CHEN GUANGCHENG: THE FUTURE OF THE RULE OF LAW AND HUMAN RIGHTS IN CHINA
CHINA'S "BLIND DISSIDENT" TO SPEAK AT THE NEW SCHOOL

Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Free; RSVP at cps@newschool.edu
Live Stream feed at new.livestream.com/TheNewSchool/human-rights

Chen Guangcheng (L) with U.S. Ambassador Locke and Assistant Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing in May 2012 (Photo: U.S. Department of State)

NEW YORK, January 28, 2013 - As China becomes an essential world player in economics, politics, and culture, more attention is being placed on its adherence to glob al standards of rule of law and human rights. In the context of this growing scrutiny, on Wednesday, February 6, The New School for Social Research's Center for Public Scholarship will welcome Chinese activist lawyer Chen Guangcheng to chart a path for The Future of the Rule of Law and Human Rights in China.

"This is a rare opportunity for the public to engage with the courageous Chinese activist who arrived in the United States last spring," said Arien Mack, director of the Center for Public Scholarship and editor of its journal, Social Research: An International Quarterly.

The Future of the Rule of Law and Human Rights in China presents Guangcheng in conversation with Jerome A. Cohen, professor of law and co-director of the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at New York University School of Law, and Ira Belkin, executive director of the U.S.-Asia Law Institute at NYU Law. The conversation is a University in Exile event honoring The New School's legacy as an important sit of free discourse for scholars around the world.

The Future of the Rule of Law and Human Rights in China is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and preference will be given to those who RSVP at emailing cps@newschool.edu. The event will also be broadcast live online. The discussion will take place on Wednesday, February 6, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. in The New School's John Tishman Auditorium at 66 West 12th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. For continued updates, visit www.newschool.edu/cps/events.

About the Center for Public Scholarship
The Center for Public Scholarship aims to bring the best scholarship and expertise to bear on current, pressing social issues in a way that makes the scholarship accessible to the public and simultaneously deepens understanding of what may be at stake and how to proceed. It seeks to become a catalyst for events that draw on the humanities, social sciences, design, and public policy and have the potential of accomplishing our mission, namely, enhancing the public's understanding of the significant issues of our time. The Center is dedicated to promoting academic freedom and freedom of inquiry, goals that are rooted in the earliest history and ideals of The New School.

The New School, a leading progressive university in New York City, was founded in 1919 as a center of intellectual and artistic freedom. Today The New School is still in the vanguard of innovation and experimentation in higher education, with more than 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students in design and the social sciences, liberal arts, management, and the performing arts and thousands of adult learners in continuing education courses. Committed to public engagement, The New School welcomes thousands of New Yorkers yearly to its celebrated public programs and maintains a global presence through its online learning programs, research institutes, and international partnerships . Learn more at www.newschool.edu.

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Media Contacts:

Sam Biederman
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biederms@newschool.edu