Sponsored by FAU’s School of Communication, a two-day teach-in on the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will be hosted by FAU professors, student activism groups on campus and students just like you.
The event begins today (Wednesday) at 3 p.m. in the Majestic Palm Room inside the Boca campus Student Union. If you are interested in making a difference on campus and learning how to show student activism, come check out some of the sessions and ask lots of questions.
The organizers and participants are: Amnesty International, the Peace Studies Student Association, the FAU Social Forum, and a handful of individual professors and graduate students from Communication, Political Science, and Sociology. The full schedule for the event – which has sessions 3 to 9 p.m. both days – is below.
So why should you care?
We live in a democracy, which means – the rule–the power–of the people. That’s at the core of American mythology, right? Isn’t that what we are?
Of course we are not. It’s an ideal we don’t live up to. Democracy assumes that everyone cares and invests the time to make careful decisions. Democracy assumes a powerful sense of community. So what are we? Where is the power?
Are we an oligarchy, ruled by the few? Are we a plutocracy, ruled by the rich? Partially.
I think what we are best described as a megaphonocracy: those with the loudest voices rule us.
And folks, our generation is not loud enough. In fact, we’re barely whispering. We’re sitting here in FAU classrooms, reading and typing and listening. And when we’re done with a few years of that, we’ll walk out and live our lives. We’re not engaging our community, much less our country or the world. We live in the postmodern era, the era of fragmentation. Every day, people drift apart, and power becomes more centralized in even fewer figures.
Take a moment and look at the unprecedented power we as a nation have put in the hands of the current federal administration–through our passivity and complacency. Look at what has been done in our name. Look at what our generation is going to have to explain to the world, to our children!
We need to engage each other. We need much, much more civic engagement-we need to care about each other, we need to help one another, and we need to rebuild and rethink a community with a strong, truly democratic voice. We need to be thinking-yes, those Iraqis living in chaos matter to me. Yes, those American soldiers faced with the seemingly impossible task of restoring order matter to me. The monks of Burma matter. The Sudanese in Darfur matter. And all the Muslims without a voice matter, all those who lie in the same situation as us, dragged with ropes around their necks by loudmouth religious-extremists. We’re being choked to death simply because we won’t stand up and take off the noose.
We need to know, we need to care, we need to work together if we’re going to create a powerful voice, a voice that compels others to stand up and speak as well. Let’s look beyond ourselves and collaborate. We have to fight the fragmentation and we have to fight the divisions of our time. We have to remove the walls of this university, which separate us from the wider world.
We have to remove these divisions in our minds between what we want to do and what we should do and see civic engagement not only as a responsibility but also as a life-nourishing choice.
We have to remove the divisions between education and reality, for we need to apply our knowledge as we gain it, and fight for our very right to have open access to it, so that we may grow as individuals and as a human race.
If you want to get active and involved campus and don’t know where to start, don’t worry. Come discuss student activism with students from the communication department this Thursday from 3 to 4:15 p.m. in the Majestic Palm room inside the Boca campus Student Union. For more information on the event, e-mail Brandon at [email protected].
Full Teach-In Schedule from FAU’s School of Communication for Wednesday Oct. 17 and Thursday Oct. 18:
Schedule for Wednesday, October 17 “Human Rights in a Time of War”
Session 1: 3:00-4:15 PM: Workshop“Torture in Wartime” FAU Chapter of Amnesty International
In principle, both the US Constitution and international law frown upon the use of torture. In practice, the US has incorporated torture into the “War on Terror.” Drawing on evidence from Iraq, Afghanistan, and Guantánamo Bay, this workshop focuses on the use of torture in the conduct of war. It explores a series of questions. Is the harsh treatment of “enemy combatants” defensible under international law? Is the practice of “air torture”-the rendering of suspects to undisclosed detention sites across the globe-consistent with human rights standards? How is the normalization of torture affecting the perception of the US on a global scale? The workshop will trace the implications of current US practices for human rights in the 21st century.
Session 2: 4:30-5:45 PM: Workshop“The Iraq War: the Faces behind the Statistics”Peace Studies Student Association
Everyday we are told the number of military casualties which result from the ongoing war in Iraq. The war has produced many unintended victims as well, both in the nation and abroad. From the Iraqi citizens-the men, women, and children whose homes and lives have been torn apart, to the soldiers-who have been forever scarred in the line of duty…it is time to tell their stories. The Peace Studies Student Association presents “the Faces behind the Statistics”, a short film which focuses on the unintended victims of this horrific war. The film will be followed with appearances from speakers who have lived in war-torn Iraq, and a discussion.
Session 3: 6:00-7:15 PM: Panel Discussion“Democracy as a Human Right”Dr. Jeffrey Morton, Professor of Political Science and Member of the Peace Studies Executive Committee
The U.S. invasion of Iraq has been justified in terms of its promotion of democracy, both in Iraq and the broader Middle Eastern world. The right to invade a country to liberate its people from dictatorial oppression constitutes an important legal, political and social debate in contemporary society. This presentation will contemplate the utility of invasion as a means of promoting democracy and the implications of the U.S. policy for Iraqi society.
“Implementing Human Rights: Unfinished Project or Utopian Vision?”Dr. Mark Frezzo, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Member of the Peace Studies Executive Committee
Drawing on an analysis of the emergence, evolution, and possible decline of U.S. hegemony, this paper explores the prospects for human rights in the 21st century. Since the mid-1990s, scholars, public policymakers, and activists have debated the world’s political and economic architecture. Fittingly, this debate has emphasized the role of the U.N. as the institutional custodian of human rights. Notwithstanding a proliferation of abuses across the world, the doctrine of human rights remains an important reference point or “regulative idea” not only for U.N. agencies, but also for non-governmental organizations and social movements. At present, these actors are both cooperating and competing to define a rights agenda for the 21st century.
Session 4: 7:30-8:45 PM: Workshop“Unconventional Methods: Women as Peacemakers”FAU Social Forum
During times of war and post-war reconstruction, women are traditionally thought to assume a passive role. Formalized governmental and military structures created for “peace keeping” and “security” overwhelmingly exclude women and ignore their causes, leading to this false assumption. This however does not deter women who instead employ non-traditional means and grassroots tactics to draw attention to their causes. Often overlooked issues such as anti-militarism, the connections between violence in domestic life and war, the psychological side-effects of war on both soldiers and civilians, uncovering human rights violations, and others are brought to light by women’s organizations. International alliances forged among women across national boundaries are growing in number and strength and their voices are loud and clear
Schedule for October 18, 2007 “Media and Communication in a Time of War”
Session 1: 3:00-4:15PM: Workshop From Analysis to Action: Transforming Knowledge & Concern into Political Action on CampusBecky Michele Mulvaney, Associate Professor, School of Communication & Multimedia Studies & Students of SPC 4633, The Rhetoric of Social Protest.
This session offers a guided discussion centering on interest in and development of responsible and meaningful student organized activities on campus concerning Teach-In issues (current U.S. military actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, the “War on Terror” and civil liberties, and social justice). The workshop begins with introductory discussion questions and comments generated by a student panel from The Rhetoric of Social Protest course (addressing issues of citizen rights and responsibilities, student apathy and activism, and effective methods of student activism in the 21st century and at FAU). The session then moves to an open discussion (with student facilitators) between panelists and audience members about potential student organizing and activism at FAU.
Session 2: 4:30-6:00PM: Panel DiscussionThe Iraq War as a Lasting LegacyMartin Marinos, MA Candidate, School of Communication & Multimedia Studies
This paper focuses on the cultural attitudes towards the military as an institution in the United States. It concentrates on the notion of self-sacrifice and compares its expression in other countries which are part of the “coalition of the willing.” The study argues that militarism is a cultural trait in the U.S. and it needs to be critiqued along with the ongoing war in order to counter future grassroots support for armed interventions and invasions. The paper raises several questions including what would an immediate withdrawal from Iraq bring to the fore? Is the United States going to become more sensitive and diplomatic to global issues after an end to this war? What are the possibilities of constructing a lasting argument which would prevent pro-war feelings and emotions to be stirred again?
US Military Presence in Romania: A Necessary Rhetoric of War?Daniela Popescu, MA Candidate, School of Communication & Multimedia StudiesNoemi Marin, Associate Professor, School of Communication & Multimedia Studies
The transition period after the Revolution of 1989 in Romania is an ideal territory of political imaginary. When NATO presented its interest in Romania, media activated political myths of Salvation and Conspiracy (Girardet, 1990) in order to provide justifications on its role and contribution for an emerging democracy. The paper examines how printed media arguments wave from negation to acceptance of NATO troops on Romanian territory, from peace to war, confronting diverse perspectives on political myths. Accordingly, this paper examines specific presidential speeches and media coverage in relation to the US Military Bases on Romanian territory, looking at newspaper coverage in The Event of the Day (03/19/2006; 09/20/2001); Truth (02/24/2007) and Presidential Addresses from 2005, 1999, and 2007.
Session 3: 6:15-7:30PM: WorkshopCan Storytelling Save the World? Caren Neile, Artist in Residence, School of Communication & Multimedia Studies, and Students from COM 4703-Storytelling
Performers and practitioners from the U.S. to Northern Ireland and Israel employ storytelling to promote civic engagement, tolerance, and peace- and community building. Storytelling enables the powerful and disempowered alike to voice their needs and concerns in such a way that others are able to hear them. What is more, while conflict is a normal fact of human relationships, violence can be understood as a failure of imagination. When we can imagine other worlds and situations through stories, we can imagine alternatives in our own lives, including alternatives to violence and even to conflict itself. Finally, when we hear others tell their stories, we are better able to acknowledge their selfhood, which can lead to an egalitarian I/Thou relationship. This interactive workshop will highlight a number of storytelling-based activities used in community settings to promote acceptance and change, including a popular technique called “Playback Theatre.”
Session 4: 7:45-9:00PM: Panel DiscussionEmbedded Cinema: The Limits of Commercial Film in a Terrorized World. Chris Robé, Assistant Professor, School of Communication & Multimedia Studies
This paper considers the representations (and lack thereof) of the war in the commercial film industry. There are clear relationships between the vertical integration of Hollywood and the neutered versions of and veiled allusions to the war that reach the big screen domestically (e.g. Jarhead) and internationally (e.g. Children of Men). This discussion will also identify the importance of film studies in identifying the ways in which film history further enhances our understanding of the present (for example, how The Battle of Algiers has been used by the Pentagon and Al Qaeda for understanding guerilla war in Iraq).
The Public and its Problems in a Time of Endless WarJames Tracy, Assistant Professor, School of Communication & Multimedia Studies
Taking a broad historical perspective this presentation considers the condition of “the public” and public discourse in the United States in a time of war without time-based or geographic boundaries. The occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan abroad and the war against an open society at home are carried on alongside an estranged and depoliticized public systematically besieged with propaganda and misinformation. These are at once psychological and institutional problems. While public education curricula and the standardized testing and textbook industries generally counteract most forms of intellectual curiosity and diminish political or historical complexity at a fairly early age, mainstream American news media may have more in common with the powerful than with the public they are morally and legally compelled to serve. While uneducation and propaganda are not new, naming and examining these things for what they are is a crucial prerequisite toward rebuilding public commitment to a genuinely democratic and open society.
