Dickinson Announces April 2025 Clarke Forum Events
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Free, public lectures explore technology, culture, academic freedom, more
Dickinson’s Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues presents thought-provoking discussions and explorations this April through a series of free, public lectures in the Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium. From the spread of disinformation and misinformation in the age of AI, to the revitalization of Indigenous food systems and the evolving landscape of higher education and beyond, this month’s events present opportunities to explore intersections between technology, culture and society.
Tuesday, April 1, 7 p.m.
Rainbows and Mud: Pathways to Queer Thriving in a Marginalizing Society
Nic Weststrate, University of Illinois Chicago
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
As LGBTQ+ curriculum censorship and book bans limit LGBTQ+ people’s access to critical knowledge, Nic Westrate examines the ways that LGBTQ+ communities counter epistemic injustice by coming together across generations for social connection, storytelling and wisdom-sharing. Westrate is an associate professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois Chicago, a faculty affiliate of the university’s Community and Applied Developmental Psychology Program and a member of the Center for Research on Health and Aging in the Institute for Health Research and Policy. .
Thursday, April 3, 7 p.m.
Joseph Priestley Award Celebration Lecture: Misinformation in the Age of AI
Marcia McNutt, National Academy of Sciences
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
Marcia McNutt, president of the National Academy of Sciences will discuss the spread of false information in contemporary society, which has reached epidemic proportions, and the challenges of addressing disinformation and misinformation, particularly when coupled with the erosion in public trust in the efforts of our government and prominent institutions and the rise of artificial intelligence (AI).
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Monday, April 7, 7 p.m.
The Revitalization of the American Indian Food System
Michael Kotutwa Johnson, University of Arizona
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
Most American Indian tribes have lost access to traditional foods, resulting in poorer health outcomes and denial of an important aspect of Indigenous culture. Michael Kotutwa Johnson will discuss the issue and solutions. He is an assistant professor of Indigenous resilience at the University of Arizona’s School of Natural Resources and the Environment, a faculty member of the Indigenous Resilience Center, a member of the Hopi Tribe and a traditional Hopi dryland farmer. He recently started the Fred Aptvi Foundation.
Thursday, April 10, 7 p.m.
Open Inquiry and the Collegiate Mission
Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill, Council of Independent Colleges
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
Jacqueline Pfeffer Merrill, director of the Campus Free Expression Project, Council of Independent Colleges, and a national expert on academic freedom and free speech in colleges, will discuss the importance of, and threats to, open inquiry and civil discourse in higher education. Based on her observations of campuses across the country, she will share how these concerns relate to issues facing Dickinson. .
Tuesday, April 15, 7 p.m.
What Does It Mean to Be a Human Translator in the Age of AI?
Amélie Josselin-Leray, University of Toulouse
Anita Tuvin Schlechter Auditorium
Amélie Josselin-Leray, director of the Department of Translation and Linguistic Interpretation at the University of Toulouse, will discuss artificial intelligence (AI) and how it is changing the field of translation.
Josselin-Leray also will deliver an AI workshop at Dickinson on April 14, as part of the college's AI Symposium.
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Published March 27, 2025