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Background Information

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In anticipation of the upcoming 2008 presidential election and in keeping with the Mission of the College, all students, faculty, staff, administrators, and members of the broader community are invited to attend the Faithful Citizenship Symposium – an election year series designed to promote discussion and reflection on issues related to faith, citizenship, political activity, voting, and elections.

Faculty, please consider bringing your classes and encouraging your students to attend! This series begins just before “Super Tuesday” (January 31) and ends just prior to the general election (October 29).

Background:

In November 2007, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a statement entitled “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship – Reflections on Catholic Teaching and Political Life.” The statement calls for a “renewed kind of politics” that focus “more on moral principles than on the latest polls… more on the needs of the weak than on benefits for the strong… more on the pursuit of the common good than on the demands of narrow interests.”

A copy of the Bishop’s statement is available online at: http://www.usccb.org/bishops/index.shtml

As we look toward the 2008 presidential election, faculty, staff and administrators at Iona College, a leading academic institution in the Catholic intellectual and social justice traditions, thought it important to gather together to reflect on some of the issues raised in this document, as well as those relevant to the upcoming election and political life more broadly. The goal is to use the issues outlined in “The Call to Faithful Citizenship” as a spring board to generate conversation and reflection on the challenges that shape the current political debate.

The series will include an opening session (January 31), a closing session (October 29), and five intermediate sessions (Spring and Fall 2008), each of which focuses on important issues, including: race and immigration, the conduct of war, the environment, health care, human dignity and the criminal justice system.

The goal is to have an interesting conversation from a variety of perspectives. To this end, the series is being co-sponsored by several offices, departments, and programs on campus. Moreover, the series includes participants from many disciplines, faith traditions, and scholarly perspectives, including (but not limited to) individuals from the:

• Criminal Justice Department
• Fine Arts Department
• Hagan School of Business
• Heath Care Department
• International Studies Program
• Iona Spirituality Institute
• Mass Communications Department
• Office of Mission Integration
• Peace and Justice Studies Program
• Philosophy Department
• Political Science Department
• Religious Studies Department
• School of Arts and Science
• Social Work Department
• Campus Ministries
• Sociology Department

Please bring your students or just come on your own and join the discussion. If you would like to participate more actively in the planning and implementation of any of the sessions, please contact the session coordinator.

 

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