Alumni College 2002: Shaping the Future
Friday, June 7, 2002

Class III
1:15 - 2:45 pm

A. Turbulent Times, Turbulent Nations: Perceptions of America from Home and Abroad
 

Wellington Nyangoni, Professor of African and Afro-American Studies, Brandeis University
Linda Scherzer '82, senior partner, Scherzer, Dubin & Associates, former CNN correspondent, and reporter for Israeli Television
Stephen Solarz '62, senior counselor at APCO Associates, former congressman, and former chairman of the House Committee on Asian and Pacific Affairs

Before September 11, 2001, the issue of U. S. foreign policy was considered by many Americans to be less important than domestic concerns. Now foreign policy is daily headline news. Was the media "asleep at the wheel" before, or were we? The news we hear shapes our perceptions of the world, yet journalists' inherent biases affect the way news is reported. An academic, a reporter, and a futurist discussed perspectives on international crises and the way in which America views the world, and is viewed from abroad.

B. Brandeis on the Road: Possibilities for Change in American Communities

" David Cunningham, Assistant Professor of Sociology, and students

Part of Professor Cunningham's yearlong course about social activism included a 30-day odyssey through 17 states aboard a 40-foot sleeper bus. Twelve students participated in a "class on wheels" exposing them to a wide range of social activism - by day, they engaged in hands-on organization efforts and discussion and, at night, their sleeper bus carried them to the next destination calling for action. Students learned that social change is not an outdated concept and that activism can take many forms. Professor Cunningham and students shared experiences from their travels "on the road."
 

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