University of Lynchburg professor Dr. Marek Payerhin will deliver a lecture on Russia’s international relations in the 2016 Great Decisions Lecture Series at the Lynchburg Public Library.
The annual lecture series in February brings together academic experts on a variety of foreign policy issues faced by voters and elected officials in the United States. Dr. Payerhin will present “A Global Bear Hug: Russia’s Foreign Policy Today” at 3 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11, the second installment in the 2016 lecture series. His lecture will examine the implications of Russia’s recent interference in eastern Ukraine, Syria, and the Arctic. Dr. Payerhin is a professor of political science and international relations at LC.
Another longtime LC community member will deliver the third lecture in the series. Shannon Brennan, who served for years as the College’s director of media relations and editor of the University of Lynchburg Magazine, will present “There is No Planet B: How You Can Help Slow Climate Change” on February 25. In 2015, Brennan left her post at LC in order to work on writing and environmental projects, including a cross-country excursion to visit and document U.S. national parks.
The first talk in the series, on Feb. 4, will discuss how the United Nations’ International Criminal Court attempts to balance the responsibility to protect and observe humanitarian principles with the sovereign rights of nations. The last talk, on March 3, will discuss migration into the U.S.
All talks are held in the community meeting of the Lynchburg Public Library at 3 p.m. with light refreshments served at 2:30 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. If Lynchburg City Schools cancel for weather on any of the lecture days, the lecture planned for that day will be rescheduled to March 10.
The series is co-sponsored by the Lynchburg Chapter of the American Association of University Women, the League of Women Voters of Lynchburg, the YWCA of Central Virginia, and the Lynchburg Public Library.
For additional information, contact Carla Heath at cheath340@msn.com or 434-846-4229.
