2011-2012

The Gap between Rich and Poor

According to US News and World Report, the gap between the rich and poor in the US has never been greater. Eliminating the gap so that everyone has the opportunity to achieve his or her hopes and dreams is a monumental task. This year’s Sidore Lecture Series will focus on the various forms of poverty that plague societies around the world and present viable solutions.

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Lectures

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“Who’s Winning, Who’s losing, and Who’s Writing the Rules? Jobs, Immigration, and the Trade Rulebook of Corporate Globalization”

Sarah Bigney, Organizer, Maine Fair Trade Campaign
Tuesday, October 4, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Smith Recital Hall, Silver Center for the Arts

In her talk, Sarah Bigney will explain how sharing stories of the survivors of free trade and a corporate war economy can help build a movement of people committed to working together for a democratic and just economy.

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“The Maine Labor Mural Controversy”

Judy Taylor, Artist
Monday, October 24, 2011, at 7 p.m.
Smith Recital Hall, Silver Center for the Arts

Maine artist Judy Taylor will discuss the creation of the Maine Labor Mural, the history of the individual panels, and the recent controversy over the removal of the panels under Governor Paul LePage’s orders.

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“Income Inequality in the US: What Are the Facts, What Difference Does it Make, and What Can Be Done About It?”

Robert Kuttner, Cofounder and Coeditor, The American Prospect
Monday, November 7, 2011 at 7 p.m.
Smith Recital Hall, Silver Center for the Arts

The current recession has only exacerbated a three-decade inequality trend. To restore a more equal distribution of income, opportunity, and wealth, we need to rebuild a managed form of market economy.

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“Latin America and its Discontents”

Joseph Tulchin, David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies at Harvard University
Tuesday, February 14, 2012 at 7 p.m.
Smith Recital Hall, Silver Center for the Arts

Tulchin discusses inequality and citizen security in Latin America, the major “tectonic” changes that have taken place in Latin America since the end of the Cold War, and how inequality and insecurity are further exacerbated by these changes.

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“The Rich Get Richer and the Poor Get Prison: Inequality, Corporate Power, and Crime”

Paul Leighton, Eastern Michigan University
Monday, March 12, 2012 at 7 p.m.
Smith Recital Hall, Silver Center for the Arts

In his talk, Leighton discusses the link between the distribution of economic resources and crime, based on famed criminologist John Braithwaite’s argument that inequality worsens both crimes of poverty, which are motivated by need and structural humiliation, and crimes of wealth, which are motivated by greed and unaccountability.

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“Social Class, Solipsism, and Contextualism: Why the Rich are Different from the Poor”

Michael Kraus, University of California, San Francisco
Tuesday, April 17, 2012 at 7 p.m.
Smith Recital Hall, Silver Center for the Arts

In his talk, Michael Kraus advocates for an alternative cultural perspective on social class, suggesting that the contexts of lower- and upper-class individuals create reliable and sometimes surprising differences in prosocial tendencies, such as empathy and generosity, among lower- and upper-class individuals.

Featured Magazine Story

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In Support of Science

PSU’s outreach efforts aim to improve science education.

Location Feature

‘Why Plymouth Rocks’

April 11th, 2009 by Nathaniel

New Hampshire Magazine - Why Plymouth Rocks (thumbnail)

“A lively college town set amidst nature at its most serene …” – New Hampshire Magazine, “Why Plymouth Rocks,” 2008

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