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News & Highlights

Cindy Cohen - Director of Programs in Peacebuilding and the Arts - honored with award

Cindy Cohen, director of programs in peacebuilding and the arts, was honored on June 5, 2013 by Medicine Wheel Productions for her global leadership in engaging artists to work for social change. Medicine Wheel's founder and director, Michael Dowling, spoke about Cohen's choice as a 2013 "Medicine Woman" and about how Cohen's work had influenced his own efforts long before he met her. The award follows close on the heels of the profile of Cindy Cohen in the May/June 2013 issue of American Theater.

Now Available: Full text of the Distinguished Lecture in International Justice and Human Rights given by Prince Zeid Ra'ad Al-Hussein

The Ethics Center welcomed Prince Zeid, the Permanent Representative of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to the United Nations, to campus in January. His speech, "Beyond Nuremberg: The Future of International Criminal Justice," deals with the not only the international criminal justice system but also the processes of healing and justice and the role of law in the experiences of victims of trauma. Read or download the text of "Beyond Nuremberg" here. To read more about his lecture, as well as view photos and videos of the event, please click here.

Brandeis alumni admitted to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States

Brandeis University President Frederick Lawrence was joined by Dan Terris, Director of the Ethics Center, at the session admitting Brandeis University alumni to the bar of the Supreme Court of the United States. President Lawrence presented the motion for their admission to the bar, and the Brandeis group was joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Ginsberg after this session admitting them to practice before the Supreme Court of the United States. Read more about the session in President Lawrence's blog post.

Choosing Peace in Bahrain: Using the Arts to Unite – video of Brandeis visit now online!

Ten young Bahraini artists, part of the Ulafa'a Reconciliation Art Project, recently visited Brandeis. They presented their work and process; participated in a weeklong training with Cynthia Cohen, director of the Center's Program in Peacebuilding and the Arts; and exhibited their work as part of the Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. Watch excerpts from their opening presentation on the project and their exhibition here. Read an article about their visit in The Hoot here, and learn more about the project here.

Fall 2013 course registration has begun! Check out Ethics Center-supported courses

The Arts of Building Peace (PAX 250), International Law and Organizations (LGLS 125b), a new course: Money, Markets and Morals in American Culture (AMST 190a), and more! Details.

New Ethical Inquiry: Helping or Hurting? The Ethics of Voluntourism

Our May "Ethical Inquiry" explores the ethics of voluntourism, weighing the economic, social, and developmental costs and benefits attached to the international voluntourism industry. Explore!

Gideon at 50: The Future of the Right to Counsel

One week before his passing, the Ethics Center and the Legal Studies program were privileged to host  Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Anthony Lewis at Brandeis University for what was his last public appearance, a panel discussion of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision "Gideon v. Wainwright." Video of the discussion and more, including links to Brandeis President Lawrence and Center Director Dan Terris' remembrances of Anthony Lewis, here.

Brazil's Balancing Act: Reconciling the Demands of Economic Development, Environmental Protection, and Indigenous Rights

Experts working in diverse fields examined the intersecting interests and responsibilities of those working in sometimes conflicting fields. The symposium provided a forum for dialogue about how Brazil might best fulfill its local, national, and international obligations. See here for further reading about the issues covered in the discussion.