Forum Network

Free online lectures: Explore a world of ideas

Funding provided by:

Screen_Shot_2018-09-17_at_1.42.40_PM_B49jYB3.png

Ford Hall Forum

The Ford Hall Forum is the nation's oldest continuously operating free public lecture series. Its mission is to foster an informed and effective citizenry and to promote freedom of speech through the public presentation of lectures, debates, and discussions. Forum events illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings, which facilitate frank and open debate.

http://www.fordhallforum.org/

Putting Massachusetts Students and Schools to the Test

Wed, Apr 10, 2002

James Peyser, chairman of the Massachusetts Board of Education, and Ted Sizer, founder of the Coalition of Essential Schools, discuss the controversial Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System (MCAS) test. Heated debate has surrounded the MCAS test since 1993, when it was first introduced to identify and help students and schools that were failing. Advocates call the MCAS test the foundation for a bold plan to reform education in the state while critics insist this standardized text is too narrow in its assessment of students' abilities.

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
Los Trabajadores: The Workers

Tue, Mar 11, 2003

This public discussion, moderated by Joseph Tovares, of WGBH's La Plaza and Giovanna Negretti, of Oste?, Massachusetts' primary Latino political organization, wrestles with questions about immigrant workers in the US, after the screening of *Los Trabajadores/The Workers*. The new documentary film examines the misperceptions and contradictions inherent in America's paradoxical history of both dependence upon, and abuse of, immigrant labor. According to a recent report from Northeastern University's Center for Labor Market Studies, immigrant participation in the labor force was critical to our nation's growth during the '90's boom. And while some maintain that the American economy needs immigrants and is more dependent on their labor than ever before, skeptics continue to ask, "Do immigrants rob American workers of jobs?"

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
After Apartheid: Symbols of Progress and Challenges

Tue, Jan 28, 2003

A panel discusses the creation of a new Constitutional Court in post-apartheid South Africa. In 1994, the world looked on as South Africa turned its attention to the historic task of writing and implementing a new constitution that continues to be regarded as the most progressive in the world. Almost a decade later, the Constitutional Court is now creating a permanent home and the first major public building of South Africa's new democracy. Developed on the site of a prison in Johannesburg, with expressive artwork incorporated throughout, this new Courthouse will serve as a monument to the post-apartheid spirit of an emerging nation in all its diversity. But how has the new democracy changed the lives of the people of South Africa? Can symbols inspire dreams in South Africa's new democracy?

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
Medical Malpractice in Massachusetts

Wed, Jun 4, 2003

Madge Kaplan, senior editor of American Public Media's Marketplace Health Desk moderates a discussion about malpractice law reform with several Massachusetts physicians. Threats of malpractice lawsuits hang over doctor's heads from the day they earn their degrees. Some higher risk specialists, like OB-GYNs, can expect to be sued nearly three times over their careers. Jury awards in all cases have soared, averaging nearly $3.5 million in 1999. In turn, professional liability insurance for physicians is astronomical. As a result, physicians curtail or stop services, move out of state, or retire early. Access is restricted, longer waits occur, and doctors practice costly 'defensive medicine'.

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
Daddy & Papa: Gay Couples Raising Children

Tue, May 13, 2003

Johnny Symons discusses his film Daddy & Papa, a one-hour documentary that takes us inside the lives of four families led by gay men. America is in the midst of a "gayby boom," with thousands of gay men across the country making the decision to raise children. An exploration of the personal, cultural, and political impact of gay fatherhood, this new film traces day-to-day challenges as it examines the value of alternative households, the effects of gender and sexual orientation on children, and the changing face of the American family.

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
Embedded in Iraq: The Objectivity Question

Thu, Oct 9, 2003

Brian MacQuarrie of *The Boston Globe* takes a look back at his time in Iraq, and forward to the future of war journalism. MacQuarrie traveled to Iraq in March of 2003 to cover the war as an embedded reporter with the Army's 3rd Infantry Field Artillery Battalion. Part of a Pentagon experiment to give journalists greater access to soldiers and commanders in the heat of battle, embedments like this one provided unparalleled inside views of combat that generated fascinating news stories here at home. Even so, questions linger about the success of this new-styled journalism and how it will affect the coverage of future conflicts. Is it possible for reporters to so literally enter a story and still maintain their objectivity?

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
Is There an Elephant in the State House?

Wed, Dec 3, 2003

Join this discussion with Republican leaders to find out why they believe the citizens of Massachusetts share their party's values. Is our Commonwealth's reputation as a bastion for liberalism undeserved? Republicans have had a stronghold on the governor's office in Massachusetts for 13 consecutive years. As a result, it is hard to deny the wide appeal of "common-sense republican priorities" that include lower taxes, economic growth, individual liberty, and improved standards of education. In a state where more than half the voters are unenrolled or independents (and not Democrats), the Republican Party is confident about its potential for growth.

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
Remembering Trauma

Tue, Feb 10, 2004

Clinician and laboratory researcher Richard McNally challenges the ready acceptance of a notion he says goes beyond common sense, and contends that traumatic experiences are indeed unforgettable and the evidence for repressed memories is surprisingly weak. Are horrific experiences indelibly fixed in a victim's memory? Or does the mind protect itself by banishing traumatic memories from consciousness? How victims remember trauma is the most controversial issue in psychology today, spilling out of consulting rooms and laboratories to capture headlines, rupture families, provoke legislative change, and influence criminal trials and civil suits. This lecture is presented in collaboration with Boston Theatre Works to coincide with the world premiere of *Conspiracy of Memory*, a timely new drama by local playwright Steven Bogart that explores issues of aging, forgiveness, acceptance, and redemption.

Mental Health Month , Food and Wellness

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
Politics of Sex, Drugs and HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts

Wed, Jan 28, 2004

A panel of health experts discuss the politics of sex, drugs and HIV/AIDS in Massachusetts. 41% of the estimated 20,000 people living with HIV in Massachusetts were infected either through their own needle-sharing or through sex with a needle-sharing partner. Panelists debate whether Massachusetts needs a syringe access policy as well as Department of Public Health reports that nearly 10% of new infections in the state are occurring among young people, aged 13 to 24. As sex education programs have fallen victim to budget-cutting and conservative mores, panelists explore what should our political leaders can do to safeguard the health of the state's youth.

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum
Medical Errors and Patient Safety

Tue, May 11, 2004

A panel of professionals weigh in on the shocking 1999 The Institute of Medicine report on medical safety. Panelists include Lucian Leape, Connie Crowley Ganser, and Linda Kelly. The event is moderated by John A. Fromson. The Institute of Medicine reported in 1999 that health care in the United States is not as safe as it should be, and that as many as 98,000 patients may die each year from preventable medical errors. How far have we progressed in five years? How do doctors, nurses, and other health care workers approach patient safety? What is the responsibility of the patient for patient safety? How can we make medical care better? .

Forum Network

Partner:

Ford Hall Forum