KAITLIN SCHLUTER | arts & culture editor
This year, the Common Day of Learning is serving up a panel of multifaceted and esteemed professionals made up of one keynote speaker and six guest speakers. These speakers have graced the television screens of Larry King Live and BBC, worked on blockbuster films Aladdin and The Lion King and have the answers to the long-lasting question of what it means to be human.
All explanations aside—you will want to get out of bed for this.
“I’m hoping because the lineup is diverse, that people will have plenty to choose from and find themselves engaging in knowledge,” Director of Common Day of Learning and Professor of Political Science Jennifer Walsh, Ph.D. said. “Not only will you learn, but it will provoke how to input knowledge into [your] own life.”
The keynote speaker this year is Judith Dean, senior international economist for the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) and former associate professor of economics in the School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Dean will be discussing the topic of global poverty in her two sessions.
The first session titled “Rock Stars, Famous Economists, and Global Poverty: How do we really make a difference?” will examine the outside influences that shape our decisions concerning global poverty. These influences include U2 singer Bono’s recent ONE Campaign. Dean provides an alternate source for decision-making.
“The way I want to encourage people is by getting to know how poor people really are,” Dean said. She received that opportunity when she traveled to Africa ten years ago with World Relief.
“Scriptures are dramatic in expressing God’s concern for the poor. God is trying to tell us something,” Dean said.
Dean will also discuss China’s economic strategies in “Trade Growth, Environment, and Poverty: Must there be a tradeoff?” She is currently working on multi-year research projects about U.S. trade with India and China and hopes to bring a new perspective on how to solve global poverty.
Guest speakers also use the theme of using sound judgment with the topic of human bioethics. Multiple speakers from the organizations Joni and Friends and the Christian Institute on Disability will share their views on this topic.
Joni Eareckson Tada, founder and CEO of Joni and Friends International Disability Center will lead the discussion “What Does it Mean to be Human? Examining What Happens When Science and Ethics Collide” with Director of Public Policy Kathy McReynolds.
Tada will be looking at how society and culture play into the role of human bioethics. Tada has spent 40 years of her life as a quadriplegic and wants to alert students about how the decisions made by the government affect individuals with disabilities. These include problems with the healthcare plan and state government positions on suicide.
“I want to grab the students’ shoulders and shake them,” Tada said.
McReynolds will be taking the scientific view of a human being and President of the Center for Policy on Emerging Technology Nigel M. de S. Cameron will be answering the question of what it means to be human.
McReynolds will also be holding a discussion on ethical decision-making about topics like the economy, relating these decisions back to faith.
“When you look at the overall topics and when you understand our mandate and who Christians are today [ask], ‘How can we bring clarity to the Lord’s calling in our life?’” McReynolds said.
The last guest speaker is production designer Davy Liu who worked for Disney on movies that include Mulan. Currently, he is working on a Christian children’s book series titled Invisible Tails that he hopes to promote into a movie. His latest book, titled The Giant Leaf and Fire Fish is based on the Exodus story of Moses parting the Red Sea.
Liu will discuss the process of writing children’s and adolescent literature, and he will share his book. One of his main tips for this style of writing is to become and think like a child, which he exercised by using animals to tell a story.
Although the switch from movies to books resulted from his unhappiness with what he views as a lack quality in Christian visual artists, Liu wanted to use his faith to make a difference.
“I have to channel my energy into something that has kingdom value instead of just financial value,” Liu said.
All speakers emphasize the integration of faith-driven ‘energy’ into the decisions and careers that one would like to follow. Spend your ‘energy’ wisely.
Check out the Common Day of Learning Program for the times of sessions.
