Special Lecture: Peace for Our Planet

EVENT: Open Lecture; “Peace for Our Planet”
WHEN: October 24, 2024 (Thursday), 3rd Period (13:20~14:50)
WHERE: Aoyama Campus; Exact location to be announced later
SPEAKER: Dr. Roya Akhavan (Professor of Mass Communication at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota [USA])

The guest speaker, Dr. Roya Akhavan, who has lived and worked in four different cultures—Persian, American, Japanese, and Chinese—frequently speaks at international forums on peace, gender equality, and spirituality in the 21^st century. Her talk for students and teachers in the IE Program will focus on these key points:

• During the last two centuries, human history has not been linear. Rather, history has moved forward in two parallel processes: one constructive, and the other destructive.
• The forward movement of the constructive collective consciousness has never stopped, nor can it be turned back.
• Racism, nationalism, religious strife, gender inequality, and extremes of wealth and poverty have comprised the major root causes of war throughout history. Humanity has made consistent constructive progress in these areas during the last two centuries, but the destructive backlash continues.
• Gender inequality perpetuates a hypermasculine leadership culture in communities, organizations, businesses, and nations, and functions as one of the most insidious root causes of war.
• Elevating the traits traditionally associated with the feminine aspects of humanity – empathy, emotional intelligence, open communication, and moral courage – in how leadership is defined and enacted by all leaders regardless of gender, is vital to building a more just and peaceful world.

BIO:

Dr. Roya Akhavan is a professor, author/speaker, and consultant, with a record of award-winning leadership in academic and corporate settings and widely cited research published in top refereed journals. Her recent work includes two books, Peace for Our Planet: A New Approach (2017), and The Trumpet Blast: Removing the Veil from the Advent of the Promised One (2022).

LANGUAGE: English (without simultaneous interpretation)
TARGET AUDIENCE: IE students and any other interested parties

REFERENCES:

Akhavan, R. (2023, April 25). Feminine Leadership: a new paradigm for the 21st century. Medium. https://ebbf.medium.com/feminine-leadership-a-new-paradigm-for-the-21st-century-366c0c0cbb67