EUGENE, Ore. – (Feb. 22, 2012) – Oregon Congressman Peter DeFazio will be in England Thursday to lecture at the University of Oxford, through the efforts of a UO professor who is teaching this year at the venerable institution.
DeFazio, a 26-year veteran of the House of Representatives who earned his master’s degree from the UO, will discuss foreign policy and economic fairness at the invite of Cheyney Ryan, a UO professor of philosophy who is engaged in a multi-year project at Oxford.
Ryan is exploring the relation of pacifism and nonviolence to contemporary just-war theory with the Oxford Institute for Ethics, Law and Armed Conflict, housed within Oxford’s Department of Politics and International Relations. His hope is to develop the pacifist alternative in ways that are sensitive to the contemporary reality and challenges of war.
DeFazio is experienced in fair trade and peace issues and is a founding member of the Progressive Caucus, established in 1987 to focus on budget policy.
“Peter DeFazio represents all that is best in Oregon’s political culture and will provide an important perspective on American politics, both short-term and long-term,” Ryan said. “I am excited about his visit, as are many others at Oxford.”
DeFazio’s visit is co-sponsored by the UO Law School and Oxford Global Directions, a research group of the fellows and graduate students working on contemporary international challenges at Merton College, one of the oldest colleges in Oxford.
Ryan, a senior fellow at Merton, has been pivotal in helping the UO establish inroads in Oxford and the broader global community, said David Frank, dean of the UO’s Robert D. Clark Honors College.
Ryan helped the UO establish a partnership with the New York-based Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Relations, the world’s leading voice promoting ethical leadership on issues of war, peace and global social justice. Ryan, Frank and geography Professor Shaul Cohen – all Carnegie Global Ethics Fellows – provide leadership for the Global Ethics Network, a council initiative that brings together fellows and educational institutions worldwide to engage in non-partisan, interactive education about global issues.
Through the Global Oregon Big Idea, the UO strives to make graduates renowned as multilingual, internationally experienced global citizens equipped with concrete skills for success on the world stage.
Efforts such as the Congressman’s visit to Oxford and the UO’s partnership with the council “constitute a significant advance in our aspirations to provide our faculty and students with the opportunity to achieve the goals outlined in our academic plan and advanced by the Global Oregon Big Idea,” Frank said.
About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is among the 108 institutions chosen from 4,633 U.S. universities for top-tier designation of "Very High Research Activity" in the 2010 Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education. The UO also is one of two Pacific Northwest members of the Association of American Universities.
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