Amphitheater Lecture Speakers - Post-Journal

Chautauqua 2012Weekly ThemesWide Range Of Discussion TopicsWEEK ONE — JUNE 24–30Roger Rosenblatt and Friends on the Literary ArtsIn what has become one of Chautauqua’s favorite recurringweeks, the literary arts take center stage at theAmphitheater for a week of conversations between distinguishedauthor Roger Rosenblatt and five of his friends.Interviews will showcase accomplished writers discussingthe process of writing, with all the gravitas, banter and storytellingwe’ve come to expect.WEEK TWO — JULY 1–7The Lehrer Report: What InformedVoters Need to KnowRetired “PBS NewsHour” anchor Jim Lehrer, moderatorof presidential debates for more than two decades, will leadthis week in which policymakers, analysts, and governmentleaders will discuss the issues Americans will be consideringas we elect a president, our entire House of Representativesand a third of the Senate. In a week of Fourth of July celebration,we ask what is the national climate on health care,jobs, taxation and our nation’s financial stability? We willhear from a variety of perspectives in a mix of lecture andconversation, facilitated by one of the most respected newsmenof our time.WEEK THREE— JULY 8–14Inspire. Commit. Act.Each summer, Chautauqua becomes a forum for big ideasand conversation, inspiring audience members to committhose ideas to action when they return to their home communities.This week will examine that process on a larger scale.What stimulates people, and moves them from ideas toaction? What defines accomplishment? We’ll hear fromscholars who study motivation and inspiration to those whoinvest to enable ideas, and from people who have madeamazing things happen. How do they do it? How can we?WEEK FOUR — JULY 15–21Water Matters (In Partnership WithNational geographic Society)Water’s importance to life on Earth cannot be overstated:without it, there is none. We are drawn to water also for itssimple beauty — the red rays of a setting sun over the sea,snowfall in the glow of streetlights, a river cascading downthe face of a cliff, morning fog on Chautauqua Lake. However,much of humanity knows not to take water for granted.This week, join National Geographic at Chautauqua toexplore our world of water, locally and globally, from availability,conservation and health concerns to consideration ofall living matter, with whom we share this essential, apparentlylimitless yet ultimately limited resource.WEEK FIVE — JULY 22–28Pakistan: Straddling the Boundary BetweenAsia and the Middle EastThe Islamic Republic of Pakistan, with the world’s second-largestMuslim population, occupies a strategic geopoliticalposition between, and very much part of, Asia and theMiddle East. Relatively young but a nuclear power, Pakistan’sshort history is defined by political instability andtumultuous relationships with neighboring Afghanistan and,especially, India. This week, expert lecturers will discussPakistan’s short history, its development into a semi-industrialnation and explain the constant struggle of defining itselfas a nation created for Muslims that isn’t a religious state.WEEK SIX — JULY 29–AUG. 4Digital IdentitySEE PAGE 15PAGE 11