Samih Baalbaki, an instructor for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Coastal Carolina University, will discuss the refugee crisis in Europe as part of the series of contemporary political and ethical developments in the Middle East on Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 5 p.m. in the James J. Johnson Auditorium. A reception will follow in the anteroom with refreshments. Admission is free and open to the public.

Baalbaki's discussions are designed to help students and community members think about current political and ethical issues in the Middle East in a larger historical and religious context. Participants should feel free to ask questions during the presentation or after in the anteroom. Participants will receive a "Java Buck," which is good for $1 off any Starbucks purchase in Kimbel Library.

Baalbaki was born and raised in Lebanon and spent 17 years in the Middle East before retiring in America in 2012. Through his time spent in the region, he gained a personal insight into the Middle East through his observations of business, social and religious aspects of day-to-day life.

The discussion is part of Java Jabber, sponsored by the Jackson Family Center for Ethics and Values. The center aims to inspire individuals to make ethical and value-based decisions to lead lives of courage, compassion and integrity.

For more information, contact Nils Rauhut, director of the center, at 843-349-2547 or nrauhut@coastal.edu. The Johnson Auditorium is in Room 116 of the E. Craig Wall Sr. College of Business Administration located at 119 Chanticleer Drive, Conway.