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Boston College

Boston College is a coeducational university with undergraduate and graduate students hailing from every state and more than 95 countries. Founded in 1863, it is one of the oldest Jesuit, Catholic universities in the United States.

Since its founding in 1957, the Lowell Humanities Series has brought distinguished writers, artists, performers, and scholars to Boston College. Follow the series on Twitter at @BCLowellHS .

http://www.bc.edu

Liz McCartney: Lessons Learned from Katrina

Wed, Oct 21, 2009

Liz McCartney, co-founder of St. Bernard Project, a not-for-profit organization devoted to rebuilding homes destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, discusses some of the lessons she has learned about effective leadership. For her work in New Orleans' St. Bernard Parish, McCartney was recognized as CNN's 2008 “Hero of the Year” and received the 2009 Ignatian Award from the Boston College Alumni Association.

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Paul Breines: The Last Lecture Series

Mon, Apr 6, 2009

Paul Breines, associate professor of history, discusses the experience of being an atheist, a Jew, and a bisexual as a faculty member at Boston College, a Catholic institution. The lecture is part of the “Last Lecture Series,” in which, a distinguished faculty member addresses the question: “If you had the chance to give the last lecture of your life, what would you say?”

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Centrality of Respect in Culture and Learning

Thu, Oct 24, 2002

Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot discusses her book Respect: An Exploration.

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Catholic Tradition: Revision or Conservatism?

Wed, Oct 30, 2002

Catholic philosopher and historian Garry Wills argues that revision, not conservatism, is the historical norm of the Roman Catholic Church. Catholic theological responses to the sexual abuse crisis are split into two main camps: the traditionalist, which claims that a return to pre-Vatican II values will purge the Church of its "modern" problems, and the revisionist, which sees the crisis as symptomatic of deeper institutional ills and calls for further loosening and modernization of canon law. Wills is a leading figure in the latter camp.

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Daily Crisis: Developing Value-Based Companies

Wed, Jun 11, 2003

Harry M. Kraemer, president and CEO of Baxter International Inc., discusses the crisis of values that CEOs and leaders of companies deal with every day in the workplace, and also offers insight on how companies can develop value-based organizations. Kraemer has been with Baxter for 22 years and was elected CEO in 1999. Kraemer is introduced by Orit Gadiesh, Chairman of Bain & Company.

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Covenant Violated, Covenant Restored

Thu, Apr 3, 2003

Jon Levenson, the Albert A. List professor of Jewish Studies at Harvard Divinity School, focuses on the tension between the theological aspects of the flawed members of the Catholic Church and the holy community of people protected by God's promises. He is a specialist in the literary and theological dimensions of the Hebrew Bible. Levenson is the author of nine books, including *Sinai and Zion: An Entry into the Jewish Bible* and *Creation and the Persistence of Evil: The Jewish Drama of Divine Omnipotence*. Levenson is introduced by Fred Lawrence, director of the Lonergan Workshop, and Ben Birnbaum, editor, *Boston College Magazine*.

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Why Celibacy? Hindu, Buddhist and Christian Views

Tue, Mar 25, 2003

Howard Gray, rector at John Carroll University; Geshe Tsetan, Tibetan Buddhist monk; and Swami Tyagananda, Hindu rector at MIT, offer perspectives on celibacy from the viewpoints of their respective religions. Mary Ann Hinsdale, from the Boston College Theology Department, introduces the speakers.

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Healing the Wounds of Slavery: Can Legal Remedies Work?

Fri, Mar 14, 2003

Harvard Professor Charles Ogletree Jr. and Boston University Law Professor Keith Hylton give a two-part keynote address from a Boston College symposium, "Healing the Wounds of Slavery: Can Present Legal Remedies Cure Past Wrongs?"

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Faith and the Future of American Religion

Tue, Nov 4, 2003

Five journalists and scholars explore the changing landscape of American faith, using as a starting point two recent books: *A People Adrift: The Crisis of the Catholic Church in America*, by *New York Times* religion correspondent and former *Commonwealth* editor Peter Steinfels; and *The Transformation of American Religion: How We Actually Live Our Faith*, by Boston College political science professor and Boisi Center director Alan Wolfe. Steinfels and Wolfe are joined on the panel by R. Scott Appleby, director of the Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies and professor of history at Notre Dame; David Brooks, a columnist for *The New York Times*; and Wendy Kaminer, contributing editor of *The Atlantic Monthly*. The panel is introduced by moderator Ben Birnbaum, special assistant to the president and editor of *Boston College Magazine*.

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Alan Keyes on the Challenge of Gay Marriage

Tue, Mar 9, 2004

Alan Keyes, former US representative to the United Nations, and two-time candidate for the Republican nomination for president, offers an argument in opposition to gay marriage. Keyes bases his argument on a biblically-derived Christian understanding of marriage as sacrament, and a social understanding of heterosexual marriage as a necessary foundation for society. Keyes is introduced by Luke Howe, a UGBC executive and a sophomore in the Carroll School of Management at Boston College. This lecture is sponsored by the Undergraduate Government of Boston College and the College Republicans of Boston College

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