Sen Will Discuss "Justice Across Borders" Sept. 17

Internationally known economist and philosopher Amartya Sen, Master of Trinity College in Cambridge, England, will deliver the first in a yearlong series of Centennial Laureate addresses at DePaul University on Sept. 17.

Sen’s research on the causes of famine, gender and economic inequality and the measurement of poverty has affected the way governments around the world deal with hunger and other serious problems. He will discuss "Justice Across Borders" during his address at 3:30 p.m. in Room 8005 of DePaul Center, 1 E. Jackson Blvd. His address will focus on effective means for countries, organizations and individuals to encourage justice worldwide.

A reception will follow the address, which is free and open to the public. The event is hosted by DePaul’s Economics Department.

Often mentioned as a candidate for the Nobel Prize in Economics, Sen made history in January when he became the first non-Briton chosen to head Trinity, Cambridge University’s most prestigious college. He came to Trinity from Harvard University, where he holds the title of Lamont University Professor Emeritus. Before joining Harvard in 1987, he was the Drummond Professor of Political Economy at Oxford University in England, a fellow of All Saints College at Oxford, and a professor of economics at Oxford. Prior to that, he was professor of economics at Delhi University in India.

Sen was born in Santiniketan, India in 1933. He studied at Presidency College in Calcutta, India and Trinity College, earning his doctoral degree from Trinity.

He has written 19 books and numerous articles for journals of economics, philosophy, politics and decision theory. His research has focused on applying economic theories to practical and ethical problems faced by nations around the world. His scholarly work on inequality has influenced the thinking of policymakers and economists internationally.

Sen’s address is the first of a series of public lectures by nationally known thinkers who have been chosen as Centennial Laureates by DePaul. The laureate addresses are part of the DePaul’s yearlong commemoration of the100^th anniversary of the university’s founding.

Upcoming speakers include:

• Stephen Jay Gould, the distinguished writer and Harvard University professor who won a National Book Critic’s Circle Award for "The Mismeasure Of Man," on Oct. 1;

• Catharine Stimpson, a prominent feminist scholar and dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at New York University, on Feb 10;

• Guillermo Gómez-Peña, a MacArthur Genius Grant winner who explores cross-cultural issues through a variety of artistic media, on Feb. 24;

• William Julius Wilson, a Harvard sociologist who shaped the landmark 1996 Welfare Reform Bill and was chosen by Time magazine as one of the five most influential African Americans in the United States, on April 22.

Additional speakers may be announced. For more information about centennial events, call DePaul’s Office of the Centennial at 312/362-8606.

Registration is requested for people interested in attending Sen’s address. To register, call Kelly Burda in DePaul’s Economics Department, at 312/362-5678.