ACADEMY TOWN HALL: EXPERTS AND CONTROVERSIES

COURSE LEADERS: Rosalie Goldman
MEETS: 6 Thursdays TIME: 1:00pm - 3:00pm
DATES COURSE MEETS: 2/26, 3/5, 3/12, 3/19, 3/26, 4/2
PRICE: $50.00
LOCATION: 8081 E. Orchard Rd., Greenwood Village, CO 80111 Map
TYPE: Lecture,Discussion,Q&A
CATEGORY: SOCIAL SCIENCE
NOTE:

Speakers: Various experts

DESCRIPTION:

Think again about challenging contemporary issues from local experts, who are well informed and hold opinions on each week’s specific topic:
-Separation of church and state
-Elections and voting rights related to the Fourteenth Amendment
-Gender perspective on the Middle East, views on capital punishment
-issues in our changing public schools and their impact on Academy members
-Hate crimes five years after the passage of the Shepard-Byrd Hate Crimes Prevention Act.
All classes will include presentation and discussion. These compelling issues will make for good conversation and are sure to generate new information, ideas and perhaps new realities.

February 26, 2015

SHOULD THE WALL OF SEPARATION BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE BE STRENGTHENED OR WEAKENED?

 A DVD presentation of a debate with the following panelists:

  • Rev. Barry Lynn–Executive Director of Americans United for Separation of Church and State, Washington, D.C.
  • Denise Maes–Public Policy Director for the ACLU of Colorado; former White House Office of Administration General Counsel
  • Michael J. Norton–Senior Counsel with Alliance Defending Freedom Regional Service Center in Colorado
  • Scott Dunn–partner in Longmont law firm; former Catholic radio host

Discussion to follow facilitated by Dan Lynch, retired constitutional attorney, and Sally Kneser, retired Director, Academy for Lifelong Learning

March 5, 2015

ELECTIONS AND VOTING RIGHTS:  IS THE 14TH AMENDMENT STILL RELEVANT?

Suzanne Staiert–Colorado Deputy Secretary of State; attorney; public sector legal positions

Andrea Shpall–ACLU Speaker’s Bureau; attorney; community civic and business positions

March 12, 2015

WHAT’S GOING ON IN THE MIDDLE EAST?  A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

Elayne Gallagher, PhD, Senior Advisor, Consultant on Governance and Gender, UN and bi-lateral agencies and international  development banks                                          

MARCH 19, 2015

SENTENCED TO DEATH? CAPITAL PUNISHMENT: TWO VIEWS

Robert Grant–retired after serving three terms as Adams County District Attorney representing the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses; death penalty case experience         

David Lane– Denver attorney, Killmer, Lane and Newman, LLP; practices criminal defense and civil rights litigation; certified as “learned counsel”  for federal death penalty cases

 

MARCH 26, 2015

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS? HOW ARE WE AND OUR FAMILIES AFFECTED?

Michael Mazenko–high school administrator and AP English teacher in suburban Colorado; former teacher in Taiwan and Illinois has written commentary for The Denver Post for the past five years; served as a Colorado Voices columnist in 2009

Jim Kneser– retired economist; since retiring Jim has led courses at the Academy in economics and public policy.  For the past five years, he has focused on how P-12 schools can better prepare our children for productive and happy lives in the modern information- based economy

 

April 2, 2015

UNDERSTANDING HATE CRIMES:  THE SHEPARD-BYRD HATE CRIMES PREVENTION ACT–FIVE YEARS LATER

 Jeremy Shaver– Assistant Mountain States Regional Director, Anti-Defamation League

Discussion and Q&A to follow all speakers