Ambassador Bruce Laingen, who was one of the hostages taken in Iran in 1979, delivers the first speech of the 2003 Foreign Affairs Symposium at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night, March 19, in Homewood's Glass Pavilion. The theme of this year's symposium is Psyche of the State: The Commonality of Discontent.

Laingen, who was ambassador to Malta before becoming charge d'affaires of the American Embassy in Tehran, was one of 70 hostages taken and held for 444 days. He will examine the forces at work in Iran, before and since, in a talk titled "The Rising Tide of Democratic Revolution--Iran in the 21st Century." He will describe the changes in the relationship between the Iranian government and the people and also will address the evolving role of the United States in that region.

Other speakers in the student-run lecture series, which takes place on the Homewood campus, include:

Steven Dunaway, the senior adviser to the Asia-Pacific region of the International Monetary Fund, who will discuss "Indonesia: The IMF Investment" at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26, in Shriver Hall. Dunaway will describe the effectiveness of IMF in the Asian-Pacific region, including Indonesia, and explain how the IMF works in regions wrought with religious and ethnic conflict.

French ambassador to the United States Jean David Levitte, who will describe the war and instability in the Congo at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 9, in the Glass Pavilion. Levitte previously served as France's permanent representative to the United Nations and helped develop a peace agreement between the warring groups in the Great Lakes Region of the Congo. His address is titled "International Response: The Great Lakes Region of Africa."

Steven McCurry, the National Geographic photographer whose work includes the famous cover shot known as "Afghani Girl," who will speak at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 15, in Shriver Hall. McCurry shot that photograph after he had disguised himself in native costume and ventured into Afghanistan shortly before the Russian invasion. To smuggle the images out of the country, he sewed rolls of film into his clothes. McCurry has since covered conflicts across the world, including the Iran-Iraq War, the Gulf War and the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia. He will explain how ordinary people in ethnically torn countries are dealing with the situation and are seeking to remedy ineffective governments. His talk is titled "The Private and the Public: Government Accountability From a Citizen's Perspective."

Several films and a photo exhibit are also part of this year's symposium. To find out more about those events or the speakers, go to the symposium Web site www.jhu.edu/~fas or call 410-516-8214.