You are invited to this week’s session of the Political Economy, Technological Innovation and Values Dream Course. This week we’re welcoming guest lecturer Drew Kershen, OU College of Law emeritus professor.
BENEFITS OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Wednesday March 13
10:30 a.m. – noon
Price Hall 2030
Human beings depend upon agriculture to produce food, fiber, fuel, and industrial products that humans need for survival and (hopefully) flourishing well-being. As a consequence, agriculture (like energy) has a major impact on the use of natural resources and upon the planetary environment. In recent years, there has arisen a wide-spread chorus that agriculture must be sustainable, though precisely what “sustainable” means and how it should be achieved are hotly contested. The March 13 class will focus on agriculture and the concept of sustainability. Participants are encouraged to read the assignments and be prepared to engage in discussion about the dilemmas existing in agriculture and sustainability and about the values (explicit and implicit) in the contested visions about agriculture’s future.
ABOUT PROFESSOR KERSHEN:
Professor Drew Kershen, who joined the OU law faculty in 1971, teaches courses on agricultural law, legal history, professional responsibility and water rights. In recent years, Professor Kershen has focused his teaching, research and lecturing on agricultural biotechnology law and policy.
After receiving his juris doctorate in 1968, he joined a private practice in Atlanta. In 1973, he was named a fellow in law and humanities at Harvard University. He has held visiting professorships at the universities of Kansas, Illinois, and Arkansas Little Rock. During the summer terms and semester intersessions, he has taught at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville, Oklahoma City University, the University of Texas, and Texas Tech.
Kershen is coauthor of Farm Products Financing and Filing Service, written in 1990 with J. Thomas Hardin. He has authored more than 40 other book chapters, grant reports, and law review articles.
READ-AHEAD MATERIAL:
Instead of a straight lecture, Professor Kershen plans to engage the participants in dialog. For this dialog to be effective, he has provided some read ahead material, linked below:
Food crisis will prompt GM foods rethink Mar 2013
Contested Vision — Kershen Conf Paper ver 2
Mark Lynas Lecture Dream Course
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For Additional Information, visit http://www.ou.edu/content/coe/ame/research/dream_course_2013 or contact Farrokh Mistree at 405.325. 2438 or farrokh.mistree@ou.edu
The lecture is complementary and open to the public. The University of Oklahoma is an equal-opportunity institution. For accommodations on the basis of disability, please contact Sarah Warren at (405) 325-1715.
We hope to see you there!