Tickets for the 2016-17 E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues lecture series, “Crossing Borders,” are now available. This year the forum will welcome three acclaimed journalists and authors – Sonia Nazario, David Brooks and Sonia Shah.
Each day millions of people cross borders to conduct business or seek adventure. Immigrants and refugees flood across borders in search of financial security and personal safety. Infectious diseases traverse boundaries, sneaky infiltrators that pay no heed to rules and regulations. Even the seemingly hard and fast lines defining American politics have blurred in the 2016 presidential election.
“Crossing Borders” will explore the relevance of borders in the modern world – how they define people and, increasingly, the ways in which people ignore them in the interest of commerce, education and personal freedom.
The lectures, each held at the Lied Center for Performing Arts, are:
Sept. 27, 7:30 p.m. – Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author of the best-selling book “Enrique’s Journey,” will present “Enrique’s Journey and America’s Immigration Dilemma.” The Humanities Nebraska Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities is sponsored by the Office of Academic Success and Intercultural Services.
Oct. 4, 7 p.m. – David Brooks, New York Times op-ed columnist, regular analyst for PBS’ “NewsHour” and NPR’s “All Things Considered” and author of “The Road to Character,” will present “It’s Better Than It Looks: Election 2016.” The lecture is sponsored by NET, Nebraska’s PBS and NPR stations, the UNL Chancellor’s Office, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and the Center for Civic Engagement.
Nov. 9, 7 p.m. – Sonia Shah, investigative science journalist and author of critically acclaimed books on science, human rights and international politics, will present “Pandemic: From Cholera to Ebola and Beyond.” The lecture is sponsored by the UNL School of Biological Sciences, the College of Journalism and Mass Communications and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.
Lecture summaries and biographical information on each of the speakers is available here.
Free tickets are available starting Aug. 29 from the Lied Center for Performing Arts. To order tickets, click here or call the Lied Center ticket office at 402-472-4747. Forums are general admission events; seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.
Lectures are streamed online, and are available live on Lincoln cable TV digital channel 80 or 5, channel 71.16 or 71.14 without a cable box, UNL campus channel 4, and UNL KRNU radio 90.3 FM. All lectures are interpreted for the deaf and hard of hearing.
A pre-talk is delivered by an expert on the topic in the Steinhart Room 30 minutes before each forum.
The E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues is a cooperative project of the Cooper Foundation, The Lied Center for Performing Arts and UNL. It was established in 1988 with the purpose of bringing a diversity of viewpoints on international and public policy issues to the university and people of Nebraska to promote understanding and encourage debate.
