On Monday, Sept. 28, students had the opportunity to speak with Laurie Blank, the Director of the International Humanitarian Law Program at Emory University School of Law, in the Martin Institute of the UI Admin Building.
Blank, who has many years of experience with international law in both government and private sector settings, was attending campus as a part of the Borah Symposium: the university’s annual tradition dating back to 1948 that promotes a conversation towards peacebuilding and cooperation. This year’s theme ofWar & Resilience focuses on the human cost of conflict.
Blank gave the opening address for the symposium on Monday, but before her keynote, she had a short Question & Answer session with a small group of students. During the session, students got to ask a variety of questions ranging from specific questions about Blank’s past work to more general questions on the current state of international law and even the reasons for the success of East Asia’s tiger economies.
The discussion gave students an opportunity to explore both Blank’s professional experiences and broader questions surrounding international affairs.
As one of the principal takeaways, the professor encouraged students to read from a diverse range of news sources–even if they disagree with the source–in order to develop greater knowledge on international developments.
She cautioned against confirmation bias through only reading sources students already agree with. She reiterated this sentiment in her opening address later that evening.
The discussion offered students an opportunity not only to learn from Professor Blank’s extensive experience in international law, but also to consider how they can become more informed participants in the conversation about international affairs.
Arman Khachatryan can be reached at [email protected].