• gold design element

    Democracy–Freedom–Truth: Critical Conversations from Diverse Global Perspectives

    Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the limits of civil liberties have been tested in communities around the world. Liberal democracies and authoritarian states alike have curtailed individual and collective freedoms to preserve the common good. At the same time, we have seen rising contestations of “truth,” including questioning of the scientific bases for the COVID-19 public health restrictions on free movement and association. These contestations of truth have been fueled by social media and new technologies, including AI.

Democracy, Freedom and Truth for Sustainable Futures: Fiat Lux Student Projects

These projects were created by students in Marjorie Orellana’s Fiat Lux seminar in the fall of 2023, “Democracy, Freedom and Truth for Sustainable Futures.” They were charged with pursuing something of interest to them related to this theme, and then creating something useful, innovative and/or provocative to share. Most were first year students, and many took inspiration from the “First Year Reads” book, The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet, by Leah Thomas.