GVSU Poli-Sci faculty addresses China-Taiwan Conflict

Faculty within the Grand Valley State University political science program are holding a discussion to elaborate on the history and evolution of the conflict between the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan.

In addition to the historical origins of the conflict, discussion will surround what the U.S. is doing to reduce the risk of escalation and the prospects of war. GVSU Political Science professors Yi Zhao, Polly Diven and Mark Richards will provide a brief presentation, and directly following the discussion the floor will be opened up for others to participate on the topic. The event will include free food as supplies last for attendees, including pizza and drinks.

This discussion is happening in the Pew Library Multipurpose Room on Oct. 3, from 4 p.m. to 5:15 p.m., and is INT 100 approved.

Pulitzer Prize Winner to speak at GLHC

Pulitzer Prize winner Heather Ann Thompson, Ph.D., and Frank W. Thompson, Professor of History and African American Studies, will give a presentation in the Loosemoore Auditorium on the Grand Valley State University Pew campus for the annual Great Lakes Historical Conference (GLHC).The presentation entitled “The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Why it Matters Today” will take place on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m.

University of Michigan-Dearborn and Hope College are this year’s sponsors for the conference. The theme is “Division and Reaction”referencing an era when everyday Americans are increasingly worried about the longevity of the republic and democracy.

Thompson is one of the many presenters for the GLHC. Three keynote talks all hosted in the Loosemore Auditorium will take place across Thursday and Friday nights, as well as a Saturday lunch.

National Book Award winner Kevin Boyle, Ph.D., William Smith Mason Professor of American History at Northwestern University, will give a presentation entitled “Blood Ties: An Intimate History of Political Violence in Twentieth-Century America” on Friday, Oct. 6 at 7 p.m.

The last speaker of the conference is Randal Maurice Jelks, Ph.D., Professor of African and African American Studies and American Studies at the University of Kansas. He will be presenting on “Meditations on Democracy in Black America” and how “creative maladjustment” is a way for democracies to flourish on Saturday, Oct. 7 at 1 p.m.

The conference will be free and open to the public.