Exploring contemporary social, political, cultural and religious issues, and their impact on how we understand our world, is the goal of the Australian Catholic University (ACU) Luminaries Series of public lectures, seminars, workshops, short courses, and research colloquia.
Executive Dean of the Faculty of Theology and Philosophy Professor Dermot Nestor said the series, launched in September this year, demonstrates ACU’s commitment as a Catholic University, to a distinctive perspective on higher education.
“This series offers a valuable experience founded upon a conversation between ACU’s deep intellectual heritage and the challenges of a contemporary world in which its graduates are called to act,” he said.
“It is an institutional as much as it is a personal commitment and one that acknowledges that those who have the opportunity to devote themselves to the study of our world cannot stay neutral, indifferent and apart from the struggles whose stakes are its very future.
“It is this deep sense of engagement, and of commitment, a willingness to shine a light upon rather than shy away from contentious issues, and a willingness to act as a beacon of clarity and of hope in an often confusing world which defines ACU and thus, the Luminaries series which bears its name,” Professor Nestor said.
The ACU Luminaries Series plays host to internationally-renowned voices exploring a range of contemporary issues spanning the breadth of theological and philosophical scholarship.
The inaugural lecture, Why We Play? Sports, Values and Drugs by Thomas H Murray PhD, President Emeritus of The Hastings Center New York, explored one of the most scrutinised yet poorly addressed ethical dilemmas of modern sports: the relationship between performance and equity.
The 2017 series will again present international speakers exploring some of the most topical issues shaping the societies and communities within which we live. The Simone Weil Lecture on Human Value – an annual lecture inspired by Weil’s commitment to recognising the full humanity of our fellow human being, by her moral idealism and by her commitment to social justice issues – will be a particular highlight on the 2017 calendar.
Lectures are free and open to the public. Visit the website www.acu.edu.au/luminaries for information about our upcoming events.
Join the conversation online: #ACULuminaries
The largest Catholic university in the English-speaking world, ACU’s 32,000 students are spread over seven campuses across Australia and one in Rome, providing them with the benefits of a national university combined with small campus learning environments.
To find out more visit www.acu.edu.au.
