Regina Werum, professor in the Department of Sociology, will continue the 2022-23 College of Arts and Sciences Inquire lecture series with “Human-climate dynamics in the anthropocene: the connection between climate extremes and social unrest,” at 5:30 p.m. Nov. 1 in the Nebraska Union’s Swanson Auditorium.
The talk is free and open to the public and will also be livestreamed on Zoom. Register for the Zoom link.
The CAS Inquire program’s 2022-23 theme is “Searching for Common Ground in a Polarized World.” Students in the program connect with college thought leaders and other inquisitive students to discuss ideas, using a college-wide series of public lectures as a focal point.
Climate change is not just about extreme weather events and disasters, Werum says. The domino effect it creates has existential implications for people around the world, because it drives migration waves (“climate refugees”), competition over resources (food, water, shelter), public health threats, and even political instability. For her talk, she will introduce fundamental social science concepts that help explain how climate-based and social conditions can affect protests, while using climate and computer science tools to illustrate these dynamics in India and neighboring countries.
This academic year’s series includes five lectures in the disciplines of English, political science, sociology and history, culminating in a panel discussion with the speakers in March 2023. Julia Schleck from the Department of English and Elizabeth Theiss-Morse from the Department of Political Science have contributed talks to the series.
During the three-year program, CAS Inquire students take specialized courses, help with facilitating the program and enjoy additional benefits. They can apply, or be nominated by faculty, for the program as freshmen. The program launched in September of 2019 with the theme “Rise of the Machines” and centered around the theme “Pleasure and Pain” in 2021-22.
