2017

Sept 26: Peace and Violence in Anthropological Perspective, Lee Panich, Anthropology Department. Professor Panich leads a discussion exploring the human potential for peace and violence through an anthropological perspective and examines recent popular proclamations that we live in safer times than our ancestors did in the ancient past. How do such statements square with the daily news of war and threats of war? And how might a better understanding of the archaeological and ethnographic record prepare us to make decisions about conflict in the modern world?  Watch the video!

Oct. 3: Reading Whiteness, Resisting Violence, A discussion that explores the role that monuments play in the way we think about history and, more specifically, the relationship between confederate monuments, the values and ideas they represent, and the outbreak of violence that occurred during a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, VA. It also considers how the work of making visible local histories of racial injustice may serve as an act of hope and a means of sustaining our commitment to social justice in the present.  Watch the video! 

Oct. 10:  Relationship Violence Prevention – The Escalation Workshop, Lisa Joyner, Wellness Center. Along with a screening of the film Escalation, this discussion focused on issues central to the Centers’ mission of support for relationship violence, including sexual violence, consent, domestic/dating violence, stalking, hazing, male victims of sexual violence, bystander intervention, sexual assault awareness month, Team One Love, and violence prevention students. Team One Love facilitators train others to do further Escalation workshops, running Yards for Yeardley challenges or leading #ThatsNotLove campus activations.
*This session was not recorded for privacy protection purposes.

Oct. 17: Immigration, Hate Crimes, Domestic Terrorism, Clarisa Perez- Armendariz, Political Science and Anna Sampaio, Ethnic Studies Department. Arguing that by placing the violence and terror that both state and non-state actors carry out at the border and against immigrants in historical perspective, we can better identify what is novel, versus what is part of a long American tradition. The type of hate, violence, and terror against Latin American migrants that we observe today have deep historical roots that date back to the Mexican war and the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Dr. Perez-Armendáriz contends that even in the absence of a wall, violence and terror at the United States border has signaled to Mexican and Latin American arrivals that they are a surplus population that needs to be kept out. Moreover, this violence has been, and continues to be, a part of US state-making and border-making. Watch the video!

 

    

Utilizing an intersectional approach informed by feminist theory and critical race studies, Dr. Sampaio examined the changes in immigration politics policy and its execution in the context of the current administration, paying particular attention to the simultaneous construction of Latina/o immigrants as terrorist threats (evidenced in policy debates, new legislation, and discourse surrounding the federal government) while they are actively threatened, restricted and “terrorized” by new enforcement initiatives. In the process, this research unravels seemingly neutral policies and discourse surrounding Latina/o immigrants as well as the changes to notions of citizenship, inclusion, and democracy. Watch the video!

Oct. 24: Racial and Law Enforcement Violence, Raymond Plaza, Office of Diversity and Inclusion (ODI) and Jessica Atwood, second year Law student. Raymond Plaza engaged members of the SCU community in a conversation about Race and Law Enforcement violence and the different perspectives that exist around this issue. Jessica Atwood shared her experience of growing up in San Jose and challenges that she has seen in engaging with law enforcement as well as those stemming from the lack of training around mental health issues. The discussion included personal experiences shared by attendees, closing with a group conversation about how we might rebuild trust between communities and law enforcement. Watch the video!

Oct. 31: Media Violence and Children: How New Technologies Up the Ante, Katharine Heintz, Communication Department. Decades of research into the impact of exposure to violent media on viewers' beliefs and behaviors have shown an undeniable link, which is heightened when the media content is interactive and/or perceived as "real/realistic." In this talk, Dr. Heintz provides an overview of previous research and explores issues surrounding new Virtual Reality technologies. Attendees participated in an engaging dialog about their views on violent programs - including cartoons – and explored Google VR. Watch the video!

Nov. 7: Environmental Violence, Leslie Gray, Environmental Studies, Michael Kevane, Economics Department. Environmental Studies and Science explores environmental violence and its human and non-human effects from many perspectives including the concept of environmental justice. The case of human social unrest and violence in the African nation of Burkina Faso has steadily escalated over the past two years has many causes and has recently garnered more media attention with the news of U.S. military involvement in Mali and Niger. This talk will explore the nature of the violence and discuss explanations and remedies. While the ecology of the Sahel often leads people to adopt environmental-focused narratives to explain violence, in this case a political narrative is more relevant.
 Watch the video! 

Nov. 14: $PEAK OUT, Diane Jacobs, Local Artist. The $PEAK OUT project is part of a worldwide discourse to end violence against girls and women. Ms. Jacobs shared some of her previous feminist printmaking and book projects and discussed how and why she created them. Her current $PEAK OUT currency project was the highlight of the event as participants created their own $PEAK OUT message, which Diane will laser cut onto currency and incorporate into the larger ongoing art installment. Read more about the project on her website here. Watch the video!