The University of Illinois at Springfield series Political Art and the Public Sphere continues with a screening of the film “War Made Easy” at 6 p.m. Monday, March 23, in Brookens Auditorium, located on the lower level of Brookens Library on the UIS campus. Both the film and the discussion session that follows are free and open to the public.
Based on the best-selling book of the same title, written by Norman Solomon, “War Made Easy” exposes various strategies used by administrations, both Democratic and Republican, to promote agendas for war, from Vietnam to Iraq. The film offers an analysis of the role of media in producing popular support and encourages viewers to think critically about the techniques of persuasion used to promote and prolong the option of war.
Each month, Political Art and the Public Sphere will feature a showing or performance of some kind of “political art,” followed by a group discussion of the issues it raises. “The basic idea behind PAPS is to consider how ‘art’ raises provocative social and political questions,” noted Richard Gilman-Opalsky, professor of political philosophy at UIS and coordinator of the series.
“Public spheres are the places where people come together to communicate, to evaluate and to circulate ideas and arguments,” he added. “In the public sphere, people form a collective political opinion and will. Ultimately and ideally, the public sphere brings the interests and demands of the public to bear on those who hold power.”
For more information about this program or the PAPS series, contact Gilman-Opalsky by phone at 206-8328 or by e-mail at rgilm3@uis.edu.
