Individualism and volunteerism have special significance for Americans, and yet the two ideas are often points of intense debate. Are these notions incompatible? This is the focus of “The American Character: The Power of Individualism and Volunteerism,” a free conversation with Southern Oregon University professors Prakash Chenjeri and Daniel Morris on Tuesday, January 11 at 6:30 pm at the Bend Public Library. This program is hosted by the Deschutes Public Library and the City Club of Central Oregon and sponsored by Oregon Humanities (formerly Oregon Council for the Humanities). Lodging for speakers is generously provided by The Oxford Hotel.

Chenjeri is a philosophy professor at Southern Oregon University, where he has been teaching since 1995. He teaches a wide range of courses in the areas of moral philosophy and the history of philosophy. Morris is a professor of French and director of foreign languages and literatures at Southern Oregon University, where he has taught since 1982. In 1997, he formed the Southern Oregon Foreign Language Articulation project, a regional collaborative of language teachers, which he also directed through 2007.

Through the Conversation Project: A New Chautauqua, Oregon Humanities offers free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state's future. Oregon Humanities (813 SW Alder St, #702, Portland, OR 97205) believes in the power of ideas to change lives and transform communities. More information about Oregon Humanities’ programs and publications, which include the Conversation Project: A New Chautauqua, Think & Drink, Humanity in Perspective, Teacher Institutes, Happy Camp, Public Program Grants, Responsive Program Grants, and Oregon Humanities magazine, can be found at oregonhumanities.org. Oregon Humanities is an independent, nonprofit affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities and a partner of the Oregon Cultural Trust.

For more information about this or other library programs, please visit the library website at www.deschuteslibrary.org. People with disabilities needing accommodations (alternative formats, seating or auxiliary aides) should contact Liz at 312-1032.