Leadership Seminar attends Benazir Bhutto Lecture - Jessica Hylton ('06)
The Boone Honors program is dedicated to challenging and enlightening students. On September 17, 2002 the freshman Honors Seminar on Leadership traveled to Roanoke College to attend a special presentation by former Prime Minister of Pakistan Benazir Bhutto.
This speech was part of a three part series entitled "Religion and Politics in the Middle East: Problems and Solutions," and was sponsored by The Henry H. Fowler Public Lecture Series, the Center for Religion and Society, and the Donald L. Jordan Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Lana Whited, associate professor of English and Journalism, and Dr. David Howell, associate professor of Religion, accompanied 12 honors students to the program.
Bhutto, who was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan in 1988 and was the first woman to head the government of an Islamic State, received a standing ovation from a crowd of around 2000 people as she spoke about her thoughts on the attacks of September 11.
Born in Karachi, Pakistan, she went on to receive her education at Harvard's Radcliff College and Oxford University. When she returned to her country, she found that the military government had hanged her father, Prime Minister Zuifikar Ali Bhutto. She was arrested repeatedly and spent a total of six years in either prison or detention for her leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party. She was sworn in in 1988, bumped out of office and re-elected in 1993 before being bumped once more. She now lives in exile from Pakistan.
During her speech, she denounced the terrorist as fanatics and asked Americans not to blame all of Muslims for the actions of a few. She suggested that the U.S. should not got to war with Muslim nations, but rather try to rebuild them as they did to Europe with the Marshall Plan after World War II. She continued by showing her support for any action taken against Iraq, as long as the United Nations supported the United States in this endeavor as well, and defended her country by saying, "terror cells do have hold in the country on the whole. I believe the people of Pakistan admire the people of the United States."
After her speech, there was a short question and answer segment where she answered several questions from the audience. After attending the lecture, the honors group went to Dunkin donuts and enjoyed discussing their thoughts on the issue. Thomas James commented, "Bhutto was a very honest and self-becoming woman."
The fall 2002
Honors 100 seminar traveled to Roanoke College on Tuesday, Sept. 17, for
a lecture by Benazir Bhutto, former prime minister of Pakistan. (L-R)
Summer Snuffer, Michele Darnell, Byron Altice, Jessica Hylton, Thomas
James, Leslie Semones, Carrie Vest, Kara Layden, Thomas Hooker, Jenn Martin,
Melanie Stine, Dr. Lana Whited. Photo by Dr. Tina Hanlon.
Honors Program Sponsors Prof. John
Haught, Georgetown University, for Religion and Science Lecture -
Staff Contributor
Professor
John Haught, Landegger Distinguished Professor of Theology at Georgetown
University visited Ferrum's campus on October 30 for a lecture on "Evolution
and the Question of God." Haught argued in his lecture that Darwin
challenges religious trust in a providential God who purposefully creates,
influences and eternally cares for the world. He pointed out that our
religious ancestors did not have our knowledge of biological evolution,
though they were certainly aware of the suffering of humans and other
living beings. Darwinian science, however, vastly extends the story of
life's suffering (and creativity as well) beyond that of traditional theological
awareness. Rather than run from the conclusions of biological science,
however, Haught called upon theologians to take serious what science is
telling us about our world. Professor Haught raised a number of provactive
questions in the course of his lecture. In what sense, then, after Darwin,
might we still trust in divine providence, if at all? Is it perhaps possible
that evolutionary portraits of life may open up fresh ways of thinking
about God and cosmic purpose? After Darwin can we have a plausible understanding
of God that is both consistent with traditional belief and adequate to
the reality of evolution?
He followed up the lecture the next morning with a visit to Dr. Johnson and Dr. Howell's honors seminar "Religion and Science: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives" where he continued the dialogue with students in the seminar.
Freedom Honors Seminar for Spring 2002 - staff contributor
Dr. Samuel Payne, Professor of Political Science, will be teaching the Honors Seminar in the spring semester. Payne's course, which will fulfill either history or political science general education requirements, is a philosophical and historical inquiry into the various concepts and forms of human freedom.
Boone Honors Program students and faculty traveled to Roanoke at the end of the semester to attend the musical Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat at the Mill Mountain Theatre. This musical, the first collaboration by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in the 1970's, retells the familiar biblical story of Joseph in a lighthearted way. Joseph, the father's favorite son, is perhaps a little spoiled strutting around the stage in his rainbow colored coat. His brothers therefore sell him into slavery where Joseph eventually ends up as Minister of Agriculture for Egypt. During a famine, the brothers come to Egypt for assistance. When they do not recognize Joseph, he stages a surprise on them before eventually reconciling with them.
The highlight of the play, no doubt, was hearing Pharaoh sing like Elvis Presley, the King! Before the play, the group went for a dinner of Chinese food at The Red Palace. It quickly became apparent that some in the group would need more practice using chopsticks, but everyone enjoyed the meal and the evening.