The Ethics Center at Fresno State will begin its fall lecture series at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19 in the Alice Peters Auditorium (Peters Business Building) with a viewing of the film “Soft Vengeance: Albie Sachs and the New South Africa.”

The documentary focuses on Albie Sachs, a Jewish South African who was injured in the fight against apartheid and helped create the post-apartheid government. Following the film will be a discussion with the director Abby Ginzberg.

The Fresno State Cineculture Club and the Jewish Studies Certificate program are co-sponsors of the event. Parking is free after 4 p.m. on Fridays and screenings are free and open to the public.

Remaining lectures hosted by the Ethics Center include:

  • Sept. 25 (5-6 p.m.): A discussion about “Religious Liberty and the Hobby Lobby Case” featuring Dr. Alfred Evans, a board member of the Interfaith Alliance of Central California. He will discuss the implications for the American idea of religious liberty.
  • Oct. 8 (5-6 p.m.): A discussion about Pacifism(s) featuring Dr. Cheyney Ryan, a fellow at the University of Oxford’s Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict and professor of philosophy and law at the University of Oregon, where he founded the master’s degree in conflict studies. He will discuss the ethics of pacifism and the question of justified violence.
  • Oct. 29 (6-7:30 p.m.): A viewing of the film, “Waking in Oak Creek,” with special guest Simran Kaur, western region director of The Sikh Coalition.
  • Nov. 5 (6:30-8 p.m.): A symposium, “Affirmative Action,” with Fresno State professors who will discuss the legal and moral justification of affirmative action programs. They are Dr. Matthew Jendian, sociology; Daniel Cady, history; and Bruce Thornton, classics and humanities.
  • Nov. 13 (5-6 p.m.): A discussion, “Can we be Safe — Sex, Crime and Safety,” featuring Dr. Sarah Tyson,  assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Colorado at Denver and co-editor of “Philosophy Imprisoned: The Love of Wisdom in the Age of Mass Incarceration” (Lexington, 2014).

The Ethics Center serves as the University’s hub of research, evaluation and practice for the ethical behaviors and thinking skills that students need as they enter their chosen professions. Its mission is to understand and promote ethical leadership across the curriculum and within communities.

For more information, contact Dr. Andrew Fiala, Ethics Center director, at afiala@csufresno.edu or 559.278.2621.

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