Daniel Sargent, Professor of American History and Citizenship at UC Berkeley on “One World Under God? Faith and International Order.” Please note that this program is on the second Friday of April.

Daniel is the Alexander F and May T Morrison Professor of History and Citizenship at UCB with connections to the Institute of International Studies and the Goldman School of Public Policy at the university. He received his B.A. at Cambridge University and his M.A. and Ph.D. at Harvard and has been an active scholar and teacher publishing two books, over twenty essays and articles, innumerable presentations, and has supervised over twenty-six doctoral students while at UCB. He is a member of the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church.

His topic for our First Friday Forum series is unusual for an academic in the United States given our tradition of the separation of church and state and the current partisan blend of politics and Christianity in America, but his focus is much broader than current national affairs and examines the potential impact of all theistic faith traditions on international affairs. His talk is an extension of a recent essay he has written, “Slouching Towards Bethlehem: Faith and World Order” whose title is based on a poem by William Butler Yeats and makes the following claims. First, that world order, to be creative, must rest on metaphysical ground. Secondly, our estrangement from theology hinders our capacity to lay such a foundation.

May 1 – Martha Olney, Teaching Professor Emerita of Economics at UC Berkeley, on “Inflation!” Olney will provide an accessible overview of the causes, varying impacts, and the limited remedies that the Federal Reserve has to address increases in the cost of living. She will discuss the public policy choices around inflation, employment, and interest rates.