Global Citizenship Speakers Series

In 2005-06, the International Office hosted the Global Citizenship Speakers Series to profile UBC’s global citizenship activities, and provide a forum for discussion of the University’s role, responsibilities and plans.

You can listen to an audio version of each event (below). In addition, you may wish to subscribe to UBC Podcasts which includes the Speakers Series and many other public lectures and UBC-related events.

Dr. Brett Finlay
Killer Germs: Confronting the Global Menace

February 28, 2006

“The world may be on the brink of another pandemic. All countries will be affected. Widespread illness will occur.” World Health Organization, 2005.

13 million people a year die from infectious diseases worldwide. In the next hour, more than 1500 will have died from infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, dengue fever, and cholera.

New diseases are constantly emerging. Microbes are becoming resistant to cheap and effective "first-line" drugs.

Award winning microbiologist and UBC Peter Wall Distinguished Professor, Dr. Brett Finlay will speak about how modern science and technology provide new ways to prevent and treat diseases.

Not just for the future doctors and scientists of the world, this fascinating discussion will shed light on an issue that should be on everyone’s mind. Join us for the next installment in UBC International’s Global Citizenship.

Download the audio version of this talk.

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Past Events:

From Brazil to Banda Aceh and Beyond:
UBC Students Reflect on Global Citizenship

January 30, 2006

From an engineering student working in Indonesia to an exchange student from Mexico, hear what these dynamic panelists think about UBC’s Trek 2010 goal to prepare students to become “exceptional global citizens.” Learn more about their experiences and what they really think about the concept of global citizenship in this invigorating discussion.

Student Panel:
Shane Joshua Barter – Currently in the first year of a Ph.D. in Political Science, Shane has worked extensively in Tsunami relief.

Stephen Bentley – A Master’s candidate in the School of Community and Regional Planning, Stephen spent the summer of 2005 studying governance and planning challenges in Brazil and here in Canada.

Shelley Jones – As part of her Ph.D. in Language and Literacy, Shelley spent a life-altering year in rural Uganda researching gender, literacy and development.

Kelty McKerracher – This second-year Arts student has volunteered in Ecuador and participated as a UBC delegate to the National University of Singapore’s Global Education Convention.

Rogelio Paredes – An economics major, Rogelio is on exchange through the Tec de Monterrey program. He has previously been an exchange student to the US, Switzerland, and Quebec.

Sahar Safaie – While working on her M.A. in Earthquake Engineering, Sahar participated in a post-Tsunami reconstruction project in Sumatra, Indonesia.

Omid Zargaran – In summer 2005 this third-year Life Sciences student volunteered in remote Ecuadorean communities on health promotion and sustainable community projects.

Download the audio version of this talk.

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Human Security Report 2005: We live in a safer world?
Professor Andrew Mack

November 21, 2005

Launched at the United Nations (UN) in New York on October 17, the Human Security Report 2005 documents a dramatic, but largely unknown, decline in the number of wars, genocides and human rights violations over the past decade. The Report argues that the single most compelling explanation for these changes is found in the unprecedented upsurge of international activism, spearheaded by the UN, which took place in the wake of the Cold War. Professor Mack's lecture was the first opportunity to hear about this report at UBC.

Professor Andrew Mack is Director of the Human Security Centre at the Liu Institute for Global Issues, University of British Columbia. He was Director of the Strategic Planning Unit in the Executive Office of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan 1998-2001. He has held research and teaching posts at world-class institutions all over the globe, and his career has included periods as a pilot in the UK’s Royal Air Force, as a meteorologist in Antarctica, as a diamond prospector in Sierra Leone and as a journalist with the BBC.

Download the audio version of Professor Mack's talk.

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The Meanings of Global Citizenship
Dr. Michael Byers

October 3, 2005

Dr. Michael Byers spoke on The Meanings of Global Citizenship. "Global citizenship” remains undefined. What, if anything, does it really mean? Is global citizenship just the latest buzzword?

It’s time to subject this concept to serious scrutiny, and to find out whether we actually like what we see. In this provocative talk, Professor Michael Byers provided possible answers to these challenging questions, followed by an invigorating discussion with the large audience.

Dr. Michael Byers’ work focuses on the interaction of international law and international politics, human rights, the use of military force, the law of the sea and Canada-United States relations. A Canada Research Chair in Global Politics and International Law, his most recent book is War Law (2005).

Download the audio version of Dr. Byers' talk.

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Speakers Series Launch

After the Tsunami: Identifying “the Missing”
Dr. David Sweet

April 2005

The Speakers Series was launched in April 2005 with a speech by Dr. David Sweet, UBC Faculty of Dentistry and director of UBC’s Bureau of Legal Dentistry. Dr. Sweet’s international work includes providing expertise in disaster relief activities in response to the tsunami of 2004.

He spoke about the role of forensic dentistry in complex emergencies including in identifying victims of the tsunami and other natural disasters, human rights violations and crimes against humanity, and criminal investigations.

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