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InFocus: War & Peace

InFocus: War & Peace

InFocus: War & Peace

The goal of IN FOCUS is for Moravian College, Moravian Theological Seminary, and the Comenius Center to realize the promise of becoming known as an institution that engages its students in the study of important issues that challenge humanity today and as we look to the future. Through grappling with complex problems, and examining them from several different perspectives Moravian’s graduates will be better prepared to contribute to a just society and a vibrant democracy.

InFocus Highlights 2014-2015

Get the latest InFocus news, updates, and photos on the  and  page.

Robert Meagher headshot

War and Peace Building Conference

March 27, 2014, 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM
Moravian College

View Final Schedule  |  View Poster

Keynote Speaker Robert Meagher
Professor of Humanities at Hampshire College
Author of: Killing from the Inside Out: Moral Injury and Just War
 

From War to Peace logo


Keynote Information

9:00 am Keynote Musical Performance: Prosser Auditorium, HUB
"Prayer," a work for cello composed by Alyssa Weinberg; performed by cellist Timotheos Petrin; commissioned by the One Book, One Philadelphia program.

9:30 am  Keynote Address: Prosser Auditorium, HUB
“Wounded Warriors, Wounded Nation: Closing the Gates of War”
Professor Robert E. Meagher
War darkens souls – the souls of warriors and the soul of the nation that sends them off to do its violent bidding. An entire nation goes to war when it deploys its sons and daughters. We are a nation of warriors, a warlike people. Committed and resigned to institutionalized violence in the national interest, war has long been our default position. Moral injury is the signature wound not only of our military but of our society as well. As veterans return home from war, it is time to imagine our homecoming and healing with them as a nation, from our deep addiction to war and the moral injury it inflicts on us. It is time to close the gates of war.
 

View Photos From the Conference

Tyrone Russell, Lee Rush, and Sundar J.M. Brown

Lifelong Learning Spring Symposium: Peace and Justice

Saturday, May 2, 2015, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm
Haupert Union Building
Public Welcome | Admission Free

  • "Celebrating Diversity for Peace" by Tyrone Russell, Director of Multicultural Affairs, Lehigh University
  • "Resolving Conflict for a Peaceful Outcome" by Lee Rush, International Institute of Restorative Practices
  • "The Role that Religion Plays in the Inspiration and Hindrance of Peace" by Sundar J.M. Brown, Moravian Theological Seminary
Jim Lawson headshot

Civil Rights Leader and Non-Violent Change Advocate

Rev. James M. Lawson II

"Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?"

Thursday, April 23, 2015, 7:00 pm
Prosser Auditorium, Haupert Student Union
Public Welcome | Admission Free
Light reception immediately following the program

8th Peace and Justice Scholar-in-Residence
and the 2014-15 IN FOCUS Bridge Speaker

Learn more about the event...

Strike for Peace spray painted on sheet

Moravian College & The Vietnam War

An Integenerational Conversation

Thursday, April 2 through Monday, April 20, 2015
Art Exhibition, Paty Eifle Gallery, Moravian College HUB

Monday, April 13, 7pm Prosser Auditorium
Alumni/Emeriti Panel Discussion
Hosted by current Moravian Students
Reception to follow

Painting of war horses

First Annual IntelliGen Conference on

Religion & Violence

Saturday, April 11, 2015, 9:00 - 4:30 pm
The Bahnson Center, Moravian Theological Seminary

View schedule ...

State of War book cover

"State of War" reading group

Tuesday, April 14, 2015, 4-5 pm
PPHAC Room 103

You are cordially invited to join with the InFocus "State of War" reading group for our last in a series of vibrant discussions on National Security and the Economy' and "The Political Economy of the Cold War". These are the remaining two chapters of what has been called  Paul Koistinen's magisterial book, State of War: The Political Economy of American Warfare 1945-2011.

You need not have read the book to attend. A brief summary of the chapters will preface our discussions. Light refreshments will be served. 

Guitars

Guitar Ensemble & Celtic Ensemble

Sunday, March 29, 2015, 7:00 pm
Peter Hall, Hurd Campus

Featuring Peace, Justice and War -- Celtic Style

View program ...

Long Halftime Walk book cover

Shared Book Reading

Thursday, April 23, 2015, 5:15pm
Arena Theatre (lower level of the HUB)

Come to share snacks, drinks, and informal conversation about Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, a 2012 novel by Ben Fountain:

On returning home from war, nineteen-year-old Billy Lynn is welcomed as a decorated soldier and a national celebrity. The three minute video of his and the rest of Bravo Squad's bravery under fire and defeat of Iraqi insurgents is a YouTube sensation. Now they are the guests of honor at a nationally broadcast Thanksgiving Day game at the Dallas Cowboys stadium. The story follows the afternoon's events as the young men are immersed in the world of film, fame, glory, sex and politics. But tomorrow they must go back to war.

Veterans and their Partners

Veterans and Their Partners

Thursday, March 26, 2015, 7:00pm–8:30pm
Haupert Union Building, UBC Room

Too many veterans and their families suffer diminished lives as a result of military events. Learn how veterans and their families are becoming agents in their own recovery here and elsewhere. Learn more about how the Veterans Recovery Movement addresses the invisible wounds that challenge our veterans and their families. “Veterans and Their Families - Recovering and Thriving”

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Are you a social justice warrior

Are You a Social Justice Warrior?

March 31, 2015, 11:45-1:00pm
UBC Room, HUB

Join us for an engaging and eye-opening lunch session aimed at challenging your own perceptions, activism, and ideas towards a myriad of social issues. Lunch will be provided. This program is co-sponsored by the Center for Intercultural Advancement and Inclusion and the Office of Religious Life.

Soul Injury with Deborah Grassman

SOUL INJURY with Deborah Grassman

February 27, 2015, 9:30am–4:30pm
Moravian Theological Seminary Bahnson Center

A prevalent but seldom talked-about wound of war is “soul injury”—unmourned grief and unforgiven guilt. These lectures will expand your knowledge and skill in dealing with the unique bereavement needs of veterans and their families. You will also expand your knowledge about normal grief vs. complicated grief, the relationship of grief to PTSD, and using your own pain to abide with others’ pain.

Shakespeare's Henrey V - Play Reading

Shakespeare's HENRY V - Play Reading

February 27, 2015, 8pm
Arena Theatre

A classic in western literature, this play includes some of Shakespeare's most famous lines and speeches on the topic of war. King Henry V rallies the English forces for an invasion of France, facing staggering odds. Despite the rhetoric of victory, this play does not shy away from issues of loss and suffering. Presented by the Moravian College Theatre Company.

Journey from the East

Journey From The East - Theater Performance

April 18-19, 25-26
Southside Greenway, Harmony Pavilion

A grand outdoor performance. Following up on the 2012 Civil War extravaganza "A Resting Place," Moravian once again partners with Touchstone Theatre on its latest community-based offering, taking theatre to the streets for another epic theatricade. Inspired by Bethlehem's ever-changing community, and mixing the Chinese classic "Journey to the West" with the American classic "Western," this culture-mashing spectacle will take place on the South Bethlehem Greenway and at the Chinese Harmony Pavilion. In this play, an American president and a Chinese emissary struggle with how their two countries can co-exist peacefully in our changing world.

War & Peace: Photographs and paintings

War & Peace: Photographs & Paintings

January 22 - March 6, 2015
Payne Gallery, Hurd Campus

This exhibition supports Moravian College's In Focus thematic programming for the academic year. The exhibition will include groups of photographs from the first Iraq war by Barbara Alper, photographs taken by Moravian's own veterans of war, a historical series of images from Bethlehem, Palestine, and three paintings by artist Grace Graupe Pillard.

A composer's response to Yellow Birds

A Composer's Response to "Yellow Birds"

Tuesday, Jan. 27th
11:45 AM to 12:45 PM
Peter Hall, Hurd Campus

Alyssa Weinberg, a composer from the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, has written a solo cello piece based on the book "Yellow Birds," which was the FYS reading this year. She will discuss the piece, which is titled "Prayer (Yellow Birds)," and then a cellist, also affiliated with Curtis, will perform the nine-minute work.

Hounds for Freedom Network

Hounds for Freedom Network

Advocating For Freedom in the 21st Century
Kick-off Event - Monday, November 24 at 7:00pm
UBC Room, HUB, Moravian College

Hear from a panel of our partners and learn how you can get involved:
Beck Sullivan, VAST Coalition • Cynthia Mota, Allentown City Councilwoman • Natalie Hagan, Restavek Freedom Foundation • Kim Checkeye, President, Truth For Women

View flyer ...

Brown Bag Lunch

Brown Bag Lunch

"The War within Warfare"
A Closer Look at Women in the Military

Presented by AAUW, Carole Reese, WSAC, and the Center for Intercultural Advancement and Inclusion

When: November 4th, 12PM - 1PM
Where: Afterwords Cafe (Lower level of Reeves Library)

invisible War

The Invisible War

Movie + Sushi and Wings!

A film by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering / Directed by Kirby Dick

When: October 28th at 6pm
Where: PPHAC 102

Sponsored by AAUW

Carole Reese headshot

Reese Joins Forces with Michelle Obama and Jill Biden to Discuss Supporting Military Families

Many people may take a trip to Washington, D.C., to see the White House, but those excursions probably don't include a sit down meeting with Michelle Obama and Jill Biden. Carole Reese, chief research officer and director of special projects at Moravian College, was given the opportunity to meet with the First and Second Ladies of the United States to conduct an interview for NPR’s “StoryCorps” program.

 

Sipple Lecture

Sipple Lecture Examines Human Trafficking Oct. 22

Drexel University Professor Donna Sabella to Present 2014 Sipple Nursing Lecture

Donna Sabella, assistant clinical professor and director of global studies at the College of Nursing and Health Professions at Drexel University, will visit Moravian College's Foy Hall at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 22, to present a lecture on "Human Trafficking: Global and Local Perspectives.”

 

Bethlehem Conference on Moravian History and Music

Bethlehem Conference on Moravian History and Music

The fourth Bethlehem Conference on Moravian History and Music was hosted on the campuses of Moravian College and Moravian Theological Seminary Oct. 2-5. Scholars, musicians and Moravian enthusiasts convened in downtown Bethlehem to explore the latest research on a wide range of topics related to Moravian history and music from the fifteenth to twentieth centuries through lectures, concerts, art, food and drinks.

 

Putting Military Experience into Words

Putting Military Experience into Words

Moravian College to Offer Inaugural Veterans Writing Workshop

It’s no assumption to say that every returning war veteran and military personnel member has a story to share. Beginning in spring 2015, through its inaugural ENGL 299: Veterans Writing Workshop, Moravian College will offer student veterans the opportunity to put pen to paper and join a writing community on its Bethlehem campus.

 

What is Peace

"What is Peace"

Professors Bernie Cantens and Kelly Denton-Borhaug to Address ‘What is Peace?’ in NEH-funded Course

Professors Bernie Cantens and Kelly Denton-Borhaug to Address ‘What is Peace?’ in NEH-funded Course The timing of the National Endowment for the Humanities’ grant to fund Moravian College’s new course “What is Peace?” couldn’t be more appropriate, reasons Philosophy Professor Bernie Cantens.

 

Moravian College Fall Convocation

Moravian College Fall Convocation 2014

Nobel Laureate Jody Williams Calls for 'Courageous' Peace
Renowned Activist Presents Lecture at Moravian College's Fall Convocation

Before a crowded Johnston Hall audience, as part of Moravian College’s Fall Convocation, Nobel laureate Jody Williams tackled a far-reaching list of topics, ranging from her personal views on war and peace, to the positives and the pitfalls of being a recipient of the world’s most famous and controversial prize.

 

Kavin Powers

Kevin Powers, author of Yellow Birds

Freshmen Summer Reading Community Event
Sunday, August 24, 11:30, Johnston Hall