David Pesci"William Manchester: Portrait of a Writer" will be presented at the Smith Reading Room of the Olin Memorial Library on Feb. 5 beginning at 7 p.m. Sponsored by The Friends of the Wesleyan Library, the free presentation will include a talk at 7 p.m. by Leith Johnson, project archivist for Wesleyan’s William Manchester Papers, and Jenny Miglus, archival assistant for the William Manchester Papers, on Manchester's writing process and career. Clare Potter, professor of history and American studies, director of the Center for the Americas and chair of the American Studies Program, gives a presentation at 8 p.m. that will…
Actress Dana Delany '78 ("Desperate Housewives," "Kidnapped," "China Beach") and producer Janet Grillo '80 ("Spanking the Monkey," "Searching for Paradise"), will discuss their paths from Wesleyan to Hollywood and show and discuss their new short film "Flying Lessons" on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 8 p.m. at the Center for Film Studies Goldsmith Family Cinema. The event is open to the public and admission is free.
Elizabeth McAlister, associate professor of religion and expert on the religion of Vodou, was cited in the South Florida Sun Sentinel on the recent gravitation toward Vodou by many young Haitian immigrants. The popularity of the religion, which blends ancient African religious traditions with the worship of Catholic saints, is said to be increasing because many first and second generation Haitians are looking to reconnect spiritually with their ancestral homeland.
An article in The Christian Science Monitor features the community outreach being done by 8 student mentors with Middletown youth at WESU. The program, created by Mu Abeledo '09 and Jessica Jones '08, involves mentors teaching the participants how to operate equipment, refine their on-air abilities and broadcast their own shows live on WESU.
Mount Redoubt, an active volcano southwest of Anchorage, Alaska, is giving indications that it may erupt soon (the last time was 1989-90). Johan Varekamp, Herald T. Stearns Professor of Earth Science, who analyzed the ash fall created by the volcano's last eruptions discusses in The Los Angeles Times the possible environmental hazards to the surrounding landscape, people and animals that could be produced if the mountain erupts again.
President Michael S. Roth reviews a new book by Susan Buck-Morss called Hegel, Haiti and Universal History that theorizes the German philosopher Georg Hegel was "inspired by the Haitian revolution of the 1790s when developing his fundamental concept known as the master-slave dialectic." Roth explores this bold claim and the evidence and logic used to support it.
The New Yorker recently noted the "Ives Vocal Marathon" that will be held on campus and feature Neely Bruce, professor of music. The event will run from Jan. 29 - Feb. 1 and feature the performance of all of the songs of Charles Ives, with Bruce and others accompanying on piano.
Robert D. Bullard, often called "The Father of Environmental Justice," will give the keynote address at this year's Martin Luther King Day celebration, which will be held Jan. 27 at 4:30 p.m. in Memorial Chapel. Bullard is the Ware Distinguished Professor of Sociology and director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University. More about the event can be found here and here.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of The United States establishing an embassy in communist-ruled China, and Wesleyan Professor Vera Schwarcz was one of only seven invited western scholars to be there for the event. Schwarcz, professor and chair, East Asian Studies, professor of history, and director of the Freeman Center for East Asian Studies, was one of the very first group of official exchange scholars to arrive in China on February 23, 1979. On Thursday, Jan. 29 at 4:30 p.m., Schwarcz will present "A Thirty Year Harvest: Personal Reflections on U.S. China Relations" at the Mansfield Freeman Center. The…
Claire Potter, chair and professor of American studies, professor of history, was cited in Inside Higher Ed on the debate among academics of the so-called "Obama Effect" on education, and particularly test-taking among African American students. Researchers from Vanderbilt University recently released a study stating that the test-taking performance gap was virtually eliminated during key moments of President Obama's candidacy, showing the effect of positive role models. Professor Potter had another view articulated in an essay on her blog and Inside Higher Ed took note (it is the last item in the round-up here).
Giulio Gallarotti, associate professor of government, was asked recently by Smart Money magazine to comment on creating a 'doomsday portfolio' that would brace investors for Great Depression-like conditions. Gallarotti, however, said that while the economy is in recession, it is nowhere near as bad interms of GDP as it was at any point during the Depression.
Corrina KerrThe Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching recently recognized Wesleyan for its continued involvement in community outreach by selecting the university as a recipient of a 2008 Community Engagement Classification. The university was among 119 institutions (and among two in Connecticut) that received this classification for 2008. The foundation initiated the community engagement classification in 2006. Visit this page for more information and a list of the selected institutions. "The significance of Wesleyan receiving the Carnegie Foundation Community Engagement Classification is major in light of this historic moment we experienced this week in our country," said Sonia BasSheva Mañjon,…