The Film and Lecture Series is designed to provide students and members of the community with the opportunity to engage in topics of social interest and relevance through the screening of thoughtful movies and by bringing speakers to the campus who have demonstrated knowledge on topics deemed to be of social significance. The current list of films for Spring 2008 is shown below. All films are screened in Forum Building Room 101 (located on East Campus) on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. The films are free and open to the public and each will be followed by a discussion with guest speakers or panelists.
| Committee Report '05-'06 | Film Selection Criteria |
The Civic Engagement Film Series for Spring 08
All films start at 7:00 p.m. and will be held in Forum 101.
|
Film |
Date: |
Film Description: |
| The Power of Forgiveness | Jan 23 |
The Power of Forgiveness examines the challenges and benefits of forgiving, in both personal and group relations. Thinkers and spiritual leaders from Elie Wiesel to Thich Nhat Hanh offer insights as the film explores concrete situations of violence and pain such as in Northern Ireland, Ground Zero, and the Amish community in Pennsylvania. The discussion following the film will be moderated by Emeritus faculty member Dan Onorato. |
| Hacking Democracy | Feb. 6 | Hacking Democracy provides powerful evidence that electronic voting, which accounts for 87% of the voting done in this country, may jeopardize the fairness and reliability of many election results. The film describes the fact that in 2000, a Florida voting machine recorded 16,000 negative votes for Al Gore. Two years after the Florida snafu, Bev Harris begins an investigation of electronic voting. The results may surprise you. The discussion following the film will be moderated by faculty member Deborah Gilbert. |
| Sicko | Feb. 20 |
Controversial writer/producer Michael Moore examines both the historical roots and present state of health care in the United States as provided by profit-oriented health maintenance organizations (HMOs) compared to free, universal care in Canada, France, Britain, and Cuba with respect to bureaucracies, costs, and quality of care. Moore argues that Americans ought to learn from the successes of other countries that, he claims, provide better quality of health than we enjoy in the U.S. The
discussion following the film will be moderated by faculty member Bill Anelli. |
| Black Gold |
March 5 |
According to the makers of
Black Gold, "Multinational coffee companies now rule our shopping malls
and supermarkets and dominate the industry worth over $80 billion,
making coffee the most valuable trading commodity in the world after
oil. But while we continue to pay for our lattes and cappuccinos, the
price paid to coffee farmers remains so low that many have been forced
to abandon their coffee fields.” This film focuses on one man’s efforts
to help Ethiopian farmers establish “fair trade” for their goods. The discussion following the film will be moderated by faculty member Jason Wohlstadter. |
| No End in Sight |
March 19 |
The first film of its kind to chronicle the reasons behind Iraq’s descent into
guerilla war, warlord rule, criminality and anarchy, NO END IN SIGHT is a(n)...insider’s
tale of wholesale incompetence, recklessness and venality. Based on over 200
hours of footage, the film provides a candid retelling of the events following
the fall of Baghdad in 2003 by high ranking officials such as former Deputy
Secretary of State Richard Armitage, Ambassador Barbara Bodine (in charge of
Baghdad during the Spring of 2003), Lawrence Wilkerson, former Chief of Staff to
Colin Powell, and General Jay Garner (in charge of the occupation of Iraq
through May 2003) as well as Iraqi civilians, American soldiers, and prominent
analysts. Discussion following the film will be moderated by faculty member Karen Davies. |
| Crude Awakening | April 2 |
Crude Awakening examines the history of oil exploration leading to the current addiction of the world's economy to oil. Numerous oil experts comment on the fact that the world is approaching or may have already passed "peak oil". The scenario the film makers explore forces us to face the fact that there is rising demand for oil at a time when new oil discoveries can no longer keep up with the increased use of oil and gas brought on by new rising economies in China and India. According to those interviewed for the film, the long term effects of a world that can no longer rely on unlimited oil at cheap prices is coming to an end. The implications are sobering. The discussion following the film will be moderated by faculty member Jim Clarke. |
For more information about the CEP Films, contact Jim Clarke at 575-6281.
