Hastings College will host the E.N. Thompson Forum on World Issues simulcast series entitled “Globalization’s Promise.” The first lecture in the series, “A Crime So Monstrous: Face to Face with Modern Day Slavery” by E. Benjamin Skinner, will be simulcast at 7 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 30 in Wilson Center at Hastings College.
This presentation is free and open to the public. The lecture, which is co-sponsored by the 2nd Annual Human Trafficking Conference, will be followed by community conversation.
E. Benjamin Skinner is the first person in history to witness negotiations for the sale of human beings on four continents. In his book “A Crime so Monstrous: Face-to-Face with Modern Day Slavery,” Skinner tells the story of individuals who live in slavery, those who have escaped from bondage, those who own or traffic in slaves, and the mixed political motives of those who seek to combat these crimes.
In 2003, as a writer on assignment on the frontlines of the Sudanese civil war, Skinner met a survivor of slavery for the first time. Like Skinner, Muong Nyong was 27 years old. After meeting Nyong, Skinner began traveling the globe to find others like him.
Recently named National Geographic Adventurer of the Year, Skinner is a graduate of Wesleyan University. He is a fellow at the Carr Center for Human Rights Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, and previously served as a research associate for U.S. foreign policy at the Council on Foreign Relations. His articles have appeared in Newsweek International, Travel and Leisure, the Los Angeles Times, the Miami Herald, and Foreign Policy.

The following lectures in the series will also be simulcast at the Hastings College Wilson Center on the following dates:

7:30 p.m., Thursday, October 14, 2010 
Christine Todd Whitman, former Governor of New Jersey and EPA administrator, presents “Staying Ahead While Going Green.” The Governor’s Lecture in the Humanities

7 p.m., Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Former senator Chuck Hagel joined by Chinese Ambassador to the U.S. Mr. Zhang Yesui present, “China Rising: Good News or Bad News for U.S. Workers, Consumers and Investors?” Charles and Linda Wilson Dialogue on Domestic Issues

7 p.m., Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Writer, journalist and professor Mark Danner presents “Torture, Obama and Us: The Moral Costs of the War on Terror”

7 p.m., Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Laurie Garrett, author and senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations presents “Betrayal of Trust: Critical Issues in Global Healthcare”

7 p.m., Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Author and professor Pietra Rivoli presents “Who’s Afraid of International Trade?” Lewis E. Harris Lecture on Public Policy

The series is named in honor of E.N. “Jack” Thompson, who served as president of the Cooper Foundation from 1964 to 1990 and as its chairman from 1990 until his death in 2002. Thompson established the series to promote better understanding of world events and issues for all Nebraskans.
The simulcasts, sponsored by the Cooper Foundation, Nebraska Humanities Council and the hosting college or university, allow more Nebraskans to have the opportunity to benefit from outstanding speakers and community discussion. Details about the E.N. Thompson Forum are available at http://enthompson.unl.edu.
Hastings College, founded in 1882, is a private, four-year liberal arts institution affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). A total of 64 majors in 32 areas of study and 12 pre-professional programs are offered to more than 1,150 students. Hastings College was named among “America’s Best National Liberal Arts Colleges” by U.S. News & World Report, a “Best in the Midwest” by The Princeton Review and a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s. Visit www.hastings.edu for more information.

For more information, contact Sharon Behl Brooks at (402) 461-7367.