Honors-CLA List-Serv, April 25, 2008

 

The Silver Swan

The silver swan, who living had no note,
When death approached unlocked her silent throat,
Leaning her breast against the reedy shore,
Thus sung her first and last, and sung no more:
Farewell all joys, O death come close mine eyes,
More geese than swans now live, more fools than wise.

                                        --Anonymous

In this edition:

 

Honors news

 * Kudos to more Honors students

 * Honors student association presents a week of volunteer opportunities

 * HSA study session at Middlebrook on Sunday, May 11

 * Monday: Mariah Marshall presents her Architecture thesis on Monday

 * Honors luncheon is next Wednesday

Hot courses

 * May term: Poe and film

 * Summer course on election administration

Internships/Jobs

 * Southern Theater seeks marketing intern for summer (and maybe fall)

Lively links

 * Wagering with Zeno

Events

 * Emily Dickinson marathon today at St. Thomas

 * BFA/Acting class of '09 presents two comedies this weekend

 * Celebrate Turkish Children's Day at today's Small World Coffee Hour

 * Upcoming Institute for Advanced Study events

 * Tuesday: Culture Corps presentation on private philanthropy

 * Wednesday: former neo-Nazi T. J. Leyden speaks on campus

 * Wednesday: NYU Professor speaks in English

 * Wednesday and May 7: Film series/discussion on the Algerian war for independence

 * Next Friday: Banned books at Andersen Library

 * Next Friday: Culture Corps international film series presents Sepet

 * Next Friday: film screening, Gendernauts

 * Plan ahead: May Day parade is next Sunday, May 4

 

Honors news

KUDOS TO HONORS STUDENTS

Tom Snyder ('09, Global Studies, Political Science) has been granted a Critical Languages Scholarship for intensive study of Chinese language in Harbin, China this summer, and Zachary Jones ('09, English) and Christopher Shad ('07, Global Studies and Sociology) have received these scholarships for intensive study of Arabic in Amman, Jordan this summer. And we have another Fulbright winner: Jessica Mann, '08 Global Studies, German Studies, Journalism) will spend the year in Germany. Congratulations to everyone!

 

HONORS STUDENT ASSOCIATION PRESENTS A WEEK OF VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

The CLA Honors Student Association has worked with the Greater Twin Cities United Way to offer a week of volunteer opportunities around the metro area, starting Sunday, April 27 and ending Saturday, May 3. It is a great way to end the semester, and best of all on Sunday, May 4 all of the volunteers who participated are invited back to celebrate their accomplishments at a Twins game. Free admission, snacks, a group photo, and running of the bases are some of the highlights of the day. Most importantly, the results of everyone's hard work will be revealed on the field before the game! For more information and to view and sign up for events please visit www.whirl.unitedwaytwincities.org. If you have any questions, feel free to contact HSA Vice President Kris Schwebler at schwe216@umn.edu.

 

HSA STUDY SESSION AT MIDDLEBROOK ON SUNDAY, MAY 11

On Sunday, May 11, from 7-9 pm, HSA will host a study session in Middlebrook Hall's (New Addition) Study space. Mark your calendars! Free energizing refreshments will be available!

 

MARIAH MARSHALL PRESENTS HER HONORS PROJECT MONDAY

Mariah Marshall (Architecture '08) will present her thesis at 2 pm Monday in 15 Rapson; it focuses on will focus on a proposed restoration for a house designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in her home town in Wisconsin. The presentation should last about 45 minutes, and interested members of the University community are invited.

 

HONORS LUNCHEON IS NEXT WEDNESDAY

Next Wednesday, we celebrate our graduating seniors at the annual Honors luncheon. The office will be closed from noon-2:30 pm.


Hot courses

MAY TERM: POE & FILM

Engl 3040, Poe and Film MTWTh 1:25-5:30 (5/27-6/13). This course presents author Edgar Allan Poe in relation to film and other technologies of image reproduction—daguerreotypes, video, digital media, and stop-motion animation. We’ll investigate the impact of the photographic process on narrative, verse, and authorship by analyzing Poe's ideas on photography and ways in which daguerreotypes have shaped the place of Poe in American literature. We’ll explore the Mertle Collection on Photomechanics, Poe’s fiction and poetry, and their adaptations to the screen from the silent era to the present.

 

SUMMER COURSE ON ELECTION ADMINISTRATION

PA 3/5990 June 16-Aug 18, TTh 6-8:30 pm, 15 Humphrey. American elections often pit competing candidates against each other. After voters cast their ballots, however, we expect all the votes to be counted and to be counted fairly. Recent presidential elections--notably, the contests in Florida in 2000 and Ohio in 2004--revealed major breakdowns that led to complaints of bias and unfairness. As we head into the 2008 elections, unsettling questions remain about the legitimacy of our election system. This course examines how elections are actually conducted. The course begins by examining the expectations for fair elections in our representative system of government that have been articulated by the Constitution's framers and by democratic theorists. The body of the course addresses the core legal and administrative elements of running elections. The course concludes by addressing the big controversies in election administration--from voter fraud to the security of our votes--that may be
headline news in November. This is course is ideal for anyone interested in elections, voting
systems, and voter fraud. It is taught by one of the state's leading election administrators, Rachel Smith. Further questions regarding the content of the class should be directed to Rachel at Rachel.Smith@co.anoka.mn.us.. Other questions regarding the class may be directed to Stacey Grimes (grime004@umn.edu).

Internships/Jobs

SOUTHERN THEATRE SEEKS MARKETING INTERN FOR SUMMER (AND MAYBE FALL)

The Southern Theater is currently seeking a Marketing Intern for the summer, with the possibility of the position extending into the school year. This position is approximately 10-15 flexible hours per week, working closely with Marketing Director Kate Nordstrum. The position is unpaid, but offers unparalleled opportunities to network within the Twin Cities arts community, as well as complimentary tickets to some amazing shows. To make an inquiry, please contact Kate Nordstrum at Kate@southerntheater.org.

 

Lively links

WAGERING WITH ZENO

http://www.americanscientist.org/template/AssetDetail/assetid/57038?&print=yes

 

Events

TODAY: EMILY DICKINSON MARATHON AT ST. THOMAS

The English Department at the University of St. Thomas is celebrating National Poetry Month with an Emily Dickinson Marathon today, 8 am-midnight. From 8 am-8 pm, the marathon will be held in the O'Shaughnessy Room of Frey Library; from 8 pm to midnight, it will move to the Fireside Room in Koch Commons (both building are on the St. Paul campus of St. Thomas, 2115 Summit Av). "Wild nights, wild nights . . . " All Dickinson enthusiasts are invited to read and listen.

 

BFA/ACTING CLASS OF '09 PRESENTS TWO COMEDIES THIS WEEKEND

The Underpants (a Steve Martin adaptation of a Carl Sternheim farce): Saturday, 7:30 pm; Sunday, 2 pm. La Casa Nova (The Superior Residence, by Carlo Goldoni): Friday, 7:30 pm; Saturday, 2 pm; Sunday, 7:30 pm. Free! All performances in the Kilburn Arena Theatre in Rarig Center. Honors students in the class of '09 include Allyson Carey, Zachary Fineblum, Stuart Gates, Joanna Harmon, and Michael Mercier. Go check out their work!

 

TODAY: CELEBRATE TURKISH CHILDREN'S DAY AT SMALL WORLD COFFEE HOUR

Today, 4-6 pm, 110 Heller Hall. Let's celebrate the Turkish Children's Day at Small World Coffee Hour. Bring your family and friends to enjoy mouth-watering treats from Turkey. Don't miss delightful Turkish folk dance performance. Come, make lots of international friends and join us to enjoy the Turkish cuisine and culture. As always, we will have fresh brewed coffee, tea, and hot chocolate.

 

COMING UP AT THE INSTITUTE FOR ADVANCED STUDY

Monday, 4 pm, 125 Nolte. A lecture by Anne Hansen, “Embodying the Buddha, Authenticating the Dhamma: Ethics and Moral Representation in Cambodia.”

Tuesday, 6:30 pm, 275 Nicholson Hall. Chinese Film Series, A Time to Live, a Time to Die.

Wednesday, 4 pm, 125 Nolte. Ryan Cartwright, “Playing in the Hay: Queer Memories & Gay Farm Boys.”

Thursday, 4 pm, 125 Nolte. “Ritual, Play, and Enlightenment,” a talk with Robert Sharf (University of California-Berkeley).

 

TUESDAY: CULTURE CORPS EVENT ON PRIVATE PHILANTHROPY

Tuesday, noon, 110 Heller Hall, free pizza (RSVP to Yongling Zhang, zhang429@umn.edu, or Yuki Watabe, wata0028@umn.edu. Private philanthropy is a broader concept than foreign aid and has a deeper philosophical foundation than the simple transfer of money, material and expertise. Can you really change the world? What's an effective way to identify a margin and make long-lasting differences? This charitable action is of interests to individuals, corporate, government as well as
multi-national NGOs alike. We are delighted to have Ms. Susan Wilkes, founder and president of
Adventures in Giving, LLC and director of Oswald family foundation. Susan advises family foundations and individuals on international grant making and takes family members abroad to visit effective international projects in the United States and abroad in a forty-year career as a leader and innovator.

 

WEDNESDAY: FORMER NEO-NAZI T.J. LEYDEN SPEAKS ON CAMPUS

Wednesday, 7 pm, Bell Museum Auditorium. After 15 years as a neo-Nazi white supremacist activist and recruiter, Tom “TJ” Leyden experienced a profound change of heart, turned away from hate, and began teaching tolerance. How can a man who covered his body in Nazi symbols, advocated for the death of Jews, and recruited teenagers into the hate movement become one of the nation’s most compelling advocates for the importance of diversity and cultural appreciation? . . . In his campus program, “Turning Away from Hate,” Leyden tells his remarkable story and explains his transformation. He helps students understand the harmful culture he escaped and why he is so committed to fighting it today.

 

WEDNESDAY: NYU PROFESSOR SPEAKS IN ENGLISH DEPARTMENT

Wednesday, 7:30 pm, 15 Lind, Professor Mary Poovey (New York University): “Reflections of a Worried Feminist, Twenty Years On.” Third in our series "IMPACTS: Feminist Theory and British Literary
Studies." Poovey is Samuel Rudin University Professor in the Humanities, Professor of English, and Director, Institute for the History of the Production of Knowledge, at New York University. Her field of interest is Victorian literature and culture.

 

WEDNESDAY & MAY 7: FILM SERIES/DISCUSSION ON ALGERIAN WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE

Wednesday and May 7, 6:30 pm, Shepherd Room, Weisman Art Museum. Film & discussion series: "Filming the Algerian War for Independence." This series is sponsored by the Scholarly Events Fund of CLA and the Department of French & Italian. Both screenings will be followed by refreshments and discussion. See the following website for more information: http://sites.google.com/a/umn.edu/filming-the-algerian-war-for-independence/Home

 

NEXT FRIDAY: BANNED BOOKS AT ANDERSEN LIBRARY

Friday, May 2, noon-1 pm, 120 Andersen Library: Andersen Library's First Friday series presents Extreme Censorship: Burned, Banned, Battered Books. The presentation is based on materials in the University
Libraries Archives and Special Collections. Featured presenters include archivists, curators, and scholars from the University community and beyond. Feel free to bring your lunch; light refreshments will be served.

NEXT FRIDAY: CULTURE CORPS INTERNATIONAL MOVIE SEPET

Friday, May 2, 2-5 pm, 430 Blegen. Sepet is a 2004 Malaysian romantic comedy drama film set in Ipoh,
Malaysia. It tells a tale of a love that blooms between a Chinese boy and a Malay girl. Nineteen-year old Ah Loong is in charge of a stall selling pirated VCDs. His life takes a sudden turn one day when Orked, a Malay schoolgirl, arrives at his stall. Love blossoms between Orked and Ah Loong although social and racial pressures stand in their way. Afterwards we will have a discussion on the film. Free Malaysian refreshments! For more information about the film, check this website:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sepet.

 

NEXT FRIDAY: FILM SCREENING, GENDERNAUTS

Friday, May 2, 2-4:30 325 Nicholson: Gendernauts: A Journey Through Shifting Identities (Treut, 1999) Screening & Discussion. * Free pizza and soda provided while supplies last! * Monika Treut's documentary affectionately profiles a number of transgender individuals and their friends in the "queer Mecca" of San Francisco, including FTM visual and performance artists Stafford, Jordy Jones, and
Texas Tomboy, along with MTF academics Susan Stryker and Sandy Stone. The film depicts the important work of creating community, with particular institutions such as a trans-catering hormone clinic and a cabaret night. Unlike much media coverage concerned only with transsexual surgery, Treut's
film allows space for experimentation and exploration between and beyond binary gender. Screening (87 minutes) followed by a discussion led by professor Nicholas de Villiers, who teaches film, gender, and sexuality studies in the Department of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature.


PLAN AHEAD: MAY DAY PARADE IS NEXT SUNDAY, MAY 4

The 34th  Annual May Day Parade (http://www.hobt.org/mayday/index.html) explodes onto Bloomington Avenue on Sunday May 4th at 1 pm, starting at 25th Street East, following Bloomington Avenue, and ending with the Tree of Life ceremony in Powderhorn Park.