This semester's weekly meetings program, usually called Tea2B, will move to a different day and time in the week, also changing its name: this semester's version will be in fact called Lunch2B, hoping that all the VIU community spread around the world during these difficult times can join us anyway online around 12.00 PM (Rome time). The Lunch2B will be an opportunity for professors and students to discuss several topics in a friendly environment.
For more updates, check out the VIU Community website!
Lunch2B n°10 | HOW TO FEED THE WORLD
May 14, 2021 | 12:00 am (CEST) | on ZOOM
The meat and dairy industries are drenched in ethical debate about animal exploitation and animal welfare within the industries.
One important narrative that has been gaining traction in recent years is the environmental impact and implications of our global meat and dairy consumption. What impact does animal agriculture have on the environment? Animal agriculture requires massive amounts of food, energy, land, and water. The United Nations has acknowledged that raising animals for food is “one of the top two or three most significant contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scale from local to global.
Meat also has cultural value; it is at the centre of many traditions and experiences across cultures. Moreover, vegan and vegetarian lifestyles are becoming more and more popular... is it more sustainable than eating meat? What we need to change to meet the world's needs? What is the solution?
Lunch2B n°9 | VENICE. TALKING TO US
May 7, 2021 | 10:00 am (CEST) | on ZOOM
Continue the discussion on the topic of the Plenary Workshop: Venice, talking to us. The Plenary Workshop is a unique opportunity to recognize the VIU community as one, breaking the borders between the courses, training students to address topics of the disciplines taught to a broader audience, revealing the hidden talents of the participants, forging multicultural and transgenerational bonds.
Lunch2B n°8 | THE GLOBAL ATTITUDES TO LGBT+ RIGHTS
April 23, 2021 | 12:00 pm (CEST) | on ZOOM
In many countries, being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex (LGBTI) means living with daily discrimination. While the denial of human rights for LGBT persons persists throughout the world today, over 30 countries have decriminalized homosexuality in the past 20 years. While history, culture and religion are contextually important, all States, regardless of their political, economic and cultural systems, according to international law have a duty to promote and protect the human rights of all. How does this approach differ within the international scene?
Lunch2B n°7 | REPOPULATING VENICE: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES OF THE HOUSING CRISIS
Lunch2B n°6 | A RESILIENT ENVIRONMENTAL SYSTEM
COVID 19 has increased the environmental awareness towards contemporary challenges: preservation of ecosystems, waste and pollution generations and hazardous emissions for biodiversity. Economy is one of the central focus to change our consumption patterns, creating a sustainable society where nature and the economy can cooperate. That is to say that the post pandemic framework should move towards a more resilient and greener economy with net zero carbon emissions in future. Every country in the world has its own pathways, limitations to follow in order to implement the green new deal under these unprecedented times. Our choices have different impacts on the environment and sometimes it is not as easy as it seems.
What can we, common people, do to achieve such a world? What is our personal experience of the situation right now?
Let’s discuss!
Lunch2B n°5 | FREEDOM OF SPEECH
March 26, 2021 | 12:00 pm (CET) | on ZOOM
Lunch2B n°4 | ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND ETHICS
March 19, 2021 | 12:00 pm (CET) | on ZOOM
Machine learning algorithms learn from the training data they are given, regardless of any incorrect assumptions in the data. In this way, these algorithms can reflect, or even magnify, the biases that are present in the data provided by the people constructing algorithms. For example, if an algorithm is trained on data that is racist or sexist in any respect, the resulting predictions will also reflect this. Some existing algorithms have mislabeled black people as “gorillas” or charged Asian Americans higher prices for school tutoring.
Algorithms are already being used to determine credit-worthiness and hiring, and they may not pass the disparate impact test which is traditionally used to determine discriminatory practices. How can we make sure algorithms are fair, especially when they are privately owned by corporations (for example Amazon HR scandal!), and not accessible to public scrutiny? How can we balance openness and intellectual property? We want to hear your opinions and thoughts.
Lunch2B n°3 | WHAT IS ART?
March 12, 2021 | 12:00 pm (CET) | on ZOOM
What do you consider art? What is widely acknowledged to be artistic? Join the discussion around these questions and more.
Lunch2B n°2 | INEQUALITIES IN ACADEMIA
March 05, 2021 | 12:00 pm (CET) | On ZOOM
But what about students whose parents didn’t go to university? Who can’t afford to pay for private tutoring? Indeed, many universities are associated with feeder schools - often private institutions charging exorbitant fees. Then when these students graduate, they apply for jobs at feeder corporations who only hire from the pool of ‘elite’ universities. Other degrees from ‘less prestigious’ universities are considered devalued by many.
What is academic snobbery? Is the world of academia disconnected from the ‘real world’? Is academia gate-kept by those with positions in the ivory tower? What role do prestigious universities play in perpetuating and continuing inequalities? Further, what does elitism mean in your country? Let’s chat about all these questions and more!
Lunch2B n°1 | BE THE ACTOR. NOT THE AUDIENCE
February 24, 2021 | 12:30 PM | On ZOOM
Meeting about students-professors social and cultural activities to foster informal multicultural and multidisciplinary experiences at VIU. Everybody is more than welcome to join the discussion.
Here are the past editions of the Tea2B: