2009-2010 Annual Theme:
Political Imagination: Creative Solutions to Contemporary Dilemmas

We live in a time where established ways of doing things no longer seem able to cope with the problems we face and sometimes do as much harm as good. Pesticides improve crop yields but endanger public health and a more sustainable agricultural system, building more roads temporarily reduces traffic congestion but fosters sprawl and greater reliance on dwindling fossil fuels, longer prison sentences for drug offenders produce overcrowded jails without reducing violence or drug dependency. What is required is the imagination and creativity to recognize outmoded and destructive patterns of thought and action and to think in radically different ways. We must explore a wide range of alternative solutions that do more than merely cope with immediate needs or crisis and the costs of those solutions will require us to confront and think through the changes in our behavior, lifestyle, and expectations that will be necessary.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Political Science Convocation of Majors
"Restorative Justice in the 21st Century: A Social Movement in the Global Community"
Speaker: Mark Umbreit
Physicians Auditorium; 7:00 pm

What can indigenous people and diverse faith traditions teach us about justice for victims, perpetrators of crime and the community? Dr. Mark Umbreit has been at the forefront of the restorative justice movement, which has had great success in challenging what he calls the "trail, jail, and nail" system. Umbreit is a professor at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, founding director of the Center for Restorative Justice & Peacemaking, a practicing mediator and author of four books and more than 100 articles in the field of mediation and restorative justice.