New Times Talk series draws packed house

There was standing room only this week at the kickoff for the new Tuesday Times Talk series, part of FIU’s Global Learning initiative.

Journalism professor Fred Blevens and English instructor Ben Lauren lead a group discussion about information access at Tuesday's Times Talk.

More than 60 students, faculty members, and staff gathered in GL 220 to discuss a New York Times article about the introduction of cell phones in rural Africa. The students, along with moderators journalism professor Fred Blevens and English instructor Ben Lauren, had a lively discussion about who controls information, whether information is a human right and how information technology is used in other parts of the world.

“The talk was a fantastic success,” said Stephanie Doscher, associate director of the Office of Global Learning Initiatives. “Everyone had a chance to express their own perspective on the issue. Looking around the room, you could see heads nodding in agreement or disagreement, and afterwards people hung out eating free pizza and still talking.”

She added, “There’s no question that GL 220 at noon on Tuesdays is ‘the’ place to be on campus for anyone who is hip to what’s going on in the world.”

The next Times Talk will be on Tuesday, Nov. 3, and will center on a New York Times article, “Medical Editors Push for Ghostwriting Crackdown.” The article sheds light on the controversial practice of drug companies ghostwriting medical journal articles that promote their own products without disclosing their involvement.

The series is part the university’s Global Learning for Global Citizenship initiative, which aims to provide global learning experiences for all undergraduates through core classes and extra-curricular activities. The series is made possible as part of the newly enhanced New York Times readership program at FIU. As part of the Student Government-funded program, daily New York Times newspapers are available free to students at 14 locations on campus.

Tuesday Times Talk Series

Noon – 1 p.m. GL 220

Nov. 3: “Pharmaceutical Research: Medicine or Marketing?”
Moderated by social work professor David Cohen

Nov. 10: “The Arts:  I Know What I Like and I Like What I Know”
Moderated by School of Music Director David Dolata

Nov. 17: “Women and Islam: Whose Marriage Is It Anyway?”
Moderated by education professor Aixa Perez-Prado

Nov. 24: “Online Learning: Will Schooling Ever Be the Same?”
Moderated by history professor Brian Peterson