Olivia Drake"Audience(s)" is the theme of the Center for the Humanities' Spring 2014 lecture series. “Audience(s)” asks us to explore the phenomena of the audience from multiple perspectives. How does audience shape the form and function of our work? Is the desire to reach a wider audience consistent with our academic or artistic goals? How should we reflect on the relation of intellectuals to their audience or audiences in general? What can the audience tell us about past or present works of scholarship, theater, music, politics or art? Speakers also will explore the ways in which audience behavior is changing in…
Q: Nate, when did you come to Wesleyan to work as the assistant director of university events and scheduling? What attracted you to the position? A: I started here this past July. Most of my career has been spent at large, state universities and I was excited at the prospect of working at a smaller, highly selective liberal arts school. The fact that it happens to be my wife’s alma mater (Rachel Lerner ’06) made Wesleyan all the more compelling for me – I’ve been hearing stories about this campus ever since we met! Q: Where did you attend college,…
Thomson Whitin, the Chester D. Hubbard Professor of Economics and Social Science, Emeritus, died Dec. 9 at the age of 90. Whitin had already achieved distinction when he joined the Wesleyan faculty as a professor of economics in 1963. He graduated from Princeton University in 1943 and served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during World War II on the aircraft carrier the Bonhomme Richard. Having obtained a doctorate in economics from Princeton University, and teaching there until 1952, he joined the faculty of M.I.T. as an assistant professor. While on leave from M.I.T. from 1956–58, he served as…
During the fall 2013 semester, 22 teams participated in Wesleyan's Cardinal Fit Challenge. The challenge, hosted by Human Resources's University Wellness Program, was established to create a work environment that encourages faculty, staff and their families to take responsibility for their physical and mental well-being through health awareness and healthy lifestyles. This program supports a comprehensive approach to decreasing the incidence, duration and severity of preventable illnesses and disease by promoting educational opportunities, wellness activities and self-improvement. More than 160 Wesleyan faculty and staff exercised for over 5,100 hours over a 10-week period. They also successfully completed bonus challenges including healthy…
Ethnomusicologist Sumarsam, University Professor of Music, delivered a paper titled, "Javanese Gamelan in a Changing World," during the annual meeting of the Asian Pacific Society for Ethnomusicology (APSE), hosted by Mahasarakham University, Thailand Jan. 6-9. He also chaired plenary sessions at the annual meeting. The main objectives of the APSE are to preserve and safeguard the ancient and traditional music and music of ethnic groups, which are invaluable cultural heritage of the world. The APSE has held a conference every year since 1994. Many ethnomusicologists, scholars, and musicians from all over the world, who are interested in Asian Pacific cultures, particularly,…
Bill Craighead, assistant professor of economics, is the co-author of a paper titled, "As the Current Account Turns: Disaggregating the Effects of Current Account Reversals in Industrial Countries," published in the December issue of The World Economy. An abstract is available online here. In the paper, Craighead examines "current account reversals" which occur when a country significantly reduces its international borrowing and its trade deficit. "While there has been quite a bit of study of these episodes in economics, most of it has looked at the impact on the overall economy. What we did was look at how these episodes…
Ethnomusicologist Sumarsam, University Professor of Music, is the author of two new articles published in 2013. “Past and Present Issues of Javanese-European Musical Hybridity," was published in Recollecting Resonances: Indonesian-Dutch Musical Encounters by Leiden: Brill, pages 87-108. Soon after the introduction of European music in Java in the 18th century, Java-European musical hybrids emerged. In his article Sumarsam asks the following questions: how do we explain the incorporation of European sounds into the indigenous gamelan ensemble? Is this incorporation a kind of Javanese-European intercultural sonic dialogue, a subversive act of European authority, or the domestication of an exotic sound? Sumarsam addresses these…
The historical scholarship of Erik Grimmer-Solem, associate professor of history, was discussed at length by Klaus Wiegrefe in a Dec. 21 issue of Germany's largest-circulation news weekly, Der Spiegel. As reported by the magazine, Grimmer-Solem uncovered evidence that a general currently honored as an anti-Nazi by the German Federal Armed Forces (Bundeswehr) was involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity during the German invasion of the Ukraine in 1941. In an article published in the military history journal Militärgeschichtliche Zeitschrift, Grimmer-Solem revealed the close cooperation between units of the Wehrmacht commanded by General Hans von Sponeck and the SS in atrocities committed against Jews in the southern…
An exhibit curated by Emma Rothberg '15 is on display at the Middlesex County Historical Society in Middletown. In "Juxtaposing Likeness: Fashion Accessories from the Collection of the Middlesex County Historical Society," museum volunteer Rothberg presents about two dozen items from the late 18th century to the early 20th century, including jewelry, hats, spectacles, a silk parasol, fans and a man's leather billfold from just after the American Revolution. The items are displayed in two glass cases inside the museum. Rothberg's exhibit also was featured in a December 2013 issue of The Hartford Courant. Her exhibit statement reads: "Clothing, potentially more than…
Wesleyan students returned from winter recess to blizzard-like conditions on Jan. 14-15. (more…)
For the students, faculty, staff and visitors on campus this winter, it's been a wild weather ride, with temperatures ranging from below zero to the 50s, and precipitation of all varieties. Jan. 15 brought fog. (Photos by Olivia Drake) (more…)
During the 13th annual Shasha Seminar for Human Concerns, Wesleyan faculty, staff, alumni, parents and friends have the opportunity to explore issues of global concern in a small seminar environment. This year's topic is "The Novel." The Shasha Seminar will take place April 5-6 on Wesleyan's campus. Fourteen speakers, including several award-winning novelists and authors, will offer readings from their own work and lead forums on "My First Novel," "Beyond Genre," "The Small Press," "Crime Novels," "The State of Publishing," "Great New Writers" and more. View the full program online here. "This conference on 'The Novel' — in all of…