PPM Spring

Politics on the PublicMind: Spring Schedule

Politics on the PublicMind is an open seminar to which the public and the FDU community is invited every semester.
Seating is limited and reservations are necessary. Admission is free for students, alumni, faculty, and staff. For others, donations to the “Friends of the Library” to help cover the cost of the “Politics on the PublicMind” seminars are accepted and appreciated.

To reserve a seat, contact Colleen Di Gregorio at (973) 443-8530 or email colleend@fdu.edu. Fairleigh Dickinson University’s College at Florham is located at 285 Madison Avenue, Madison, N.J. 07940.

Politics on the PublicMind archive of past events.

Politics on the PublicMind on Facebook.

General information on PublicMind.

Schedule of Dates and Speakers - Spring 2010

Theme: The theme for the Spring 2010 Politics on the PublicMind series, beginning Feb. 8th, 2010 is "Law and Society." This series will feature scholars, judges, practicing attorneys and other experts discussing law in theory and practice in the context of important contemporary issues and controversies.

Location and Time: For the Spring 2010, each session will be held in FDU's Library (in the Orangerie) at the College at Florham campus. Refreshments will be served at 2:00 and the speakers will begin their presentations at 2:30. Afterwards, guests will have a chance to ask questions and meet our featured speakers.

Dates, Speakers and Topics:

Feb. 8 David Rosen, "Child Soldiers and International Law" (discussion of how the changing views of child soldiers reflects significant changes in our legal and cultural understandings of childhood). Prof. Rosen is the author of Armies of the Young: Child Soldiers in War and Terrorism (Rutgers University Press 2005) and a Professor of Anthropology at FDU and an Affiliated Professor, University of Haifa. More info on Rosen.

Feb. 15 Roger Koppl, "Forensic Science, and Criminal Law" (discussion about how principles of economics can be used to improve how we gather and apply forensic evidence). Prof. Koppl is the author of Big Players and the Economic Theory of Expectations. (Palgrave Macmillan, 2002); winner of the annual best book prize, Society for the Development of Austrian Economics. He is also Professor of Economics and Finance in the Silberman College of Business and Director of the Institute for Forensic Science Administration (IFSA). More info on Koppl.

Feb. 22 Robert A. Bianchi, "The Prosecutor's Office in the 21st Century" (specific challenges of the office in the coming years). Mr. Bianchi was sworn in as Morris County Prosecutor in 2007. He earned his B.A. from Providence College and a law degree from Seton Hall University School of Law in 1988. Prior to becoming Prosecutor Mr. Bianchi served as an Assistant Prosecutor with the Hudson County Prosecutor's Office and served in private practice. More info on Bianchi.

Mar. 1 Don Coburn, "Judicial Selection and Judicial Activism" (different modes of selecting federal and state judges and the "activist" criticism of judges). Mr. Coburn is a former Superior Court and Appellate Division judge (New Jersey). He received his BA from Cornell University and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School.

Mar. 8 Lucy Dalglish, "Shield Laws and the Press" (discussing a proposed federal shield law to protect journalists and current challenges of news reporters). Ms. Dalglish is Executive Director of Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. She received her BA from the University of North Dakota, a Master of Studies law degree from Yale, and a J.D. from Vanderbilt Law School. She was awarded the Wells Memorial Key, the highest honor bestowed by the Society of Professional Journalists, in 1995. More info on Dalglish.

Mar. 15 FDU Spring Break - No meeting this week.

Mar. 22 Bruce Baron, "The Media’s Influence on Law in the 21^st Century" (impact of old and new media on how legal cases are resolved). Mr. Baron is the founder of Baron Associates P.C. and a frequent consultant for the media; he appears frequently in the print media and on such programs as Fox News, MSNBC, CNN, and Court TV. More info on Baron.

Mar. 29 Tom Weisert, "The New Jersey Supreme Court: New Directions in Policy and Personnel" (discussion of the new Christie administration and the future direction of the New Jersey Supreme Court). Mr. Weisert teaches at FDU and Seton Hall University School of Law (where he received his J.D.). He is chief of staff to New Jersey Republican State Chair Jay Webber.

Apr. 5 Gabriel Sawma, "Islamic Shari'a in Theory and Practice" (discussion of new and enduring issues in Islamic Shari'a law). Mr. Sawma is the author of The Qur'an: Misinterpreted, Mistranslated, and Misread. The Aramaic Language of the Qur'an (Adi Books, 2006) and is also a lawyer, professor, and consultant on international law, mainly European Union Law, Middle East Law and Islamic Shari'a law. He has been admitted to the Lebanese Bar Association of Beirut, and is an Associate Member of The New York State Bar and the American Bar Associations. More info on Sawma.

Apr. 12 Irene Thomson, "Culture Wars and Enduring American Dilemmas" (challenging the assumption of a deeply divided American society). Prof. Thomson is the author of Culture Wars and Enduring American Dilemmas (University of Michigan Press, 2010) and an emeritus Professor of Sociology of the Department of Social Sciences and History. More info about Thomson.

Apr. 19 Bruce Peabody, "Televising the Least Accountable Branch" (discussion of proposed legislation to compel the Supreme Court to televise its open sessions and wrap-up of the Spring PPM series). Prof. Peabody is editor and author of The Politics of Judicial Independence (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2010) and an Associate Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Social Sciences and History. More info about Peabody.

More information about FDU’s PublicMind is available at http://publicmind.fdu.edu.

last updated January 2010.