What We Are Doing Archive

October 31
– Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case for Liberty with Mustafa Akyol, news columnist for Hurriyet Daily News and Star. His articles have also appeared in Foreign Affairs, Newsweek, The Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, International Herald Tribune and many other journals and newspapers. He studied political science and history at the Bogazici University in Istanbul, where he still lives. His latest book, Islam Without Extremes: A Muslim Case For Liberty, which was defined by the Financial Times as “a forthright and elegant Muslim defence of freedom,” was published by W.W. Norton in July 2011. The book was long-listed for the 2012 Lioner Gelber Prize, along with other titles by Henry Kissinger, Francis Fukuyama and Niall Ferguson.

December 2
– Women, Property Rights, and Islam with Feryal Cherif, Assistant Professor, Loyola Marymount. Presented by the Department of Political Science Colloquium Series.

November 17
– The Possibilities and Perils of the Arab Awakening with Roger Cohen, New York Times Columnist
. Roger Cohen joined The New York Times in 1990. He was a foreign correspondent for more than a decade before becoming acting foreign editor on September 11, 2001, and foreign editor six months later. Since 2004, he has written a column for the Times-owned International Herald Tribune, first for the news pages and then, since 2007, for the op-ed page. In 2009, he was named a columnist of The New York Times. Cohen has written “Hearts Grown Brutal: Sagas of Sarajevo” (Random House, 1998), an account of the wars of Yugoslavia’s destruction, and “Soldiers and Slaves: American POWs Trapped by the Nazis’ Final Gamble” (Alfred A. Knopf, 2005). He has also co written a biography of General Norman Schwarzkopf, “In the Eye of the Storm,” (Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1991). Cohen has won numerous awards and honors, among them: the Peter Weitz Prize for Dispatches from Europe, the Arthur F. Burns Prize, and the Joe Alex Morris lectureship at Harvard University. He received an Overseas Press Club award for his coverage of third world debt in 1987, the Inter-American Press Association “Tom Wallace” Award for feature writing in 1989. “The Post-Bin Laden World.” Presented as part of UCI’s International Education Week, the International Studies Public Forum, in collaboration with the Center for the Study of Democracy, Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, and Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality.

November 10
– The Implications of the Arab Spring for Middle East Security with Zeev Maoz, Professor, Department of Political Science, UC Davis. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum.

November 9
– Reflection on the ‘Arab Spring’ and the Role of Cyber-Dissent in Democratizing the Middle Eastwith Asiya Daud, Claremont Graduate University. Asiya Daud holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Claremont Graduate University, has traveled and lived throughout the Middle East forming relations with influential political and religious leaders, as well as political activists from opposition groups. Dr. Doud will share insights from her dissertation, entitled “Cyber-Dissent in the Middle East: A Tool of Political Resistance,” and will speak to the underlying reasons that led to the “Arab Spring” (and its subsequent revolutions), how they were carried out, and what forms of social networking (Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) led to the political dissent by the people of the Middle East and North Africa regions against their governments. Presented by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center, co-sponsored with the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, Center for Study of Democracy and Center for Citizen Peacebuilding.

November 3
– Peacemaking Practice as Engaged Scholarship with Susan Allen Nan, George Mason University. Susan Allen Nan is a scholar-practitioner of conflict resolution. Her main focus is on intermediary roles and coordination amongst intermediaries. She also works on evaluation of conflict resolution initiatives and community conflict resolution approaches. She is engaged in conflict resolution processes and practices in Eurasia, as well as in Eastern Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and Africa. She joined George Mason’s International Peace and Conflict Resolution core faculty in 2005 after two years of teaching on the topic as an assistant professor at the School of International Service, American University. She holds her Ph.D. (2000) and master’s (1995) in international peace and conflict resolution, and between graduate school and joining the faculty at George Mason, she co-founded and directed the Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT) and served as senior program associate for the conflict resolution program at the Carter Center in Atlanta, GA. Her research has been supported by the U.S. Institute of Peace (Peace Scholar award), and the William and Flora I. Hewlett Foundation, Compton Foundation, and Catalyst Fund (with ACT). She is the coeditor of the forthcoming special issue of the journal International Negotiation, which focuses on coordination in conflict resolution. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Conflict Transformation (ACT) and on the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Peacebuilding. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum, Center for Citizen Peacebuilding and Center for the Study of Democracy.

November 2
– Citizen Diplomacy: Pakistan-India Track-II Dialogue with Javed Jabbar, Chairman and Chief Executive, JJ Media (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan. A lecture by Javed Jabbar, chairman and chief executive of JJ Media (Pvt.) Ltd., Pakistan. A former senator and federal minister of Pakistan, Jabbar has an active interest in a variety of fields including international affairs, volunteer work for rural and urban development, the environment, social issues and mass media. Since 1992, he has served as a member of the longest-running Pakistan-India track-II process, known as the Neemrana Dialogue. Jabbar is the author of several books including his most recent work, Pakistan: Unique Origins, Unique Destiny (National Book Foundation, 2011). Presented by the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding.

October 13
– War, Women & Peace with Geena Davis, Academy Award Winner; Abigail Disney, Documentary Filmmaker; Roxanne Varzi, UCI Associate Professor of Anthropology; moderated by Kelly Smith, Center for Living Peace Founder. Appearances by Academy Award winner Geena Davis and documentary filmmaker Abigail Disney, as well as a “Day of Service,” will mark the Southern California debut of “Women, War & Peace,” a bold, five-part PBS television series challenging the conventional wisdom that war and peace are men’s domain. PBS SoCal, the Center for Living Peace and UC Irvine are co-sponsoring the events as part of the ongoing Living Peace Series. Kelly Smith, founder of the Center for Living Peace, will moderate a panel featuring Geena Davis, Abigail Disney and UCI associate professor of anthropology Roxanne Varzi discussing the making of “Women, War & Peace,” set to begin airing at 10 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, on PBS SoCal (formerly KOCE-TV).

October 13
– Managing a 21st Century Security Agenda: U.S. Foreign Policy Beyond Iraq and Afghanistan with Ambassador Christopher Hill, Dean of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver. Christopher Robert Hill served as the U.S. ambassador to Iraq from April 2009 until August 2010. He joined the Josef Korbel School of International Studies in September 2010. He is a career member of the Foreign Service whose prior assignment was assistant secretary of state for east Asian and Pacific affairs. He also served as ambassador to the Republic of Korea. On February 14, 2005, he was named as the head of the U.S. delegation to the Six-Party Talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. Previously he has served as U.S. ambassador to Poland (2000-2004), ambassador to the Republic of Macedonia (1996-1999) and special envoy to Kosovo (1998-1999). He also served as special assistant to the president and senior director for southeast European affairs in the National Security Council.  Earlier in his Foreign Service career, Hill served tours in Belgrade, Warsaw, Seoul, and Tirana, and on the Department of State’s policy planning staff and in the Operation Center. While on a fellowship with the American Political Science Association, he served as staff member for Congressman Stephen Solarz working on eastern European issues. He also served as the Department of State’s senior country office for Poland. Hill received the State Department’s Distinguished Service Award for his contributions as a member of the U.S. negotiating team in the Bosnia peace settlement, and was a recipient of the Robert S. Frasure Award for Peace Negotiations for his work on the Kosovo crisis. Prior to joining the Foreign Service, Hill served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Cameroon.  He graduated from Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine with a B.A. in economics. He received a master’s degree from the Naval War College in 1994. He speaks Polish, Serbo-Croatian and Macedonian. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum.

October 6
– Crescent and Dove: Civil Unrest and Nonviolence in the Middle East Uprisings with Qamar-ul Huda, U.S. Institute of Peace. Qamar-ul Huda is a senior program officer in the Religion and Peacemaking Program and a scholar of Islam at the U.S. Institute of Peace. He is an adjunct associate professor in Georgetown University’s Conflict Resolution Program where he teaches religion, ethnicity, identity and conflict resolution to graduate students. He has taught Islamic studies and comparative religion at Boston College, College of the Holy Cross and Brandeis University. His areas of interest are Islamic intellectual history, ethics, comparative religion, the language of violence, conflict resolution and non-violence in contemporary Islam. His edited book, The Crescent and Dove: Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam (USIP Press, 2010), provides a critical analysis of models of nonviolent strategies, peace building efforts, and conflict resolution methods in Muslim communities. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum and the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies.

September 26
– Winning the War on War: The Decline of Armed Conflict Worldwide with Joshua S. Goldstein. Read the newspapers, and war seems worse than ever. In reality, says author and American University professor Joshua S. Goldstein, however, the decade since 9/11 has been the most peaceful worldwide in the past century. In his up-coming UCI book talk, find out why he says evidence supports this claim, why people don’t believe it, and why he credits the United Nations for much of this progress. This talk is co-sponsored by the UCI Center for Global Peace & Conflict Studies and the UCI Center for International Studies.

May 20
– Brown Bag Discussion – forum geared towards enhancing more understanding about Muslim student life at UCI. Facilitated by Muslim Student Union and hosted by Vice Chancellor Thomas Parham.

May 20
– The Implications of Drones on the Just War Tradition with Daniel R. Brunstetter, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, UCI and Megan Braun Rhodes Scholar, Oxford University. As the war on terror moves forward, the U.S. has come to rely more and more on drones to counter the threat posed by terrorism. Drones have arguably enjoyed significant successes in denying terrorists save haven while limiting civilian casualties and protecting U.S. soldiers, but their use has raised ethical concerns. The aim of Brunstetter’s talk is to explore some of the ethical issues raised by the use of drones using the just war tradition as a foundation. He will argue that drones offer the capacity to extend the threshold of last resort for large scale wars by allowing a leader to act more proportionately on just cause. To the extent they become the principle tactic used to fight the war on terror, this will reshape the notion of right intention. However, while being technically capable of improving adherence to jus in bello principles of discrimination and proportionality, concerns regarding transparency and indiscriminate strikes, especially with CIA operated drones, may undermine the probability of success in the war on terror. Presented by the UCI Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality.

May 6
– Brown Bag Discussion – forum geared towards enhancing more understanding about Jewish life at UCI. Facilitated by Hillel at UCI and hosted by Vice Chancellor Thomas Parham.

May 4
– Compassion and Global Leadership with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama. His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama returned to UC Irvine to talked about global leadership and thanked the UC Irvine XIV Dalai Lama Scholars for their efforts to foster peace and compassion. Presented by University of California, Irvine in partnership with the Center for Living Peace as part of the ongoing Living Peace Series.

May 4
– The Crisis of Arab Authoritarianism with Ariel Ahram, University of Oklahoma. Ariel I. Ahram is assistant professor in the Department of International and Area Studies and the Department of Political Science at the University of Oklahoma. He specializes in the politics of developing world generally and the Middle East specifically. His research focuses substantively on the question of state formation, particularly weak and failing states, and on mixed methods and qualitative research techniques. He earned a Ph.D. in government and M.A. in Arab studies from Georgetown University in 2008 and 2005, respectively, and a B.A. from Brandeis University in 2001. He is the author of Proxy Warriors: The Rise and Fall of State-Sponsored Militias. This event is presented by the International Studies Public Forum (ISPF) co-sponsored by the UCI Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies.

April 28-29
– Cultural Knowledge Production and the Public Understanding: Iran Since the Islamic Revolution. A workshop on the production of Iranian cultural knowledge over the past decades. Through their study of Iranian culture and society, invited participants in this workshop recognize that public understanding of Iran in the West – and particularly the U.S. – is shaped by many genres of cultural production, including novels, films, performance, and political commentary. And yet the question remains: What forms of understanding are being produced, circulated, and integrated into the way people think about Iran? Can there be a productive dialogue about what different genres of cultural production accomplish? What is shaping cultural production in/about Iran, and what are the implications? This workshop will seek to address answers to these questions. Presented by the Center for Ethnography and the Center for Persian Studies and Culture.

April 22
– Multiplying Perspectives: A Study of Targeted Narrative and Empathy Intervention with U.S. Diaspora Communities with Johanna Solomon, Graduate Student, Political Science. How can relationships between communities in conflict be improved? What role does empathy play in such reconciliation? Can empathy be increased using a targeted intervention? How are diaspora communities related to protracted conflicts? Solomon’s talk will evaluate the efficacy of an inter-diaspora community based conflict intervention. It will also examine theoretically Betancourt and Bateson’s models of empathy development during such interventions. These models demonstrate a pathway from empathy to pro-social behavior (or lack of empathy to protracted violence) (White, 1985; 1986; 1991; Betancourt 2009; Bateson, 1995). Solomon’s talk will cover the initial step toward understanding the real world impact of such interventions in the context of protracted ethnic conflict. It will examine an understudied conflict between diaspora Arab/ Muslim and Jewish diaspora communities in Orange County, CA. In her study, compared with the control group, the participant group showed higher degrees of empathetic perspective taking and situational attribution but non-significant differences in changes in prejudice and state empathy. Implications will be discussed. Presented by the UCI Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality.

April 15
– Rebuilding After War with Jacek Kugler, Claremont Graduate School; Editor of International Interactions and former President of International Studies Association. Presented by the Department of Political Science Colloquium Series.

April 15
– A Darkling Plain: Humanity During Wars, Genocides and Other Political Disasters with Kristen Renwick Monroe, Sif Heide-Ottosen, Shant Setrak Meguerditchian, Chloe Wilmot Lampros-Monroe, Jonah Pellecchia. Presented by the UCI Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality.

April 14
– Evolving Ways of Peacebuilding: New Frontiers for the 21st Century with David Smith, United States Institute of Peace. David J. Smith is the national educational outreach officer at the United States Institute of Peace. He coordinates institute-wide educational outreach and public programming efforts. Smith works closely with educational and professional associations, academic institutions, and public groups to promote institute objectives. He speaks frequently to community, faculty and student groups on a variety of issues including civil society and peacebuilding, child soldiers, conflict resolution education and international education. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum.

April 13
– What is There Inside in One That Makes One Know All About War with Simon Leung, Professor of Arts- Studio Art Department, UC Irvine Artist and UCI professor. Simon Leung produced a series of works between 1993-1998 that address what he calls “the residual space of the Vietnam/American War.” The term residual space, in Leung’s words, “evokes a sense of a remainder – the physically repressed that is bound to return.” In his more recent work, he has returned to a meditation of hidden dimensions of war, not so much as a locatable topic, but along the lines of the atmospheric and “the war within.” In this presentation, Leung discussed passages from two of his recent works, POE (2007/2010), in which he uses Edgar Allan Poe’s novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym as a parallel for the twenty-first century American military presence in Iraq; and War After War (2011), in which he uses a short passage from Kant’s Perpetual Peace to meditate on the identity of one man forged by multiple wars (Leung’s frequent collaborator Warren Niesłuchowski). Presented by the Center for Global Peace & Conflict Studies Faculty Expert Series.

February 17
– Speaking Out on Egypt with UCI anthropologists Julia Elyachar, Christine Hegel-Cantarella, Selim Shahine. Moderated by Cecelia Lynch, political science professor and CGPACS director and Karen Leonard, anthropology professor and acting department chair, UCI. As demonstrations and protests continue in Egypt, UCI’s Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies and Department of Anthropology present an opportunity to gain perspective from in-house experts on elites, culture, politics and law in Egypt.

February 17
– UCI Ghana Project 2010-2011: Collaborative Conversations on the Continent. Interim reports by faculty and graduate student participants of Collaborative Conversations on the Continent, UCI’s ongoing effort to establish a collaborative relationship in dance, music, history, political science, and computer science with the University of Ghana-Legon and the Ghana Dance Ensemble. The project’s goal is to foster teaching and research on topics relating to Africa and the African Diaspora and further the University’s vision of a global village by encouraging intellectually embodied exchanges beyond formal classroom boundaries. UCI faculty members Sheron Wray and Jennifer Fisher (dance) and Jessica Millward (history), and MFA students Joe Knox (music) and Shannon Cuykendall (dance), will report on work they conducted in Ghana last August and September, and their subsequent research and collaborations in dance and music immersion and embodiment, diaspora relationships (including experiences at the Elmina and Cape Coast slave fortresses), relationships with Ghanaian cultural institutions, and outreach with the Noyam Institute for dance in Ghana. The center is particularly pleased to present these discussions in the wake of the just-completed visit to UCI by professor Oh! Nii Sowah and student guests from the University of Ghana-Legon. Reports and discussion will be moderated by UCI-Ghana Project members Ceceila Lynch (political science and CGPACS) and Zahra Ahmed (political science and community engagement coordinator for the Division of Undergraduate Education). This event is sponsored by the UCI Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies (CGPACS), Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.

February 10
– The UCI Peace Initiative: Report on Results of a Mock Israeli-Palestinian Negotiation with UCI student negotiators. In cooperation with the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, the International Studies Program is featuring a special ISPF to present the results of a mock negotiation of an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. Student negotiators representing the Israeli, Palestinian and U.S. delegations will represent and share their group’s perspectives on how they arrived at the agreement. At their ISPF talk, the negotiators will take questions and comments from the audience.

February 3
– Israel and Palestine: Is Peace Possible? with Galia Golan, Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya Professor Golan is the head of the M.A. program and the M.A. specialization in Diplomacy and Conflict Studies at the Lauder School of Government, Diplomacy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya. She is the author of nine books mainly on Soviet policy in the Middle East, as well as monographs and articles including work on the Arab-Israeli conflict. Her most recent works include a book, Israel and Palestine: Peace Plans and Proposals From Oslo to Disengagement, and a chapter on “Globalization and the Transformation of Conflict” in the volume by Louis Kriesberg and Bruce Dayton on Conflict Transformation. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum.

November 18
– Post-Race or Post Equality?: The Modern Trend in Anti-Discrimination Jurisprudence with Mario Barnes, Professor, UCI School of Law. Mario L. Barnes is a law professor at the University of California, Irvine, School of Law, where he teaches and writes in the areas of criminal law, constitutional law, anti-discrimination law, and national security law. He previously taught at the University of Miami School of Law from 2004 to 2009. He received his B.A. and J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Laws from the University of Wisconsin, where he was a William H. Hastie Fellow from 2002-2004. Prior to entering academia, he spent twelve years on active duty in the United States Navy and worked as a prosecutor, defense counsel, Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, and associate admiralty counsel. The event is part of the Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity’s Campus Conversations Series which aims to provide the campus community with opportunities to engage in dialogues about contemporary topics related to equal opportunity and diversity.

November 5
– The Impact of Aid in Conflict Zones: Results from a Longitudinal Study in Afghanistan with Christoph Zuercher, University of Ottawa and Sahar Khan, Political Science, UCI. It is widely assumed that development aid can help to stabilize regions in or after conflict. However, we lack empirical evidence for this assumption, and the assumed causal mechanisms are poorly specified. We conduct a micro-level longitudinal study of eighty communities in North East Afghanistan between 2007 and 2009 and investigate the impact of aid on (perceived) security. We also investigate two possible causal mechanisms, which may link aid to security: whether aid has an impact on attitudes towards international civilian and military actors (‘hearts and minds’) and whether aid can help to increase the legitimacy of the state (‘state reach’). While we find that aid does neither increase perceived security nor foster more positive attitudes towards international actors, we find that aid as a positive impact on state legitimacy. Presented by the Center for Research in International and Global Studies RIGS Research Seminar Series and Department of Political Science.

October 22
– Interactive Problem Solving: Changing Political Culture in the Pursuit of Conflict Resolution with Herbert Kelman, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics Emeritus, Harvard University. Presented by the UCI Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics & Morality, Department of Political Science Colloquium Series and Center for Research in International and Global Studies RIGS Research Seminar Series co-sponsored by School of Social Sciences, Office of the Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, Center for Citizen Peacebuilding and Political Psychology Program.

October 21
– Anti-Semitism and Zionism in the Debate on the Palestinian Issue with Herbert Kelman, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics Emeritus, Harvard University. Presented by The UCI Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics & Morality co-sponsored by School of Social Sciences, Office of the Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, Department of Political Science, Department of Psychology and Social Behavior, Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, Political Psychology Program, and International Studies Program.

October 3
– Jewish Iranian Legacy: Life, Politics, and Culture Conference Presented by the The Samuel Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture. Hosted by the School of Social Sciences.

October 7
– Counterinsurgency and Humanism with Isaiah (Ike) Wilson III, West Point, TX Hammes, National Defense University; Samuel Popkin, UCSD; David Price, Saint Martin’s University; Robert Albro, American University; Ruthie Gilmore, USC. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum.

September 28
– Do Working Men Rebel? Insurgency and Unemployment in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Philippines with Eli Berman, University of California, San Diego. Presented by the Department of Economics Applied Microeconomics Seminar.

May 27
– Re-Imagining Sovereignty and Identity in the Midst of Zero-Sum Conflict: The Parallel States Concept as Means Out of the Israeli-Palestinian Impasse. Mark LeVine, UCI Department of History. LeVine returned from a major ”track 2″ meeting in Jerusalem and Ramallah, bringing together leading Palestinian scholars, activists, and policy makers across the political spectrum in both communities who have all signed on to the parallel states/shared sovereignty concept as a potential solution to the conflict. He reports on the foundations of the idea, its benefits and the challenges it faces, both in its implementation and in terms of spreading throughout the two societies as a viable political alternative to the status quo. Sponsored by the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) of the University of California, and the Vice Chancellor for Office of Research (OR) at UCI.

April 6
– Telling Stories: War and Peace in Lebanese Children’s Literature with Daniel Brunstetter, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of California, Irvine. Sponsored by the Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC) of the University of California, and the Vice Chancellor for Office of Research (OR) at UCI.

April 1
– Obama, Nukes and the Democratic Movement in Iran: Foreign Correspondent Reese Erlich Presents a First-Hand Report from Tehran. Reese Erlich’s history in journalism goes back 41 years. He first worked as a staff writer and research editor for Ramparts, an investigative reporting magazine published in San Francisco from 1963 to 1975. Today he works as a full-time print and broadcast freelance reporter. He reports regularly for National Public Radio, CBC, ABC (Australia), Radio Deutche Welle and Market Place Radio. Erlich shared a Peabody Award in 2006 as a segment producer for Crossing East, a radio documentary on the history of Asians in the US. In 2004, Erlich’s radio special “Children of War: Fighting, Dying, Surviving,” won a Clarion Award presented by the Alliance for Women in Communication and second and third place from the National Headlines Awards. Presented by The International Studies Public Forum.

March 11
– What’s Wrong with the One-State Agenda? Why Ending the Occupation and Peace with Israel is Still the Palestinian National Goal. Hussein Ibish and Hala Salaam Maksoud. Hussein Ibisih is a senior fellow at the American Task Force on Palestine (ATFP) and executive director of the Hala Salaam Maksould Foundation for Arab-American leadership. Ibish has made thousands of radio and television appearances and has written for many newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post and the Chicago Tribune. He was the Washington, D.C. correspondent for the Daily Star (Beirut). Ibish is editor and principal author of 3 major studies of Hate Crimes and Discrimination against Arab Americans. Co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Democracy. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum.

February 12-14
– Modeling Conflict and Its Governance. Using mathematic models to explore potential effects of strategic decisions made during times of war and peace will be the topic of a three day conference hosted by the School of Social Sciences’ Institute for Mathematical Behavior and Center for the Study of Democracy.

February 10
– A Discussion with Counterterrorism and Humanitarian Law Specialist. Daniel Taub, Principal Deputy Legal Adviser of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Presented by International Studies and co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Democracy, Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, and UCI School of Law.

February 8
– U.S. Israel Relations from a Political and Personal Perspective. Michael B. Oren, Ambassador of Israel to the United States. Co-sponsored by Anteaters for Israel, Department of Political Science, Center for the Study of Democracy, School of Law, Alpha Epsilon Pi, Chabad at UCI, Hillel, College Republicans, Middle East Studies Student Initiative, Model United Nations; Consulate General of Israel, Jewish Federation of Orange County, Rose Project of Jewish Federation of Orange County, Margolis Family Foundation.

February 8
– Health Under Siege: The Gaza Model. A Public Health Seminar by Ahmed Ibrahim, MPH, Biosafety Division, Environmental Health and Safety.

February 5
– Protesting While Black: The Differential Policing of US Protestors, 1960-1990.Sarah Soule, Stanford University. Presented by the Department of Sociology Colloquium Series.

January 27
– The Meaning of Israel in Contemporary Jewish Life. Dr. Alick Isaacs, scholar at the Shalom Hartman Institute (“SHI”), Center for Advanced Jewish Studies in Jerusalem, serves as Director of SHI’s Advanced Beit Midrash Program and is a lecturer at the Melton Centre for Jewish Education at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Presented by the Department of Jewish Studies, School of Humanities and co-sponsored by the Orange County Community School Program.

January 14
– Mapping Terrorist Organizations: Relationships and Evolution Over Time. A lecture by Martha Crenshaw, senior fellow at the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) and the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, as well as professor of political science by courtesy at Stanford University. She is also emeritus professor of government at Wesleyan University where she taught from 1974 to 2007. Presented by The International Studies Public Forum (ISPF).

December 8
– The Missing Link: Citizen Dialogue in Northern Ireland and Israel/Palestine. Daniel Wehrenfennig, Ph.D., Political Science, UC Irvine. Presented by The Center for Citizen Peacebuilding and the Office of Equal Opportunity & Diversity. Co-sponsored by UCI Difficult Dialogues. UCI Cross Cultural Center, Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, School of Humanities, Undergraduate Program in Religious Studies and Department of History.

November 24
– Judaism and the American Constitution. with Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. Discussion on how Judaism has affected American constitutional law and the role of the Constitution in Jewish life in the United States. Hosted by Department of Jewish Studies.

November 23
– Finding our Common Humanity in the Religious Texts of Judaism and Islam.Lecture by Reuven Firestone, professor of Medieval Judaism and Islam at Hebrew Union College, Los Angeles, and co-director of the Center for Muslim-Jewish Engagement, a joint program of Hebrew Union College, the Omar Ibn Al-Khattab Foundation and the Center for Religion and Civic Culture at the University of Southern California. The event is part of the office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity’s Campus Conversations Series which aims to provide the campus community with opportunities to engage in dialogues about contemporary topics related to equal opportunity and diversity.

November 6
– Muslim Integration into EU Societies: Comparative Perspectives. David Laitin, Stanford University with Discussant Fatima Zainab Rahman, UC Irvine Political Science. Presented by The Center for Research on International and Global Studies.

October 29
– Conflict, Settlement, and the Shadow of the Future. Lecture and discussion by Michael McBride, UC Irvine Department of Economics. Presented by The Institute for Mathematical Behavioral Sciences Colloquium.

October 28-29
– A Simulated Negotiation for an Israeli-Palestinian Peace Agreement. Professor Sapir Handelman (Israeli) and Professor MazenBadra (Palestinian). Five Israelis meet 5 Palestinians to discuss, debate, and negotiate different solutions to one of the most intractable conflicts in the world. They have 3 sessions to reach a peace agreement. At the end of each formal session the audience is invited to participate in the negotiating process. The M.O.P.E. is a distinctive exercise in peacemaking and conflict resolution. It is a simulation of a potential Palestinian-Israeli public assembly – a Public Negotiation Congress. Presented by The Minds of Peace Organization with UCI’s Difficult Dialogues Project, the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, International Studies, Middle East Studies Student Initiative (MESSI), the Agora, and the Peacebuilding Collaborative.

October 15
– The Future of US Iran Relations. Lecture by Reza Aslan, Assistant Professor, Creative Writing, University of California Riverside. Reza Aslan, an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions, is a fellow at the University of Southern California’s Center on Public Diplomacy and Middle East Analyst for CBS News. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum (ISPF). Co-sponsored by the Center for the Study of Democracy, the International Studies Program and the Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture.

October 6
– Meet the Diplomats: Senior Diplomat, Azerbaijan and Principal, Tool Shed Group.Consul General Elin Suleymanov and Senior Diplomat of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Jason Katz. Presented by the Department of International Studies.

May 12
– Faith in Peace: The International Criminal Court and the Darfur Crisis. Dr. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im, Charles Howard Candler Professor, School of Law, Emory University. Abdullahi Ahmed An-Na’im is the Charles Howard Cnadler Professor of Law at Emory University where he focuses on cross-cultural human rights issues, international law and human rights, and human rights in Islam. He left his native Sudan in 1985 and has been an advocate for human rights in Africa ever since. He is the author of Toward an Islamic Reformation (1990) and Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Shari’a (2008). At Emory, he directs projects on Women and Land in Africa and Islamic Family Law, as well as a Fellowship Program in Islam and Human Rights. He holds LL.B. degrees from the University of Khartoum and the University of Cambridge, and earned his Ph.D. in law from the University of Edinburgh. Presented by Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies. Sponsored by UC Human Rights Initiative, Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation (IGCC), Peace Gift, Difficult Dialogues Office of the Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, UCI Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality, International Studies Program, Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, Center for Law and Society, and Humanities Center.

May 20
– The Angela Davis Project – Mountains That Take Wing: Angela Davis, Yuri Kochiyama and the Urgency of Now. A feature documentary on women of color cultural workers featuring conversations that span over ten years between Professor Davis and Grassroots community activist Yuri Kochiyama. The film screening examines cultural activism as intellectual and political work. Forum after the screening follows the event. Panelists include film-makers Dr. H.L.T. Quan, School of Justice and Social Inquiry, Arizona State University; C.A. Griffith, School of Theatre and Film, Arizona State University; and faculty respondent Frank Wilderson III, UCI African American Studies & Drama. Presented by the UCI African American Studies. Co-sponsored by UCI Cross-Cultural Center, Afrikan Student Union, the Ph.D. Program in Visual Studies, Anthropology, the Gender Education Series, Women’s Studies, Asian American Studies, Chicano/Latino Studies, the Center for Law, Society and Culture, Chemers Gallery of Tustin, and the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies.

May 14
– The Deconstruction Zone. Students share their understanding of social problems and oppression through interactive media, passive display and reflective discussion. Coordinated by R.E.A.C.H. – Reaffirming Awareness and Community Harmony, co-sponsored by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center.

April 30
– Israeli and Palestinian activists from OneVoice share perspectives on peace. What Are You Willing To Do To End Israeli-Palestinian Conflict? Rami Rabayah and Rotem Yossef, Palestinian and Israeli youth activists from OneVoice Movement, share their experiences in the Middle East. Presented by the Center for Citizen Peacebuilding, Middle East Studies Student Initiative (MESSI) and the UCI Difficult Dialogues.

April 21
– Jews, Arabs, and Government Officials: Power Relations Inside Israel Today. A lecture by Dr. David Wesley, author of State Practices and  Zionist Images: Shaping Economic Development in Arab Towns in Israel. Sponsored by the UCI Difficult Dialogues.

April 14
– “Transformation Into Tolerance: One Man’s Journey.” From Egyptian Cell to U.S. Senate, an Islamist Once Blacklisted from Three Countries Speaks. Presentation by Maajid Nawaz, founder of the Quilliam Foundation. Sponsored by Prosperitas and the UCI Center for Citizen Peacebuilding.

April 10
– Bridging Peace: Melodies and Dialogues of the Middle East. Naser Musa and Udi Bar-David. The celebrated Oud virtuoso and singer, Naser Musa and Philadelphia Orchestra cellist, Udi Bar-David, founder and artistic director of Intercultural Journeys will bring a blend of Arabic and Jewish melodies to UCI. An evening of Middle East Music and Open Dialogues by Intercultural Journeys collaborated with UCI Middle East Studies Student Initiative and UCI Center for Citizen Peacebuilding.

March 4
– Elaine Brown, former Black Panther Party member, discussed the prison industrial complex. Hosted by the UCI Afrikan Student Union and Afrikan Consciousness Quarter, co-sponsored by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center.

February 25
– Khaled Abu Toameh, Arab-Israeli Journalist: Voice of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and his experience writing for the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) without freedom of press. Presented by Anteaters of Israel. Sponsored by Hillel Foundation of Orange County and co-sponsored by UCI Student Affairs.

February 19
– Conflict Experiences of UCI Students. UCI students who were war veterans shared their experiences in Iraq and Afghanistan – how it affected their lives, outlook, and feelings about the war. The panelist included Johnny Yang (US Army), served in Iraq; Dave Curry (US Marines), served in Iraq, Chris Raheb (US Marines), served in East Africa; and civilians Ilana Zelener and Noah Saeedy. Presented by the International Studies Public Forum (ISPF) and sponsored by the International Studies Program and the UCI Veterans Student Union.

February 18
– Passport to Leadership. Advocacy and Allies, presented by Kevin Huie, Director, Cross-Cultural Center. This workshop allowed individuals to understand under-representation and marginalization, which groups of people are victims to these forms of oppression, and how to advocate and be an ally for these groups of people as a student leader on a college campus. Participants are given the opportunity to express their own need for advocacy and to strategize ways to assure equity and access within the groups. Organized by the Office of the Dean of Students and UCI Cross-Cultural Center.

February 13-April 30
– Young Americans: The Exhibition – Photographs of Sheila Pree Bright. Portraiture to explore Generation Y’s thoughts and feelings about America. Sponsored by the UCI Difficult Dialogues, the Program in African American Studies, and the Department of Art History.

February 10
– Is Proposition 8 Legal? A Forum on Marriage Equality. Legal discussion on Prop 8 in the face of the upcoming California Supreme Court case. Featured UCI School of Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky, Professor Katherine Darmer of Chapman University School of Law and Tiffany Chang, second year UCI law student. Presented by the UCI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center, in conjunction with the UCI School of Law and the Orange County Equality Coalition.

February 3
– Women and the Military. Discussions on the ongoing issues facing women in the military. Panelists included Wendy Barranco, Iraq Veteran Combat Medic; and 27-year career Veteran Cynthia E. Perry, RN, Ph.D.. Presented by UCI Veteran Services, in conjunction with the UCI Cross-Cultural Center Gender Education Series.

January 22
– The 25th Annual Martin Luther King Symposium – Dr. Joseph L. White Keynote Lecture. Post-Inauguration: Hope for the New Change. Scholar and activist Dr. Lani Guinier speaks about educational inequities and how oppression is pervasive in current education policy. Presented by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center.

January 21
– A Light for Gaza. UCI community gathered for a candlelight vigil in commemoration of the innocent lives lost in the military operation that claimed more than 1,300 lives, many more injured, and destroyed thousands of homes in Gaza. Led by the UCI Society of Arab Students (SAS).

January 20
– Passport to Leadership. Jan Serrantino, Director, Disability Services Center: Civil Rights in Employment and Education. This workshop highlighted a brief history of American Civil Rights including the origins of rights for the disabled in the workplace and in education. Organized by the Office of the Dean of Students and UCI Disability Services Center.

January 8
– Voice of Gaza Student Speak-Out rally and march. Hosted by the Coalition of Student Organizations.

December 4
– Candlelight Vigil for Mumbai. Campuswide candlelight vigil to commemorate the 188 human lives lost and more than 293 injured in the Mumbai terror attack. Hosted by Anteaters for Israel, co-sponsored by UCI Student Affairs.

November 28-December 23
– Art Miles Mural Project Pyramid. The colorful and passionate ten-year movement focuses on sustainable local, national and international cooperation. Through this community gathering, Art Miles will complete 12 miles of murals, painted by people of all ages and culture. In 2010, at the end of the UN Decade for Culture and Peace and Non Violence for the Children of the World, the global collection of murals will be exhibited at the Great Egyptian Pyramids-making the largest international art exhibition by the global community in history – a lasting legacy for the 21st century.

November 6
– 24th Annual Rainbow Festival & Conference. Diversity, Politics, and the Election – What’s Next? Dr. Carlos Munoz Jr., emeritus faculty at UC Berkeley, explores the nature of politics and the danger of declaring politicians as models or heroes for youth. Sponsored by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center

November 5
– 24th Annual Rainbow Festival & Conference. Underground Undergrads. A teach-in on immigrant students and their struggle to create political change. The event featured the authors of a new student publication, Underground Undergrads: UCLA Undocumented Immigrant Students Speak Out. Sponsored by UCI Cross-Cultural Center, UCI School of Sciences’ Department of Chicano/Latino Studies, M.E.Ch.A. de UCI and the UCLA Center for Labor Research and Education.

October 21
– Passport to Leadership. Manuel N. Gómez, Vice Chancellor Student Affairs: Free Speech – what makes free speech so important, and how can you exercise your right to free speech responsibly as a student leader? The workshop wrestled with the complicated issues surrounding free speech on a university campus. Organized by the Office of the Dean of Students.

October 16
– UCI Student Affairs Professional Development Conference: Preparing Leaders for the Future. Free Speech and Civility on Campus, plenary speech by Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky. Free Speech on Campus: Where the Sidewalk Ends by Chief Counsel Diane Geocaris and Assistant Executive Vice Chancellor and Director Kirsten Quanbeck. Hosted by the Office of the Vice Chancellor Student Affairs.

October 7-Present
– Safe Zone. A symbol of UCI’s commitment to diversity and the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community on campus. Open to any campus affiliate, this on-going program trains individuals to identify as Allies that are informed, supportive, and affirming of our LGBT communities at UCI. Safe Zone creates a more welcoming campus climate for LGBT and Ally faculty, staff and students. Sponsored by the UCI Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resource Center, the program will foster a community that can network and embrace sexual and gender identities.

October 4
– All University Leadership Conference – 25 Years of Growth: Leadership From The Ground Up. Topics on Free Speech included Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky perspective on free speech in an academic environment; University Ombudsman Michael Chennault’s presentation When it comes to Conflict: What’s your approach?a workshop on approaching conflict and the importance of knowing what triggers fears, biases and hot buttons; and student sessions on The Issue of Free Speech: How can we better appreciate different opinions and points of view. Organized by the Office of the Dean of Students.

August 28
– Humanity Unites’ dialogue on the current media focus on Iran. Panelists included Ali Shakeri, founder and community advisory board member of the UCI Center for Citizen Peacebuilding; Kevin O’Grady, Ed.D., Orange County Regional Director of the Anti-Defamation League; and Dr. Mohammad Sahimi, NIOC Chair in petroleum engineering and materials science at the University of Southern California; and Liana Foksheneanu, former director of Business Development for the Merage U.S.-Israel Trade Foundation, Economic Officer at the Israeli Embassy in Washington D.C and former Commercial Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. Hosted by Humanity Unites.

August 8-10
– UCI’s 3rd Annual Summer Multicultural Leadership Institute. A weekend long program that provided approximately 70 incoming first year students to engage in dialogue and address issues of free speech, diversity, conflict management and social justice. Sessions included a workshop on Free Speech by Vice Chancellor Manuel N. Gómez: What’s Mine Is Yours. Organized by the Office of the Dean of Students.

January 24
– 24th Annual MLK, Jr. Symposium Keynote/Dr. Joseph L. White Lecture: Julian Bond, President, NAACP: Crossing the Color Line. Presented by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center.
– Exhibit: From a Culture of Violence to a Culture of Peace: Transforming the Human Spirit.

January 18
– Robert Audi, David E. Gallo Chair in Ethics and Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame. Role of Religious Considerations in Public Discourse of Pluralistic Democracies. Sponsored by the UC Irvine Interdisciplinary Center for the Scientific Study of Ethics and Morality and the Abraham I. Melden Chair in Moral Philosophy .

November 19
– The Case for Peace in the Middle East. Presentation by Alan Dershowitz, author and Harvard Law Professor. Sponsored by UCI Hillel: Jewish Student Union, Anteaters for Israel, Alpha Epsilon Pi at UCI, StandWithUs, the Jewish Federation of Orange County and the Hillel Foundation of Orange County.

November 6
– Spiritual and Religious Alliance for Hope (SARAH) panel presentation.

September 30
– All University Leadership Conference – Zot’s Anatomy: Dissecting Leadership. Sessions included Is there a Price to Free Speech? by Vice Chancellor Student Affairs Manuel N. Gómez, and Diversity and Intercultural Communication by Raid Faraj, Senior Investigator/Diversity Educator, Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity. Organized by the Office of the Dean of Students.

October 24-26
– Global Conversations: A Festival of Marginalized Languages Conference. An opportunity to reflect on how we can encourage conversation among and between languages in scholarship, activism, literature, teaching and performance. Sponsored by the Ford Foundation’s Difficult Dialogues, the Office of Research Administration at UCI, UCI Center for Asian Studies, the UCI Cross-Cultural Center, HumaniTech®, Dr. Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies and Culture.

October 22
– UC Irvine-Israeli Engineering Exchange Program. Agreement with Technion – Israel Institute of Technology & Tel Aviv University. Sponsored by Henry and Susan Samueli.

2007-08 Academic Year
– Abraham’s Vision is a conflict transformation organization that explores group and individual identities through experiential and political education. Abraham’s Vision will work on the UCI campus in 2007-08.

August 14
– A Maccabiah for the Mind Symposium: Sports, Ethnicity, Gender and the Struggle for Human Rights

August 10-12
– Second Summer Multicultural Leadership Institute: A residential program to provide personalized training for first-year students on issues of diversity, conflict management and social justice.

June 6
– Presentation of inaugural UC Irvine Ethics Fellowship awards.

May 30
– Stand Together for Tolerance. UC Irvine Academic Senate event.

May 5
– Vice Chancellor’s panel on Difficult Dialogues at the UCI Executive Roundtable Annual Retreat. The Role of Freedom of Speech: Courses and Conversations that Encourage Respect on Campus.

May 3
– A lecture and discussion with Jimmy Carter, 39th President of the United States of America. Over 3,400 students, faculty, staff and alumni gathered to hear Former President James Earl Carter’s views concerning the Middle East conflict between Israel and Palestine. Hosted by the UCI Center for the Study of Democracy and the UCI Model United Nations in association with the UCI Center for Citizen Peacebuilding and the Department of Political Science in the School of Social Sciences.

April 6-7
– Cultures of Violence: Comparative Literature Graduate Conference

March 8
– OneVoice: A non-partisan movement of moderate Israelis and Palestinians. Public presentation by the founder and Israeli and Palestinian students about their program to create a public voice for politically moderate citizens in the Middle East.

February 20
– Lily Gardner Feldman: From Enmity to Unity: The Principle of Reconciliation in International Relations and its Practice in German Foreign Policy.

February 15
– Everything You Wanted to Know About Judaism But Were Afraid to Ask: featured panel: Rabbi Dov Fischer, Beth Jacob Congregation Irvine; Rabbi Dennis Linson, Temple Judea Laguna Hills; Rabbi Peter Levi, Temple Beth El Aliso Viejo. Sponsored by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center.

February 12
– Program in Jewish Studies: Susan Derwin, Ph.D. Primo Levi and the Limits of Testimony.

February
– UCI Ethics Fellow

January 31
– Publication of Impressions/Expressions, Vol. 4: Difficult Dialogues.

November 29
– The Middle East in 2007: Same Old Story or a New Beginning? A panel featuring UCI Professors discussing the events of the last year in the Middle East and larger Muslim world, and likely developments in the coming year. Panelists include: Nasrin Rahimieh, Director of the Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies, UCI; Lina Kreidie, Department of Political Science, UCI; Mark LeVine, Professor of Modern Middle Eastern History, UCI; and moderator, Jon Elliott, Air America Radio host. Co-sponsors include: Middle East Studies Student Initiative, Department of History, and the Samuel M. Jordan Center for Persian Studies.

November 8
– Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellow Dr. David Hamburg: Never Again: Practical Steps Toward the Prevention of Genocide.
– Irvine Lecture in Critical Theory, Eyal Weizman: Lethal Theory.

November 1
– Religious Diversity: An Interfaith Dialogue. This panel features two religious leaders – a Muslim and a Jew – who will critically engage the audience in an open dialogue about their faith in relation to our society. The panelists will be Sadullah Khan, Executive Director of Religious Affairs at the Islamic Center of Irvine and Rabbi Richard Steinberg, Congregation Shir Ha-Ma’alot. Sponsored by Difficult Dialogues, Hillel: The Jewish Student Union, Muslim Student Union, Vice Chancellor Student Affairs, American Indian Student Union, Rainbow Festival.

October 16
– Marcos Aguinis: The Presence of Jews in Latin America: Then and Now.

October 5
– Political Upheaval Abroad, Free Speech at Home: The Domestic Implications of International Crisis, presented by Vice Chancellor Manuel Gómez. Sponsored by International Studies Program and Difficult Dialogues Project.

September 29
– 23rd All-University Leadership Conference. Student leaders gather to discuss campus issues and plan for the coming year. Key university administrators attend to discuss UC Values. UC Values poster campaign unveiled. Contest announced to student groups. They can win their own club poster by sharing how their group promotes one or more UC values.

September 18
– New Student Convocation official launch of the student focus of the Irvine campus UC Values campaign. Speakers including UCI Chancellor Drake discuss values.

August 12-13
– UCI launches inaugural Summer Multicultural Leadership Institute: A residential program to provide personalized training for first-year students on issues of diversity, conflict management, and social justice. UC Ethical Values are a part of the program for 60 new incoming student leaders.

Summer
– Student Affairs summer orientation programs includes workshop on UC Ethical Values: On Civility, Character, Citizenship, Decision Making and other Good Stuff! This is presented to the new and transfer students and parents at the summer orientation program.

May 30-November
– Langson Library Exhibit: The War Within: Dissent During Crisis in America.

May 30
– Deputy Prime Minister, Abkhazia and Liana Kvarchelia, Deputy Director of the Center for Humanitarian Programs: The Abkhaz-Georgian Dialogue, a discussion of Difficult Dialogues in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.
– Gabriele M. Schwab, Ph.D. for Ngugi wa Thiong’o. Langson Library Exhibit opening speaker: Dissent and Dialogue in a World at War.

May 22
– Round Table Discussion on New Directions in Jewish Studies.

May 20
– Associated Students of University of California, Irvine pass legislation that “supports and embraces with warm hearts and open minds the Statement of Ethical Values adopted by the Regents of the University of California” and “encourages integrity, excellence, accountability and respect.”

May 17
– Yossi Olmert, Ph.D. Israel: A Discussion of Recent Events.

May 15-17
– Wellek Library Lecture Talal Asad: Thinking About Suicide Bombing: Terrorism; Suicide Terrorism; Horror and Suicide Terrorism.

May 11
– Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellow William Julius Wilson: The Bridge Over the Racial Divide: Rising Inequality & Coalition Politics Re-Examined.

May 7
– The Cordoba Initiative: Jerusalem Dialogues: Why Israel? Why Palestine? Conference.

May
– Inside, Behind the Scenes from the Yossi Olmert Lecture.
– Chancellor Drake sends messages to the campus on civility.
– Vice Chancellor Gómez’s message to the campus on free speech.

April 19
– As’ad AbuKhalil, Ph.D.: The Islam Factor in Western Popular Cultures: Beyond the Danish Cartoons.

April
– Ishmael Khaldi Lecture.

March 6
– Daniel Bar-Tal, Ph.D.: The Psychological Earthquake in 2000: Understanding the Present Impasse in the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
– Catarina Kinvall, Ph.D.: The Moral Treatment of Others: Addressing the Ethics of Difference.
– Joseph Carens: Immigrants – How They are Integrated Into American Society.

February 27
– Edward Kaufman, Ph. D. and Emmanuel Hassassian: The Role of Israeli & Palestinian Civil Society in Peace Building. Public lecture.

February 24
– Elias Khoury, presentation by the author of Gate of the Sun.

February 16
– Chancellor’s Distinguished Fellow Mary Frances Berry: Civil Rights in the U.S.: Past, Present and Future?

February 15
– Artists for Peace Week: Performance by the Pakistani rock band ‘Junoon.’

January 30
– An Ethiopian Jew, music and stories shared by musician Alula Tzadik.

January 23
– Latinos and Jews: A Conference on Historical and Contemporary Connections.

Fall
– Chancellor Drake sends message to the campus on UCI values.

Fall Semester
– New course: History 183: Special Studies in International History. Imagining the Future: Israelis and Palestinians in the 21st Century.

October
– 22nd All-University Leadership Conference. Student leaders gather to discuss campus issues and plan for the coming year. Key university administrators attend to discuss issues and promote free speech and civility.

June 6
– Vice Chancellor Manuel Gómez commentary on civility and free speech published in the New University newspaper.

April and May
– “One Small Step Forward” Palestinian-Israeli dialogue initiatives featuring Richard Harris.

May 15
– UC Irvine sponsored The Daniel Pearl Dialogue for Muslim-Jewish Understanding, a presentation featuring Professor Akbar Ahmed, Ibn Khaldun Chair of Islamic Studies and Professor of International Relations at American University, and Professor Judea Pearl, Director of UCLA’s Cognitive Systems Laboratory and father of the slain journalist. A whole day devoted to activities and dialogue promoting Jewish Muslim understanding.

May 4
– Office of the Dean of Students hosts Gender and Cultural Differences in Response to Terrorism presentation.

April 25
– UCI Cross-Cultural Center sponsors Addressing Hate in Our Community.

March
– Student Alliance of Dialogue and Understanding holds first meeting.
– $30 Million gift from Paul Merage for the Paul Merage School of Business.

January 18
– UCI Cross-Cultural Center hosts The Differences Between Us.

January 10
– Vice Chancellor Manual Gómez’s article on free speech published in the New University newspaper.

January 8
– “A Case Study-University of Haifa” presented by Professor Ron Robin, Dean of Students at University of Haifa.

November 7
– 11th Annual Religious Diversity Forum – Conflict Resolution: The Role of Religion and Sprituality.

November 1
– A Closer Look at Hate. Sponsored by the UCI Cross-Cultural Center and Office of Equal Opportunity and Diversity.

October-November
– Five part series, Jews/Muslims/Christians In Dialogue, presented as part of the UCI Community Forum.

October 2-3
– 21st All-University Leadership Conference. Student leaders gather to discuss campus issues and plan for the coming year. Key university administrators attend to discuss issues and promote free speech and civility. When Cultures Clash: What Do You See? Rusty Kennedy, Executive Director Orange County Human Relations Commission, moderates the “super” session.

September 27
– Vice Chancellor Gómez’s letter regarding free speech published in the New University newspaper.

April 22
– Conflict Prevention student organization established.