The Church and Society Ministry Team from Grace United Methodist Church in Sioux City has received funding from Humanities Iowa, a private, non-profit state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, to host “Justice, War Crimes, and Human Rights Abuses,” a presentation by Humanities Iowa speaker Dr. Debra DeLaet.

The program is slated for Tuesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in Morningside College’s UPS Auditorium of the Lincoln Center, 3627 Peters Avenue. The free event is also sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS) and is open to the public.

“Justice, War Crimes, and Human Rights Abuses” will explore the questions of punishment for individuals who are guilty of war crimes and human rights abuses, how new leaders should balance potential tradeoffs between the goals of justice and peace, and how cycles of violence could best be prevented. The presentation will also provide an overview of the variety of mechanisms that have been used to pursue justice in war-torn societies, including trials, truth commissions, reparations, and official apologies.

DeLaet is associate professor of political science and international relations at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. She is the author of “The Global Struggle for Human Rights: Universal Principles in World Politics” published in 2005 by Wadsworth Publishing, and “U.S. Immigration Policy in an Age of Rights,” published in 2000 by Praeger Publishers. Her current research projects focus on justice in war-torn societies.

DeLaet received her bachelor’s degree in political science from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, and a doctorate in government and international studies from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

Humanities Iowa, a cultural resource for Iowans since 1971, offers many cultural and historical programs and grants to Iowa’s communities.