at the University of Utrecht (The Netherlands). Jansen maintains that centuries-old antagonisms between Muslim and Christians in Europe and the Middle East still motivate today's Islamic extremists, such as al Qida members. In a March 2004 interview for the online news forum FreeRepublic.com, Jansen said that, while not all Muslims share those feelings, al Qida is acting out "a fantasy, a romantic dream of total victory" over the West. Cultural events complementing the ADP calendar include two exhibitions at the IU Kokomo Art Gallery and a showing of the movie "Osama." Inspired by a true story, the 2003 movie was the first film made in Afghanistan after that nation's Taliban regime collapsed. In it, a 12-year-old Afghan girl defies the Taliban and disguises herself as a boy named Osama, in order to work and support her family. Played by amateur actors living in the city of Kabul, "Osama" has won numerous awards, including three from the Cannes Film Festival. Free and open to the public, American Democracy Project activities will take place on campus through spring 2006. Complete details of ADP program can be seen at www.iuk.edu/adp. Suggestions for future programs can be submitted to Aimee Sadler at (765) 455-9203, aesadler@iuk.edu, or Todd Bradley at (765) 455-9538, mtbradle@iuk.edu.
Indiana University Kokomo's American Democracy Project:
World Views in Art
Expert Voices
Opportunities for Engagement
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