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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (3/2/06)
Media contacts: Dr. Chris Ciocchetti, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, 318-869-5246, or Lynn Stewart or Kelsey Johnson, Centenary News Service, 318-869-5120 or 841-7265

The Forum to Consider 'Marriage in the 21st Century' at Public Events March 14 & 21 at Centenary College

"Marriage changed in the 20th century. Every century is marked by disagreements and conflicts over the proper nature and value of marriage. But rather than look to the past, we've chosen to look to the future."
— From organizers of this year's version of The Forum, an annual event that chooses a topic, invites an expert speaker and concludes with students having the last word.


Dr. Joan Callahan, University of Kentucky, speaker at Centenary's The Forum March 14

SHREVEPORT, LA — "Marriage in the 21st Century" is the topic for this year's version of The Forum, set for March 14 and 21 at Centenary College. It is the latest among social issues to be examined in open-to-the-public sessions each spring on campus.

Dr. Joan Callahan of the University of Kentucky will start the discussion March 14. She will be followed a week later-- on March 21 -- by a panel of students and citizens from The (Shreveport) Times' Citizen Editorial Board. Both sessions, which are free and open to the public, begin at 7 p.m. in the Smith Building's Kilpatrick Auditorium.

"We choose a topic, and invite speakers to present opposing points of view, but in the end, the students have the last word," said Dr. Chris Ciocchetti, assistant professor of philosophy.

Those participating in the student-citizen panel are Lacey Anderson, a philosophy and German student; Laura Pryor, a political science and economics student; Curt Youngblood, sociology and communication student; Darcie Johnson, owner of a small business; Tena Hines, a realtor with Coldwell Banker/J. Wesley Dowling; and Dr. Willie Chevalier, a retired general contractor. After the panel, the audience will be able to ask questions and discuss such issues as "Where is marriage going?" and "What should marriage be like in the 21st century?"

Dr. Callahan teaches philosophy and directs the Women's Studies program at the University of Kentucky. Her research covers a wide range of ethical and legal issues, including those surrounding reproduction, parental and professional responsibilities, and feminist theory. Her publications appear in Ethics, The Stanford Law and Policy Review and Health Care Analysis. She has edited an influential textbook on professional ethics, published by the Oxford University Press.

The Forum is a product of the efforts of Ciocchetti, Centenary's Philosophy Discussion Group and the Convocations Subcommittee.

Previous years' forum topics have been "The Death Penalty" and “Race.”

For further information, contact Ciocchetti at 318-869-5011, or view The Forum web page at http://www.centenary.edu/forum.

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