March 10, 1998
Middlebury College International Students Organization
Holds Fourth Annual Symposium: 50 Years of Human Rights
Middlebury College’s International Students Organization
(ISO) will offer a series of lectures regarding human rights issues
during its Fourth Annual ISO Symposium, from March 9-14. Titled
“Fifty Years of Universal Rights: Lessons from the Past and
Challenges for the Future,” this year’s symposium will begin
at 8:00 p.m. on Monday in Dana Auditorium of the Sunderland Language
Center on College Street (Route 125) with an opening speech by
Irena Lasota, president of the Institute for Democracy in Eastern
Europe. Lectures and panel discussions will continue throughout
the week at various times and locations (listed below), and a
final lecture at 2:15 p.m. in the Geonomics Library on Saturday,
March 14, will conclude the symposium. All events are open to
the public free of charge.
Symposium participants will include Irena Lasota,
who will deliver the opening lecture at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, March
9, examining a woman’s perspective of human rights from Cuba to
Azerbaijan. James Lilley, former ambassador to South Korea (1986-89)
and China (1989-91), will speak at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March
11, about China’s human rights and American policy. Both lectures
will be delivered in Dana Auditorium.
Other distinguished speakers will include Peter Rosenblum,
projects director for the Harvard Law School’s Human Rights Program,
who will speak about human rights in Africa on Thursday, March
12 at 4:30 p.m. in the Warner Hemicycle on the corner of Old Chapel
Road and College Street. Also on Thursday, at 7:30 p.m. in the
Library of the Geonomics Institute on Hillcrest Road off College
Street, a lecture titled “The American Creed: American Liberalism
and Human Rights” will be delivered by Shiraz Dossa of the
political science department at St. Francis Xavier University.
Immediately following the lecture in the Geonomics Library, a
panel discussion on America’s role in protecting human rights
will be led by Allison Stanger of the Middlebury political science
department.
Colin Guard, a 1997 Middlebury graduate and program
assistant for the Salzberg Seminar, will give a lecture on human
rights as experienced in Russia, on Friday, March 13 at 4:30 p.m.
in the Warner Hemicycle. Also on Friday in the Hemicycle, Arthur
Waldron, director of Asian studies at American Enterprise Institute
and Lauder Professor of International Relations at the University
of Pennsylvania, will talk at 7:30 p.m. about Asia’s economics,
politics and human rights.
Saturday, March 14 will conclude the symposium with
two lectures. The first, “Triangulation: Fitting Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered
Rights into a Human Rights Agenda,” by Scott Long, advocacy
director of International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission,
will be at 10:30 a.m. in the Annex of Gifford Hall on Hepburn
Road, off College Street. The second, “Truth vs. Justice?
A Closer Look at Truth Commissions in Africa and Latin America,”
by Priscilla Hayner, formerly with the Truth Commission, will
be at 2:15 p.m. in the Geonomics Library.
For more information, contact Marcella Cheung, student
vice president of the International Students Organization, at
802-443-6961.
Events Calendar Listings
Monday, March 9, at 8:00
p.m. Charles A. Dana Auditorium, College Street (Route 125).
Opening Lecture: “Human
Rights from Cuba to Azerbaijan: A Woman’s Perspective.” Irena
Lasota, president of the Institute for Democracy in Eastern Europe.
Wednesday, March 11, at
8 p.m. Charles A. Dana Auditorium, College Street (Route 125).
Lecture: “China’s
Human Rights and American Policy.” Ambassador James Lilley,
former ambassador to South Korea (1986-89), and China’s Human
Rights and American Policy.
Thursday, March 12, at
4:30 p.m. Hemicycle, Warner Science Hall, Old Chapel Road and
College Street (Route 125).
Lecture: “Human Rights
in Africa: Fifty years of Wasted Efforts?” Peter Rosenblum,
projects director, Harvard Law School Human Rights Program.
Thursday, March 12, at
7:30 p.m. Library, Geonomics House on Hillcrest Road, off College
Street (Route 125).
Lecture: “The American
Creed: American Liberalism and Human Rights.” Political Science
Professor Shiraz Dossa, St. Francis Xavier University.
Thursday, March 12, immediately
following the above lecture. Library on Hillcrest Road, off College
Street (Route 125).
Panel Discussion: “America’s
Role in Protecting Human Rights Around the World.” Moderated
by Allison Stanger, Middlebury College political science department.
Panelists will include Prof. Shiraz Dossa and Middlebury College
faculty members.
Friday, March 13, at 4:30
p.m. Hemicycle, Warner Science Hall, Old Chapel Road and College
Street (Route 125).
Lecture: “Human Rights
in Russia: Different Actors, Same Tragedy?” Colin Guard,
program assistant, Salzburg Seminar.
Friday, March 13, at 7:30
p.m. Hemicycle, Warner Science Hall, Old Chapel Road and College
Street (Route 125).
Lecture: “Backlash
to the Crisis: Asia’s Economics, Politics and Human Rights.”
Arthur Waldron, director of Asian studies, American Enterprise
Institute and Lauder professor of international relations, University
of Pennsylvania.
Saturday, March 14, at
10:30 a.m. Annex, Gifford Hall, Hepburn Road off College Street
(Route 125).
Lecture: “Triangulation:
Fitting Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgendered Rights into Human Rights
Agenda.” Scott Long, advocacy director, International Gay
and Lesbian Human Rights Commission.
Saturday, March 14, at
2:15 p.m. Library, Geonomics House on Hillcrest Road, off College
Street (Route 125).
Concluding Lecture: “Truth
vs. Justice? A Closer Look at Truth Commissions in Africa and
Latin America.” Priscilla Hayner, director, Project on Comparison
Truth Seeking.