WFU to Celebrate Year of Globalization & Diversity
Wake Forest University will celebrate the “Year of Globalization and Diversity: Conflict or Harmony?” with a series of speakers, events and performances during the 1998-99 academic year.
Through a variety of cultural and academic events, the year will explore the challenges of a more global community while celebrating the world’s diversity.
“The year will address a broad range of issues that arise as the world continues to become more interconnected,” said Thomas Taylor, co-chair of the year’s planning committee.
“The year will also highlight the achievements and artistic expressions of various cultures in an effort to promote a better understanding of those cultures,” added Taylor, Hylton Professor of Accountancy with Wake Forest’s Calloway School of Business and Accountancy.
The year’s first major event is an address by Oscar Arias Sanchez, former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize recipient, during the university’s Opening Convocation on Sept. 17. Arias, who led Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1987 for his efforts to establish peace among Costa Rica’s neighboring countries.
The year is organized into a series of monthly themes beginning with an overall look at globalization and diversity in September. Themes for the following months will examine issues related to globalization and diversity in greater depth:
- October: Issues of Identity
- November: Cross-Cultural Communication
- January: Human Rights
- February: War and Peace
- March: Health and Aging
- April: Environment
Event dates and other details have been set for the majority of the year, however, some dates will be determined later. The majority of the events are open to the public.
On Oct. 22, Marshall Goldman will discuss the Russian economy in an address titled “Stealing the State: What Did Russia Do to Deserve This?” Goldman is an economics professor at Wellesley College and the associate director of the Davis Center for Russian Studies at Harvard University. October will also include a harpsichord performance and ethnic heritage festival.
November will feature a panel discussion with journalists on how the media influences perceptions of countries in the news. That month will also include lectures on Caribbean and Creole music.
Other events during the year include a human rights lecture in January, a photography exhibit on wars in February, and an Earth Day celebration and debate on global warming in April.
Furthermore, each month will include the showing and discussion of a film related to that month’s theme. The Italian film “Bread and Chocolate” and the Dutch film “Antonia’s Line” are among those that will be shown. Spanish, Cuban and African films are also planned for the year.
Each year, a series of events is developed around a common theme as part of Wake Forest’s Undergraduate Plan, an initiative to enhance undergraduate education. The Year of Globalization and Diversity is the third theme year. Previously, the university celebrated the Year of Religion in American Life (1997-98) and Year of the Arts (1996-97).
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