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Faculty Senate: Celebrating Ben Franklin’s 305th Birthday at a Founder’s Day Symposium: January 20

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January 11, 2011, Volume 57, No. 17

Human Rights: Contested Principles and Practices

The notion of Human Rights, while seemingly ancient, is a quite modern invention. On December 10, 1948 the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the following pronouncement: “THIS UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.” However, it is far from certain that this formulation of the principals of human rights is universally agreed upon nor is it evident that the practice of human rights is even remotely universally practiced.

In keeping with this theme, on Thursday, January 20, the Faculty Senate invites all members of the University of Pennsylvania community to celebrate Ben Franklin’s 305th Birthday at a Founder’s Day Symposium where these issues will be addressed in a discussion of Human Rights: Contested Principles and Practices.

Michael A. Fitts, Dean and Bernard G. Segal Professor of Law, will moderate this provocative and unscripted conversation with a panel consisting of members of our distinguished faculty drawn from throughout the University.

The symposium will begin promptly at 3 p.m. and run until 5 p.m. in the Wu and Chen Auditorium of the School of Engineering and Applied Science, Levine Hall, 3330 Walnut Street. It will be followed by a reception 5–6 p.m. in the Wu and Chen lobby. All members of the University community are invited. No registration is required.

The panelists are:

Samuel R. Freeman, Avalon Professor in the Humanities, Professor of Philosophy and Law, School of Arts & Sciences and Law School

Stephen J. Gluckman, Professor of Medicine, School of Medicine, Clinical Director of the Penn Medicine Program in Botswana, and Director of the Penn Center for AIDS Research

Sarah Paoletti, Practice Associate Professor of Law, Law School, and Director of the Transnational Legal Clinic

Ann E. Mayer, Associate Professor of Legal Studies, Wharton School

Tukufu Zuberi, Lasry Family Professor of Race Relations, Professor of Sociology, Chair of Department of Sociology, School of Arts & Sciences

 

Related: Senate: Nominations for Offices Requested

Almanac - January 11, 2011, Volume 57, No. 17