Honors College to Host 'Straight Talk about Taiwan'

Xinhua via AP

Tensions are running high between China, Taiwan and the United States, particularly after Nancy Pelosi's visit to the island last month. Is the potential military escalation with China presented in the U.S. media a real concern, or war mongering? What does this crisis mean for the future of Taiwan, U.S. diplomacy in the Pacific and an increasingly capable and competent Chinese military?

As part of the Pulse discussion series, the Honors College will present "Straight Talk About Taiwan," featuring a panel of faculty experts to consider these questions and more from 4-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 27, in the Honors Student Lounge.

Faculty who will provide context and lead a question-and-answer session include:

• Alessandro Brogi, professor and historian of the Cold War, Department of History
• Kelly Hammond, associate professor and historian of China and East Asia, Department of History
• Ted Holland, assistant professor and political geographer, Department of Geosciences
• Ka Zeng, distinguished professor and political scientist, Chinese international relations, Department of Political Science

Professor Ted Holland will moderate the discussion.

"Honors scholars! Our Pulse on Taiwan is a must for the globally invested, politically savvy student who is concerned about the tensions in the Taiwan Strait and their implications for our international future," said Honors College Dean Lynda Coon.

This Honors College Pulse discussion series began in 2016 following the presidential election and was named in remembrance of victims of the Pulse nightclub shootings. Since then, it has featured conversations around the Dakota Access Pipeline Project, the legal ramifications and decisions related to hate crimes, ways to fight local hunger and poverty as well as the war in Ukraine.