Speaker Presents His Findings on Causes & Consquences of Inequality

Randolph Roth, Professor of History and Sociology at The Ohio State University, will speak about "Inequality and the Quality of Life: A Global View" on Wednesday, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in the Trustees Room of the Myers Convocation Center. The event is presented as part of the College of Arts & Sciences' biennial Symposium Against Indifference which is focusing on "Liberty and Responsibility." Co-sponsored by the Ashland Center for Nonviolence, the event is free and open to the public.

Roth will present his findings on the causes and consequences of inequality, globally and within societies, with special attention to the question of why inequality had risen so rapidly since 1980 in the United States, Great Britain, Canada and Australia, but not in the rest of the affluent world. The answer bears heavily on the question of liberty versus responsibility.

Photo Courtesy of Columbus Monthly Magazine

Professor Roth’s research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the American Council of Learned Societies, and other organizations. He is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and has served as a member of the National Academy of Sciences Roundtable of Crime Trends (2013-2016), and of the Editorial Board of the American Historical Review (2014-2017). He specializes in the history of the United States from colonial times to the present, with an emphasis on social and cultural history, the history of crime and violence, environmental history, the history of religion, the history of democracies, global history, quantitative methods, and social theory.

Film Screening of National Geographic's Documentary on Battling Climate Change, 10/1

The National Geographic Documentary Film Paris to Pittsburgh will be shown on Tuesday, Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Ashland University's Hawkins-Conard Student Center Auditorium as part of the College of Arts & Sciences' biennial Symposium Against Indifference which is focusing on "Liberty and Responsibility."

Co-sponsored by the Ashland Center for Nonviolence, the free, public event will also include a panel discussion immediately following the film's screening with Craig Hovey, Director of the Ashland Center for Nonviolence; Patricia Saunders, Associate Professor of Biology; and William Vaughan, Professor of Philosophy.

Premiering last December in the U.S. and airing globally in 172 countries and 43 languages, Paris to Pittsburgh brings to life the impassioned efforts of individuals who are battling the most severe threats of climate change in their own backyards. Set against the national debate over the United States’ energy future — and the Trump administration’s explosive decision to exit the Paris Climate Agreement — the film captures what’s at stake for communities around the country and the inspiring ways Americans are responding. To view the trailer, visit ParistoPittsburgh.com.

Spotlighting the cities, states, businesses and citizens taking action, Paris to Pittsburgh explores the very real social and economic impacts of climate change-fueled disasters, from America’s heartland to the nation’s coastlines. The film features voices from local leaders as well as everyday Americans presenting the stories behind climate-related recovery and resiliency, as well as tireless innovative efforts to reduce carbon emissions, including boomtowns formerly reliant on coal such as Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh, led by Mayor Bill Peduto, is now a city committed to energy efficiency and is one of the many examples of bold economic and climate leadership in the film. Other locations featured in the film include Puerto Rico, California, Iowa, Florida and New Jersey.

“Paris to Pittsburgh reveals the inspiring steps communities across the country are taking to confront the severe health and economic threats posed by climate change,” said Geoff Daniels, the head of unscripted programming for National Geographic. “From innovative ways to improve our food supply chain through Fleet Farming, parking lots shaded by solar paneled roofs to passionate college students making an impact in sustainable energy jobs, this documentary provides a hopeful roadmap for the future.”

Waste Film Series Begins Oct. 5

The CAS Symposium Against Indifference and Ashland Center for Nonviolence are co-sponsoring a film series that will feature three films that are free and open to the public during the month of October. The films will be shown in the Hawkins-Conard Student Center Auditorium and will feature a brief discussion following each film.

The film “Waste Land” will be shown on Monday, Oct. 5, at 7 p.m. while the film “Nerve: How a Small Kentucky Town Led the Fight to Safely Dismantle the World’s Chemical Weapons” will be presented on Monday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. and the film “Nuclear Savage: The Islands of Secret Project 4.1” will be presented on Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m.

The film “Waste Land” follows renowned artist Vik Muniz as he journeys to his native Brazil and the world’s largest garbage dump, Jardim Gramacho, located on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. There he photographs an eclectic band of “catadores”—self-designated pickers of recyclable materials. Muniz’s initial objective was to “paint” the catadores with garbage. However, his collaboration with these inspiring characters as they recreate photographic images of themselves out of garbage reveals both the dignity and despair of the catadores as they begin to reimagine their lives. “Waste Land” offers stirring evidence of the transformative power of art and the alchemy of the human spirit.

The film “Nerve: How a Small Kentucky Town Led the Fight to Safely Dismantle the World’s Chemical Weapons” (with original score by Ben Sollee) tells the 25-year David vs. Goliath story of how a humble Vietnam vet and carpenter Craig Williams (2006 winner of the Goldman Prize – the “green Nobel” – for his work), galvanized his town to break down political barriers, spark a worldwide movement and take on the Pentagon to stop dangerous chemical weapons incineration for the sake of the environment and human health around the world. This inspiring story with small-town roots but profound global impact has the potential to empower ordinary people to take on the most overwhelming environmental challenges successfully, with fresh eyes and renewed vigor.

The film “Nuclear Savage: The Islands of Secret Project 4.1” by Adam Jonas Horowitz is a shocking political exposé, and an intimate ethnographic portrait of Pacific Islanders struggling for survival, dignity and justice after decades of top secret human radiation experiments conducted on them by the U.S. government. On March 1, 1954, the U.S. detonated a hydrogen bomb in the Castle Bravo test at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. The largest atomic test blast conducted by the United States, the yield of the Castle Bravo bomb was 1000 times greater than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima.