*Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501) 683-5239.
“Project More than Metaphors” Spoken Word Poet Amal Kassir
Monday, November 2, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– Amal Kassir, the daughter of an American mother and a Syrian father, was raised in Denver but lived for many years in Syria. While living in Syria, she came to understand the suffering of the people there, especially rural farmers and children, while the freedoms she has living in the U.S. has allowed her to become an activist on their behalf. Now a college student in Denver, Kassir attends classes and works at her father’s Syrian restaurant during the week. On the weekends, she tours the United States performing her spoken word poetry at festivals and political rallies. In 2012, she won the Grand Slam prize at the Brave New Voices International Youth Competition for a poem called “Syria.” Her poetry often blends images of simple family pleasures in Syria with the contrasting harsh treatment of government soldiers, and over the last seven years of performing, the theme of Kassir’s poetry has evolved to a call of political and social justice.
“The War in Syria: Perspectives from A Journalist and Non-profit Volunteer in Lebanon”
Tuesday, November 3, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– As a field reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Rima Abushakra wrote articles and contributed reporting and research to the paper’s coverage of Syria and Lebanon. She was one of three authors of an article reconstructing the events of Syria’s chemical weapon attack in August 2013, which was submitted by the Wall Street Journal as part of a package for Pulitzer Prize consideration. As the deputy director of Zakira, a Lebanese NGO specialized in teaching photography to vulnerable communities, Abushakra has coordinated the Lahza Projects, which taught 1,000 refugee children photography and published two books containing their photos. She narrated the CNN International story on Lahza and has been invited to speak about the project at major conferences and events, including the Clinton Global Initiative University conference and at the Woodrow Wilson School at Princeton University.
“Legacies and Lunch: The Life of Ira Sanders”
Wednesday, November 4, 2015 at 12:00 Noon (CALS Ron Robinson Theater) *In Partnership with the Butler Center
– At Legacies & Lunch, James Moses, professor of History at Arkansas Tech University, will discuss the life of Ira E. Sanders, who served as rabbi at Congregation B’nai Israel in Little Rock for 38 years and was a legendary champion of social justice in Arkansas and throughout the nation. Rabbi Sanders was a founder of Arkansas Lighthouse for the Blind, the Arkansas Eugenics Association, and the Urban League of Greater Little Rock. He also served for 40 years on the Central Arkansas Library System’s Board of Trustees. James Moses is writing a book about Rabbi Sanders, to be titled “Life Fire Shut Up in My Bones.”
“Meeting A Statewide Need: The Founding of The Arkansas Arts Center,” a conversation with Jeanne Hamilton
Thursday, November 5, 2015 at 12:00 Noon (Sturgis Hall)
– Jeanne Hamilton, who has been actively involved with the Arkansas Arts Center since its beginning in 1957 and has an extensive collection of history and memorabilia, will join Dean Skip Rutherford to talk about the Arts Center, the founding leadership roles played by both the Junior League of Little Rock and Governor Winthrop Rockefeller, its development for almost 60 years, and her vision for its future in light of an ongoing community dialogue. Mrs. Hamilton’s commitment began when she was named Junior League Arts Chairman by then President Carrie Dickinson.
“The Alternate Reality of Climate Skepticism”
Monday, November 9, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– Andrew Dessler is a tenured professor of Atmospheric Sciences at Texas A&M and a climate scientist who studies both the science and politics of climate change. His scientific research revolves around climate feedbacks, in particular how water vapor and clouds act to amplify warming from the carbon dioxide that humans emit. In 2012, he received the American Geophysical Union’s Ascent Award from the atmospheric sciences section to reward exceptional achievement by a mid-career scientist. During the last year of the Clinton Administration, he served as a senior policy analyst in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Based on his research and policy experience, he has authored two books on climate change: “The Science and Politics of Global Climate Change: A Guide to the Debate” and “Introduction to Modern Climate Change.” This latter book won the 2014 American Meteorological Society Louis J. Battan Author’s Award. In recognition of his work on outreach, in 2011 he was named a Google Science Communication Fellow.
“The Cause of All Nations: An International History of the Civil War”
Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– Don Doyle is a professor of History at the University of South Carolina, where he teaches undergraduate courses on nationalism and the American history survey, and graduate seminars on US history in the nineteenth century — particularly in the Civil War era, the American South, and the U.S. and the Atlantic World. In “The Cause of All Nations,” Doyle vividly demonstrates that far from being a “‘brother’s war’ fought by Americans over uniquely American issues,” the Civil War was an earthshaking event that threatened and engaged the governments and people of Europe, from the British Midlands to Rome. His new book is a bold account of the international dimensions of America’s defining conflict and frames the Civil War as a pivotal moment in a global struggle that would decide the survival of democracy.
Arkansas’s First Civil Discourse Forum
Friday, November 13, 2015 at 11:30 – 1:00 p.m. (Junior League of Little Rock HQ 401 South Scott Street, Little Rock, AR 72201)
– The Civil Discourse Forum is a place for Arkansans to come together to discuss methods of “seeking to understand” before being understood, and suggestions for encouraging the development of civil discourse in Arkansas. U.S. Senator John Boozman will lead off the discussion with his thoughts and perspectives from Congress. There will break-out discussion sessions with our attendees, facilitated by Clinton School professor Christina Standerfer and her students.
Carrie Hessler-Radelet, Peace Corps Director
Friday, November 13, 2015 at 12:30 p.m. (Sturgis Hall)
– Carrie Hessler-Radelet was sworn into office as the 19th director of the Peace Corps in June 2014 after previously serving as Peace Corps acting director and deputy director. Hessler-Radelet began her career in international development as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Western Samoa, teaching secondary school English. From there, she went on to spend over two decades working in public health, focusing on HIV/AIDS and maternal and child health, before returning to the Peace Corps. As head of the Peace Corps, Hessler-Radelet has led historic reforms to modernize and strengthen the Peace Corps to meet the challenges and opportunities of the 21st century. She has spearheaded a sweeping effort to revamp the Peace Corps’ Volunteer application and selection process and revitalize recruitment and outreach to field a Volunteer force that represents the best and brightest the U.S. has to offer. Previously, Hessler-Radelet served as vice president and director of the Washington, D.C., office of John Snow Inc., a global public-health organization, where she oversaw the management of health programs in more than 85 countries.
“Pivotal Tuesdays: Four Elections that Shaped the Twentieth Century” Margaret O’Mara
Monday, November 16, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– Margaret O’Mara is an associate professor of History at the University of Washington in Seattle, specializing in the political and economic history of the twentieth century United States. Her research and writing focuses on the history of the high-tech industry, the history of American politics, and the connections between the two. In addition to her academic work, she has collaborated with government, business, and civic organizations on a range of projects exploring how innovation drives growth and change. In her book, “Pivotal Tuesdays,” O’Mara looks back at four pivotal presidential elections of the past 100 years to show how they shaped the twentieth century. Exploring personalities, critical moments, and surprises of the elections of 1912, 1932, 1968, and 1992, this book shows how elections are windows into changing economic times and how history is made when ordinary people cast their ballots.
Interior Designer Bunny Williams
Tuesday, November 17, 2015 at 12:00 Noon (Sturgis Hall) *In Partnership with P. Allen Smith
– Bunny Williams is a New York-based interior designer who has been recognized for her eclectic elegance in classical tradition as one of the top 100 interior designers by Architectural Digest. Bunny opened her own interior design company, Bunny Williams Incorporated, in 1988 after twenty-two years with the decorating firm, Parish-Hadley Associates. Schooled in the classics, restraint and appropriateness are hallmarks of Bunny’s style. Objects, patterns, textures, and colors, beautifully balanced, have an appealing undisciplined look — the direct result of great focus and meticulous planning.
“Empire of Cotton: A Global History” Sven Beckert
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. (Sturgis Hall) *Book signing to follow
– Sven Beckert is an American historian and Laird Bell professor of American History at Harvard University, with a particular emphasis on the history of capitalism, including its economic, social, political, and transnational dimensions. In “Empire of Cotton,” Beckert tells the epic story of the rise and fall of the cotton industry, its centrality to the world economy, and its making and remaking of global capitalism. The empire of cotton was, from the beginning, a fulcrum of constant global struggle between slaves and planters, merchants and statesmen, workers and factory owners. Beckert makes clear how these forces ushered in the world of modern capitalism, including the vast wealth and disturbing inequalities. “Empire of Cotton” weaves together the story of cotton with how the present global world came to exist. The book won the Bancroft Award, The Philip Taft Award, and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize.
“Most Likely to Succeed,” a film screening and Q&A with executive producer Ted Dintersmith
Thursday, November 19, 2015 at 7:00 p.m. (CALS Ron Robinson Theater) * In partnership with the Arkansas Times and Noble Impact
– Where a college diploma once meant a guaranteed job, now more than half of America’s new college graduates are unable to find employment. Director Greg Whiteley locates the source of the problem not in the economy but in our educational system, which was developed at the dawn of the Industrial Age to train obedient workers and has changed little since, despite radical changes in the marketplace wrought by technology and the outsourcing of labor. With a world of information available a click away, and the modern workplace valuing skills like collaboration and critical thinking, our rote-based system of learning has become outdated and ineffective. Charter schools like San Diego’s High Tech High, which replaces standardized tests and compartmentalized subjects with project-based learning and a student-focused curriculum, offer an alternative. Whiteley follows students, teachers, and parents to see if this different model can reawaken the love of learning and offer the potential for a paradigmatic shift in education.
*Reserve your seats by emailing publicprograms@clintonschool.uasys.edu or calling (501) 683-5239.
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