Wittenberg is pleased to host another Virtual Alumni College Lunch and Learn presentation, this time featuring four-time Fulbright recipient and Wittenberg University Professor Emeritus of Sociology Keith Doubt. Widely published, Doubt will examine the destructive impacts of war on society as explained in his latest book Sociocide: Reflections on Today’s Wars, from noon to 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 4.
The session will kick off with a presentation and short film. Afterwards, Doubt will lead a thought-provoking dialogue covering the sociology of war. Those interested in participating in the virtual event are encouraged to register early here, as limited seats are available.
Author of six books on Bosnia and an expert on the sociological impact of the Bosnian War, Doubt coined the term “sociocide” to refer to the killing of a society. In his latest book, he expands his work to study contemporary wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and other nations, and draws upon the fields of anthropology and philosophy in addition to sociology.
Doubt penned the book after class discussions with students in his War, Identity, and Justice seminar while ideas were fresh in his mind. The course focused on genocide, war crimes, nationalism, terrorism, and the concept of justice in the contemporary era.
Several members of the Wittenberg community were involved with the book. Peggy Hanna, retired department of sociology administrative assistant, and Sophia Reutter, class of 2020, provided editorial assistance, while Jeffrey Boucher, class of 2010 and one of Doubt’s former honors students, contributed to a chapter on Iraq. Boucher is currently an assistant general counsel for JPMorgan Chase Bank. Doubt and Boucher wrote an article on the subject that was published in 2009 in the journal Forum Bosnae. That article was later revised and published as a chapter in Sociocide.
Doubt has studied Bosnia for more than 25 years and spent several summers living and teaching there. Although he recently retired from teaching at Wittenberg, he has not retired from his academic pursuits, including translating a book of poetry by a Bosnian poet and working on a study about flying national flags at Bosnian weddings. He is currently on the Fulbright Specialist roster, which allows for short-term exchanges for U.S academics and established professionals at host institutions, including universities, government agencies, museums, medical institutions, or non-governmental organizations, around the world.
Launched in 2020 as a way to keep students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members engaged during the time of social distancing, the Virtual Alumni College on the Road series has brought Wittenberg’s personalized education straight to constituents’ homes. The program provides alumni with a unique learning opportunity, special access to Wittenberg faculty, and the ability to engage with fellow alumni through the Zoom platform.
The Aug. 4 event follows a robust series of programs featuring faculty members discussing several trending topics, including flattening the curve, climate change, race, and the global pandemic, a special book club session by visiting professor Andrew Graff, as well as an astronomical tour of the night sky. All Virtual Alumni College presentations are streamed live and can be viewed on a computer, tablet, or mobile device by those who pre-registered for the event. To see previous presentations, visit: https://www.wittenberg.edu/virtual-alumni-college
