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Third Biennial Literature and Law Conference, John Jay College of Criminal Justice

Posted: 16 Sep 2011 11:53 AM PDT


 From Andrew Majeske, John Jay College College of Criminal Justice, an announcement of the Third Biennial Literature and Law Conference. Note the date.
Third Biennial Literature and Law Conference
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, New York

  • Conference Date:
    • Friday March 30, 2012: Check In/Continental Breakfast starts at 8:30 a.m.: Activities commence at 9:00 a.m.: Activities conclude at approximately 6 p.m.
    • Thursday March 29, 2012: Keynote Speech by Professor Amartya Sen at 7 p.m. (tentative time).

  • Conference Location  
    • John Jay College of Criminal Justice (CUNY) (59th Street and 10th Avenue). The conference will take place on the newly expanded John Jay campus, near Lincoln Center in Manhattan. The facilities include a brand new, state of the art conference center.


  • Conference Theme and Overview:
    • Theme: The Idea of Justice
    • Overview: This conference aims to bring scholars of literature and law into an interdisciplinary setting to share the fruits of their research and scholarship. Generally this conference consists of approximately 12 paper panels and roundtables, two talks by prominent speakers, and a post-conference reception. The conference fee will be $75, which will be payable by credit card through a link on the conference website (details below).

  • Call For Papers and Panels
    • We invite proposals for papers and panels that address topics that relate the humanities & arts (especially literary texts (broadly conceived)), to this year's conference theme, the "idea of justice." Of particular interest are papers and panels that in addition engage aspects of Professor Sen's book, The Idea of Justice, or that attempt to integrate the theory with the practice of justice, and/or that engage and compare differing notions and perspectives of justice.
    • Panel proposals should contain the names and affiliations of the speakers, the titles of their papers, a clearly identified contact person, and an overall title for the panel. Panel proposals should be received by November 25th 2011. Given the 75 minute length for the panels at this conference, the panels should include no more than three presenters plus a commentator or moderator.

  • CFP Deadline
    • Please submit abstracts (250 words or less) to Andrew Majeske, ajmajeske@gmail.com, by Friday, January 13, 2012.

  • The Daily Show/The Colbert Report
    • A limited number of "Daily Show" and/or "The Colbert Report" tickets may be available for the evening of Thursday March 29th on a first-requested basis (assuming the shows are taping that evening). We have succeeded in obtaining a small block of these for the prior two conferences. These shows are taped in studios only a few blocks walk from John Jay.
We are attempting to schedule Professor Sen's keynote address so that those attending these shows also will be able to attend the keynote address.

  • Conference Registration:
    • Conference registration will be by credit card from a link on the conference website. International participants who have are unable to register in this fashion should contact Andrew Majeske, ajmajeske@gmail.com to work out other arrangements.


  • Conference Speakers
    • Amartya Sen, Keynote Speaker: The conference's keynote speaker is Amartya Sen, winner of the 1998 Nobel Prize in Economics, the Thomas W. Lamont University Professor and Professor of Economics and Philosophy at Harvard University and, until recently, the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.  He has served as President of the Econometric Society, the Indian Economic Association, the American Economic Association and the International Economic Association.  He was formerly Honorary President of OXFAM and is now its Honorary Advisor. Of particular interest to this conference is Professor Sen's celebrated 2009 book, The Idea of Justice. His other books, which have been translated into more than thirty languages, include Identity and Violence: The Illusion of Destiny (2006), The Argumentative Indian (2005), Rationality and Freedom (2002), Development as Freedom (1999),  Inequality Reexamined (1992), The Standard of Living (1987), On Ethics and Economics (1987),  Resources, Values and Development (1984),  Choice, Welfare and Measurement (1982), Poverty and Famines (1981), and On Economic Inequality (1973, 1997) . His research has ranged over a number of fields in economics, philosophy, and decision theory, including social choice theory, welfare economics, theory of measurement, development economics, public health, gender studies, moral and political philosophy, and the economics of peace and war. 
    • George Anastaplo, Feaured Speaker: The conference's featured speaker is Professor George Anastaplo from Loyola University School of Law in Chicago, whose life and career been devoted to the idea of justice, both in theory and practice. Professor Anastaplo is the author of more than 15 books, and innumerable articles, including The Constitutionalist: Notes on the First Amendment (1971, 2005), But Not Philosophy: Seven Introductions to Non-Western Thought (2002), The Thinker as Artist: From Homer to Plato & Aristotle (1997), The American Moralist: On Law, Ethics and Government (1992), The Constitution of 1787: A Commentary (1989), The Artist As Thinker: From Shakespeare to Joyce (1983) and Human Being and Citizen: Essays on Virtue, Freedom, and the Common Good (1975).  Professor Anastaplo, during his Illinois Bar interview in 1950, took a principled stand against McCarthy era questions asking about his political affiliations, and whether he believed in a right of revolution—he cited the Declaration of Independence to support his view that he and all Americans believe or should believe in such a right. The committee interviewing him was not pleased with his responses, and as a consequence, he has never been admitted to the Bar. Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, in his dissent in Professor Anastaplo's Supreme Court case seeking admission to the Illinois Bar (In Re Anastaplo 1961—which Anastaplo lost 5-4), vigorously defended Anastaplo's position on first amendment grounds and asserted, among other things, that "we must not be afraid to be free"—Justice Black arranged for this quote, and others from his dissent, to be read at his funeral.

Catching Up On the Science In "Contagion"

Posted: 16 Sep 2011 10:28 AM PDT

Tia Ghose of The Scientist checks out the science behind Steven Soderbergh's new thriller Contagion. Says Ms. Ghose in part,

Critics and scientists alike have touted the movie as a more realistic depiction of disease transmission—no movie stars turn into flesh-eating zombies, and the previously unknown disease does not kill every person it encounters. But despite some impressively realistic details, there are still parts of the movie that would be pretty unlikely in real life, several scientists say.

I Can Handle the Truth--Is Tom Cruise Playing Me?

Posted: 16 Sep 2011 08:45 AM PDT

Many people would be thrilled to be the real life model for a film character (and thrilled to get cash for the rights for their life stories, of course). But what happens when one spends years or decades believing that a character is based on one's experiences and then finds out that those beliefs might not have been well-founded? Apparently several Navy lawyers are finding that out now. They are the Navy lawyers, who have independently believed that they were, at least in part, the model for the Tom Cruise character in A Few Good Men. The New York Times' William Glaberson discusses the fall-out in this article. Says Mr. Glaberson,

Hollywood's true-ish stories have a way of bringing out those claiming to be inspiration, especially when there are well-fitting uniforms involved. "A Few Good Men," written by Aaron Sorkin, has fostered a particularly stubborn if little-noticed puzzle among a handful of lawyers over who inspired the main character, named Lt. Daniel Kaffee, who challenged Col. Nathan R. Jessep, played by Jack Nicholson, with his oft-quoted "I want the truth" demand.

It turns out four former military lawyers around the country have said Mr. Cruise was playing a character based entirely or partly on them. Beside Mr. Bansley, three others say the character was a composite constructed from the work of those three. They can be far from humble about this.

What does Aaron Sorkin, the writer of the film, say? Says Mr. Glaberson,

In an email, he responded carefully, ""The character of Dan Kaffee in 'A Few Good Men' is entirely fictional and was not inspired by any particular individual."

He should have been a lawyer.
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