University News
WIU School of LEJA Presents "Violence in America" Lecture Series
August 22, 2008
MACOMB, IL -- Reports and actions of deadly and injurious violence erupting across the United States--on college campuses, in high school classrooms and even within institutions of worship--impose profound tragedy and produce negative social effects for Americans in the 21st century.
To explore and highlight the consequences of violence in American society today, Western Illinois University's School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA) is sponsoring the "Violence in America" lecture series, a six-part program that will provide a multi-faceted perspective on selected topics about and related to violence.
The series, which is offered as part of the School of LEJA's 40th anniversary celebration, will begin Tuesday, Sept. 23 and will run for five consecutive Tuesdays from 6:30-9 p.m. The first five programs will be held in the University Union Heritage Room; the sixth program will be held in the University Union Grand Ballroom.
"Violence in the United States continues to be a vexing issue that plagues society, individuals, institutional milieus and the criminal justice and political systems," explained Darrell Ross, director of the School of LEJA and the series moderator. "It is comprised of numerous variables and cuts across all racial, ethnic and socioeconomic levels."
The series opening program on Sept. 23, "Culture, Identity and Violent Crime: Learning from the Lives of the American Desperados," will be presented by Western's Distinguished Professor Emeritus John Hallwas.
"One of the goals of the series is to inform and educate students and the public on the facets of this massive American problem from the disciplines of sociology, history, psychology, religion and criminal justice," Ross noted. "We also want to foster a forum in which participants begin to think about how to work toward implementing methods to respond and reduce violence in their communities."
Additional topics addressed in the series include: Sept. 30--"The Glass Ape: Human Dimensions of Violence," presented by Tracy Knight, Western Illinois associate professor of psychology; Oct. 7--"Does God Kill?" presented by John Simmons, professor and chair of Western's department of philosophy and religious studies; Oct. 14--"Face of Violence: Extremist/Terrorist Threats Against Law Enforcement Worldwide," presented by Dean Alexander, Western LEJA assistant professor; Oct. 21--"The Killing Season," presented by Joline Myers, WIU LEJA associate professor; and Oct. 28--"Campus Security Post VA Tech: A New Paradigm?", presented by Western alumnus Marty Green (B.S. 1987), an attorney and vice president for governmental relations for the Illinois CPA Society.
The "Violence in America" lecture series is open free to the public.
For more information, contact Western's School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration at (309) 298-1038 or LEJA@wiu.edu.
Posted By: Teresa Koltzenburg (WIUNews@wiu.edu)
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