ETHICS CENTER EVENTS (Spring 2006)

The Red Blue Game
The Long Island Room
Thursday, March 23rd
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

The Red Blue game is a classic game of trust for teams that is designed to demonstrate the concept of “win/win”. It is based on the “Prisoners Dilemma” in which two criminals who are arrested after a crime are approached individually and told that if they confess and implicate the other person, they will receive a reduced sentence. Participants will be divided into opposing teams to compete for a positive score. The ethical and psychological implications of the game will be discussed afterwards.

Co-sponsored by the Department of Media Arts and the Long Island Center for Ethics

Fooled Again: American Democracy at Risk

Mark Crispin Miller, renowned media critic and professor at New York University will discuss the future of American democracy by reference to his new book, Fooled Again, which focuses on the 2004 Presidential election. Professor Miller is a distinguished media scholar and political activist who has been responsible for important work in the area of media ethics and politics. He is the author of Cruel and Unusual: Bush/Cheney’s New World Order and The Bush Dyslexicon: Observations on a National Disorder as well as numerous works on the mass media and the culture of television.

Tuesday, March 7th
4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Top of the Commons

ETHICS CENTER FILM SERIES (Spring 2006)

The Ethics Center film series is designed to encourage participants to identify issues of ethical concern both in popular and less mainstream cinema. Using film as a medium for the exploration of ethical problems and as a means to provoke dialogue and debate over issues ranging from public policy issues to individual moral decision-making, the series aims to advance the theoretical understanding and practical application of ethics in common, everyday situations. Following the screening of each film, participants are invited to take part in an open discussion of the ethical problems and/or controversial issues it raises.

Zelig
Hillwood Commons Cinema
Thursday, February 16th
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Leonard Zelig possesses the remarkable ability to mentally and physically mimic whomever he is with. Raising questions about social conformity, the nature of human identity, and the meaning of individual integrity, Zelig explores the far-reaching and potentially destructive consequences of the need for acceptance.

Pleasantville
Hillwood Commons Cinema
Thursday, March 9th
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

When David and Jennifer are transported into the seemingly perfect world of a black and white 1950’s sitcom, they initiate a series of events that profoundly disrupt the equilibrium of the imaginary town, Pleasantville. What ensues is an exploration of the meaning of intellectual liberation and creativity and the nature of genuine individuality as well as an allegory for bigotry and totalitarianism.

Hotel Rwanda
Hillwood Commons Cinema
Thursday, March 30th
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

As Rwanda descends into mass genocide, hotel manager Paul Rusesabagina decides to intervene in the massacre of the minority Tutsis. Courageously opening his hotel to over 1,200 refugees, Paul risks his own life to protect the lives of innocent Tutsis. Depicting a human being acting morally in extreme circumstances, Hotel Rwanda raises questions about the extent of our moral responsibility to prevent the unnecessary suffering of our fellow human beings.

Control Room
Hillwood Commons Cinema
Thursday, April 20th
4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Through an examination of how satellite television has altered the way wars are reported, Control Room explores the relationship between the Western and Arab worlds. Focusing on the issue of objectivity in reporting the news, the documentary explores the influence of cultural affiliation and patriotism on how facts are gathered and reality shaped by the media.