In Pursuit of Knowledge
Illuminating the critical issues of our time
As the world faces escalating political crises, and society grapples with many complex issues, informed, rational and respectful dialogue is essential. This series brings together experts in their fields to examine and illuminate the critical issues of our time.
Host: Jon Faine
Jon Faine is a renowned public broadcaster and Vice-Chancellor’s Fellow at the Melbourne Law School with a roving commission across the University of Melbourne.
Upcoming events
Episode 2: Strengthening multiculturalism in a time of conflict
Australia’s modern history of multiculturalism, especially after the Second World War, has been held up as one of the success stories of Australia’s democracy but in recent times it appears to be under significant strain. What can we do to repair and resume the previous cordial relations and cultural and religious exchanges? What are we going to do about the significant increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia?
Panel:
Professor Ghassan Hage
Professor Ghassan Hage is a Professorial Fellow of Anthropology and Social Theory at the University of Melbourne. He has held many visiting professorships around the world including at Harvard and the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales in Paris.
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Professor Karen Farquharson
Professor Karen Farquharson is an expert on the sociology of `race`, racism and diversity, particularly in the contexts of media and sport. She is a Professor of Sociology, Chair of the Anti-Racism Hallmark Research Initiative, and President of Academic Board at the University of Melbourne.
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Professor Joseph Lo Bianco
Professor Joseph Lo Bianco is an expert in bilingual education, literacy studies, and conflict mitigation with four decades of work in peacebuilding efforts in various South and Southeast Asian settings, especially Sri Lanka, Myanmar, South Thailand and Malaysia.
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Host: Jon Faine
Date: Monday 16 September
Time: 6pm – 7.30 pm
Venue: Old Quad, The University of Melbourne
Episode 3: USA Votes: Harris or Trump?
The USA election result affects the entire world. Why is American politics so polarised? Will policy or personality decide the outcome? Is American democracy at a crossroad? A former Biden staffer debates a Republican insider, drawing on their unique insights, research and teaching at the University of Melbourne’s political science department.
Panel:
Professor Timothy Lynch
Professor Timothy Lynch is an expert in American politics. In 2022- 2023 he was the Milward L. Simpson Visiting Fulbright Professor at the University of Wyoming, the most Republican supporting state. His latest book is In the Shadow of the Cold War: American Foreign Policy from George Bush Sr. to Donald Trump.
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Corey Alpert
Cory Alpert served for three years in the Biden-Harris administration and was previously a senior staffer on Pete Buttigieg's historic 2020 Presidential campaign. He was the Senior Advisor to the President of the US Conference of Mayors and helped build the humanitarian assistance technology to respond to major disasters across the US and Ukraine. He is now working on his PhD at the University of Melbourne studying the impact of AI on democracy.
Host: Jon Faine
Date: Tuesday 15 October
Time: 6 pm – 7.30 pm
Venue: Science Gallery Theatre
Past events
Episode 1: The threat to our global public institutions
With the world in seemingly endless escalating crises what role do our global public institutions such as the United Nations and the International Court of Justice play? Are our global public institutions failing us? Do our global public institutions have any real powers and are they able to manage conflict in the way in which they were designed?
Panel:
Dr Carrie McDougall
Dr Carrie McDougall, from the Melbourne Law School, is an expert in international criminal law and humanitarian law. She has worked at DFAT as a legal specialist and as an advisor at the Australian Mission to the United Nations.
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Professor Alison Duxbury
Professor Alison Duxbury, interim Dean of the Melbourne Law School, is an expert in international law, human rights law and public law. She has been Chair of the International Board of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative and Associate Director of the Asia Pacific Centre for Military Law.
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Dr Tania Miletic
Dr Tania Miletic is Co-Director of the University of Melbourne’s Initiative for Peacebuilding within the Arts Faculty. She is an expert in peace and conflict studies and has worked as an analyst and facilitator in a range of government and non-government organisations in peacebuilding, political affairs and community engagement.
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Host: Jon Faine
Date: Thursday 29 August
Time: 6 pm – 7.30 pm
Venue: The Brain Centre – Ian Potter Auditorium