Walter H. Capps Center (Audio)

As a professor of religious studies at the UC Santa Barbara for more than three decades, Walter Capps influenced thousands of students. Many went on to careers in teaching and research and carried his legacy into their own work. Robert Orsi, of Northwestern University, speaks on Capps’ contribution to the ethos and ethics of religious studies; and Giles Gunn, Professor of English and of Global and...

Acknowledged as the common patriarch of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, Abraham links these three cultures throughout the Middle East. William Ury, co-founder and director of the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School, explores ways that programs like the Abraham Path Initiative, which he chairs, can serve as a bridge to a lasting peace in the Middle East and how the story of Abraham has th...

Mario T. Garcia, author of several books on Mexican American leaders, is the editor of the recently released collection of César Chávez’s reflections on a variety of spiritual topics such as the power of faith, self-sacrifice, nonviolence, social justices, fasting, and pilgrimage. A panel discussion follows introductory remarks. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Ser...

Lee Hamilton, co-chair of the Iraq Study Group and the 9/11 Commission, discusses how America can accomplish its goals in the world while recognizing the limitations of our power. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 14357]

Lynn Hunt, UCLA Professor of Modern European History, discusses the genesis of human rights, a concept that only came to the forefront during the eighteenth century. When the American Declaration of Independence declared all men are created equal and the French proclaimed the Declaration of the Rights of Man during their revolution, they were bringing a new guarantee into the world. But why then?...

Anne Hastings, Executive Director of Fonkoze, Haiti’s largest microfinance institution, has searched the globe for a solution to the problem of extreme poverty. In countries as far apart as Bangladesh and Haiti efforts to combat even the most extreme types of poverty are now proving effective at relatively little cost per family. Based on her review of experimental and innovative approaches worldw...

Rabbi Michael Lerner, an outspoken advocate of religious pluralism, and Michael Novak, a Roman Catholic social theorist and director of Social and Political Studies at the American Enterprise Institute debate the place of religion in American politics. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 13170]

The Rev. Dr. George F. Regas is Rector Emeritus of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, California and Executive Director of the Regas Institute. As a spiritual progressive who believes passionately that religious communities must stop blessing war and violence, Regas examines the war machine and American exceptionalism that fuels much of the U.S. foreign policy today. Series: "Ethics, Religio...

Governor Schwarzenegger has talked about a "bi-partisan" second term. Author Joe Mathews describes the elements of the grand bargain that the governor wants to strike with Democrats whether this will materially improve life in the state or cement the status quo. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Show ID: 12226]

Kevin Phillips examines the axis of religion, politics, and borrowed money that threatens to destroy the nation. He maintains that every world-dominating power has been brought down by a related set of causes: a lethal combination of global over-reach, militant religion, resource problems, and ballooning debt. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Show ID: 1209...

Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer of Martin Luther King, Jr.,Taylor Branch explores America in the King years, 1965-68. Presented by the Walter H. Capps Center at UCSB. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 11464]

What is properly secular and what is legitimately religious in American politics? Americans are uncertain and divided about those questions. Join Peter Steinfels as he explores these questions and contemplates the new demands on being an active citizen in a pluralist America. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Public Affairs] [Humanities] [Show ID: 11756]

Born between 1962-1982, Gen-Xers grew up with computers, video games, and MTV. Who are they and what are their values, beliefs, and world views? Wade Clark Roof, Director of the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion, and Public Life at UCSB explores how are they changing American religion and notions of spirituality. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Cen...

With the publication of 1992’s In My Father’s House, Kwame Anthony Appiah claimed his place at the forefront of African-American literary and cultural studies. A professor of philosophy at Princeton, he discusses how Western intellectuals and leaders have exaggerated the power of difference while neglecting the power of commonality. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center...

Mario Garcia talks about his new book called “Padre: The Spiritual Journey of Father Virgil Cordano” that deals with the story of a priest's tumultuous and challenging journey toward his place in the Catholic Church. An oral history life-story of Father Virgil Cordano, now the spiritual head of Santa Barbara's Old Mission, Garcia's book also discusses the emerging freedom of the Catholic lay commu...

Jeff Greenfield, CNN Senior Analyst and Time Magazine columnist examines the ongoing tension between traditional ethics and modern politics in this inaugural address for the Capps Forum on Ethics at UC Santa Barbara. Among the questions Greenfield raises are whether politicians truly debate the serious issues of the day, whether major media outlets provide honest and rigorous analysis of those iss...

Jonathan Rauch and Maggie Gallagher present differing views on the definition of marriage. Jonathan Rauch is a senior writer and columnist for the National Journal. His latest book is "Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights, and Good for America." Maggie Gallagher is President of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy and a co-author of "The Case for Marriage." Series: "Et...

In this inaugural event in the Martin E. Marty Lectureship on Religion in American Life at the University of California, Santa Barbara, Professor Marty provides a map for those who wish to increase their understanding of the various spiritualities available in America today. He probes what people mean when they identify themselves as spiritual, and explores some of the wildly disparate options and...

Professor Eck is interviewed by Professor Wade Clark Roof, Director of the Walter H. Capps Center for the Study of Ethics, Religion and Public Life at UC Santa Barbara. Their conversation centers on the growing diversity of religious thought in America and the impact that this is having on American culture and society. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Huma...

God is not dead in America, but the old-time religion has virtually disappeared. Leading American social critic, Alan Wolfe, discusses the transformation in American religion over the last five decades. Series: "Ethics, Religion and Public Life: Walter H. Capps Center Series" [Humanities] [Show ID: 8577]