2009/10 Theme: Dissent
Dissent: to take an opposing view; to disagree with or to question established doctrine or authority.
Dissent has been a central and defining feature of intellectual life and is thus closely connected to the university and its processes. Dissent has also, and continues to be, a critical factor in political, religious, social, scientific and cultural realms and is thus integral to the shaping of the world in which we live.
Calendar of Events:
Faculty Colloquium tells the tale of the slave trade
Feb 22nd 2010, 12:30 pm
By Robin Galenza -
On Monday, February 22nd, Associate History Professor Rani Palo and third-year student Chantelle Olson will be speaking about slavery and the British Empire.
Professor Rani Palo will inform students, faculty and staff of the history surrounding the British Empire and the Slave Trade. His overview will set the stage for third-year student Chantelle Olson to speak about the specifics of the time period.
Olson will concentrate on certain key figures in the abolition of slavery, and later the emancipation of slaves, under the British Empire. She looks at figures like William Wilberforce, a British MP who fought to end slavery, and Thomas Clarkson, an abolitionist who helped formed the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. These key historical figures helped change the world forever by putting in place the Emancipation Act of 1833.
“When people think of slaves they think of America, but it is the British who put slaves in America,” Olson says.
Her passion for history and historical figures is what lead to her participation in the colloquium. This lecture is another event created for this year’s school theme of dissent.
“As a historian, we see dissent all over the place. Every change in history is brought on by a person challenging the status quo,” Olson adds. “People should not be entrusting to the wave of popular opinion.”
Olson encourages all students to come out to the lecture and to engage in the subject matter.
“I think it is part of the student experience. We have courses to take, work to do, friends to spend time with and parties to go to. We are at a point in our lives where we are trying to figure things out. [These lectures] allow us to be informed,” she adds. “Not everyone will be a philosopher but you have the chance to find out.”
The Colloquium will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the Classroom building in room C014, on Monday, February 22nd. All are welcome to attend the lecture and to learn more about the topic.
On Monday, February 22nd, Associate History Professor Rani Palo and third-year student Chantelle Olson will be speaking about slavery and the British Empire.Professor Rani Palo will inform students, faculty and staff of the history surrounding the British Empire and the Slave Trade. His overview will set the stage for third-year student Chantelle Olson to speak about the specifics of the time period.
Olson will concentrate on certain key figures in the abolition of slavery, and later the emancipation of slaves, under the British Empire. She looks at figures like William Wilberforce, a British MP who fought to end slavery, and Thomas Clarkson, an abolitionist who helped formed the Committee for the Abolition of the Slave Trade. These key historical figures helped change the world forever by putting in place the Emancipation Act of 1833.
“When people think of slaves they think of America, but it is the British who put slaves in America,” Olson says.
Her passion for history and historical figures is what lead to her participation in the colloquium. This lecture is another event created for this year’s school theme of dissent.“As a historian, we see dissent all over the place. Every change in history is brought on by a person challenging the status quo,” Olson adds. “People should not be entrusting to the wave of popular opinion.”
Olson encourages all students to come out to the lecture and to engage in the subject matter.
“I think it is part of the student experience. We have courses to take, work to do, friends to spend time with and parties to go to. We are at a point in our lives where we are trying to figure things out. [These lectures] allow us to be informed,” she adds. “Not everyone will be a philosopher but you have the chance to find out.”
The Colloquium will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the Classroom building in room C014, on Monday, February 22nd. All are welcome to attend the lecture and to learn more about the topic.
The Arrogant Worms are coming to Camrose!
Feb 23rd 2010, 7:00 pm
By Kara Blizzard -
Worms will invade campus on February 23rd!
The Arrogant Worms have been making music for almost twenty years, and this will be their first visit to Camrose. Bass player and singer Chris Patterson said they are excited to play at Augustana: “We like playing to smaller communities, where you can look out into the crowd and see families.”
The concert is an event for Augustana’s theme of Dissent. According to Patterson, music is an important form of dissent: “People use music all the time to create goodwill, or to create dissent. Music is a way to vent. The music of the day is supposed to be a reflection of what’s going on in the world, so if dissent is required, then dissent will be given, I think.”
The Worms’ own music does not make overt political statements, but many of their songs comment on current issues. Patterson pointed out a song on their most recent album, Torpid, called “Big Box Store.” He said, “Big box stores, for whatever their value, they really have taken a toll on smaller communities and Mom ‘n’ Pop shops, like hardware stores and little department stores.”
The Worms use their sense of humour to poke fun at the “ridiculosity” of things like big box stores, dumb guys and angsty teens. Their music is not only about mockery, though; it’s about entertaining.
Patterson said, “Life isn’t always fair and fun, but we try to make our two-hour portion of someone’s day kind of fun. Humour is how we express ourselves, and people have responded really well to it for nearly twenty years. Humour is also kind of universal. We get all ages at our shows. Little kids think it’s funny to see three grown-ups jumping around and acting silly, and adults actually get the jokes.” Augustana students will likely relate to songs about technology, manufactured Hollywood stars, and being Canadian.
The Arrogant Worms will play at seven p.m. on February 23rd, in Augustana’s chapel. Tickets are free for students, and others can buy them for twenty-five dollars at Candler Art Gallery or the Augustana Bookstore. To preview the Worms’ music, visit their website at http://www.arrogantworms.com/.
Worms will invade campus on February 23rd!
The Arrogant Worms have been making music for almost twenty years, and this will be their first visit to Camrose. Bass player and singer Chris Patterson said they are excited to play at Augustana: “We like playing to smaller communities, where you can look out into the crowd and see families.”
The concert is an event for Augustana’s theme of Dissent. According to Patterson, music is an important form of dissent: “People use music all the time to create goodwill, or to create dissent. Music is a way to vent. The music of the day is supposed to be a reflection of what’s going on in the world, so if dissent is required, then dissent will be given, I think.”
The Worms’ own music does not make overt political statements, but many of their songs comment on current issues. Patterson pointed out a song on their most recent album, Torpid, called “Big Box Store.” He said, “Big box stores, for whatever their value, they really have taken a toll on smaller communities and Mom ‘n’ Pop shops, like hardware stores and little department stores.”
The Worms use their sense of humour to poke fun at the “ridiculosity” of things like big box stores, dumb guys and angsty teens. Their music is not only about mockery, though; it’s about entertaining.
Patterson said, “Life isn’t always fair and fun, but we try to make our two-hour portion of someone’s day kind of fun. Humour is how we express ourselves, and people have responded really well to it for nearly twenty years. Humour is also kind of universal. We get all ages at our shows. Little kids think it’s funny to see three grown-ups jumping around and acting silly, and adults actually get the jokes.” Augustana students will likely relate to songs about technology, manufactured Hollywood stars, and being Canadian.
The Arrogant Worms will play at seven p.m. on February 23rd, in Augustana’s chapel. Tickets are free for students, and others can buy them for twenty-five dollars at Candler Art Gallery or the Augustana Bookstore. To preview the Worms’ music, visit their website at http://www.arrogantworms.com/.
US cultural critic talks about America's reputation abroad
Mar 5th 2010, 7:00 pm
By Christopher Thrall –
On March 5, U.S. cultural critic and scholar Martha Bayles will visit Augustana Campus from Boston to visit some of our classrooms and deliver a talk entitled, “Through a Screen Darkly: Popular Culture and America's Image Abroad.” She promises to examine America's cultural footprint and reputation abroad.
Since the end of the Cold War, the export of U.S. commercial culture has skyrocketed, with positive and negative impacts on many different countries. Has this export (and widespread piracy) of American films, TV shows, pop music and video games enhanced the image of the United States? Or has it added to the tsunami of anti-Americanism that arose during the first decade of the 21st century and has yet to subside?
Bayles is a lecturer in the Arts & Sciences Honors Program at Boston College. Her upcoming book, tentatively titled America’s Cultural Footprint: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, will be published by Yale University Press in 2011. She contributes regularly to The Wall Street Journal, The Wilson Quarterly, The Washington Post, The Weekly Standard, and other publications. Her books include Hole In Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music, and Ain’t It a Shame? Censorship and the Culture of Transgression.
For several years, Bayles has been a critic of arts, music, media and cultural policy. Her film blog, “Serious Popcorn,” appears at ArtsJournal.com. She also blogs on world affairs at World Affairs Journal, posting on US/Turkey relations, Obama's pledge to send more American students abroad to study, America/China relations and media piracy. Ms. Bayles has been a Fulbright lecturer at Marie Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland, and a visiting scholar at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles.
Don't miss Bayles’ talk on Friday evening in the Chapel at 7 p.m. It promises to be very interesting, with time for questions and discussion, as well as wine and other treats.
On March 5, U.S. cultural critic and scholar Martha Bayles will visit Augustana Campus from Boston to visit some of our classrooms and deliver a talk entitled, “Through a Screen Darkly: Popular Culture and America's Image Abroad.” She promises to examine America's cultural footprint and reputation abroad.Since the end of the Cold War, the export of U.S. commercial culture has skyrocketed, with positive and negative impacts on many different countries. Has this export (and widespread piracy) of American films, TV shows, pop music and video games enhanced the image of the United States? Or has it added to the tsunami of anti-Americanism that arose during the first decade of the 21st century and has yet to subside?
Bayles is a lecturer in the Arts & Sciences Honors Program at Boston College. Her upcoming book, tentatively titled America’s Cultural Footprint: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, will be published by Yale University Press in 2011. She contributes regularly to The Wall Street Journal, The Wilson Quarterly, The Washington Post, The Weekly Standard, and other publications. Her books include Hole In Our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Meaning in American Popular Music, and Ain’t It a Shame? Censorship and the Culture of Transgression.
For several years, Bayles has been a critic of arts, music, media and cultural policy. Her film blog, “Serious Popcorn,” appears at ArtsJournal.com. She also blogs on world affairs at World Affairs Journal, posting on US/Turkey relations, Obama's pledge to send more American students abroad to study, America/China relations and media piracy. Ms. Bayles has been a Fulbright lecturer at Marie Curie-Sklodowska University in Lublin, Poland, and a visiting scholar at the Getty Research Institute in Los Angeles.
Don't miss Bayles’ talk on Friday evening in the Chapel at 7 p.m. It promises to be very interesting, with time for questions and discussion, as well as wine and other treats.
Faculty Colloquium encourages Dissent in the Classroom!
Mar 8th 2010, 12:30 pm
By Robin Galenza -
University of Calgary Professor Aruna Srivastava and Augustana Professor Bill Hackborn will explore the issue of dissent in the classroom at the next Faculty Colloquium on March 8th.
Srivastava will discuss the topic within the context of the classroom in general. She will point out to students and professors some of the ways to encourage discussion and debate, as both are generally afraid to dissent. Professors teach the way they were taught, and they are afraid to step out of line for fear they will face consequences on their student evaluations or from administrators.
“Dissenting classrooms can be chaotic and uncomfortable. We confuse giving up power with not having authority in the classroom: we think we cannot manage it,” Srivastava explains. “Students are of the belief that this is our job. We convey material and don’t expect them to think critically about it. Students resist dissenting as much as professors.”
Srivastava hopes this idea, which she uses in her own classrooms, will spread. She utilizes long-term group work, independent online research and spends very little time lecturing to the students. This allows room for the students to form and question their own opinions.
“Universities were the few spaces designed for critical thinking and now we have lost that,” she adds.
After Srivastava, Hackborn will address what dissent might look like in a mathematics classroom, where the subject matter seems to be factual. He will also discuss the dissenting role of mathematical physicist Galileo in the scientific revolution, as well as the case of Denis Rancourt, a physics professor at the University of Ottawa who was recently fired from his position. He was dismissed for awarding a grade of A+ to his entire fourth-year physics class, but university administrators were upset by Rancourt’s teaching style long before this event.
“Science has become status quo and it is good to question that,” Hackborn says. “What started out as a radical movement against established ideas and authority has become rather safe and conservative. Conflict in the classroom is important, especially when it helps students question the social consequences of the material they are learning.”
The lecture will be held on March 8th in room C014 and will go from 12:30 to about 1:30 p.m. Faculty and students are encouraged to attend the lecture to hear more about how they can encourage and engage in conflict in the classroom.
University of Calgary Professor Aruna Srivastava and Augustana Professor Bill Hackborn will explore the issue of dissent in the classroom at the next Faculty Colloquium on March 8th.
Srivastava will discuss the topic within the context of the classroom in general. She will point out to students and professors some of the ways to encourage discussion and debate, as both are generally afraid to dissent. Professors teach the way they were taught, and they are afraid to step out of line for fear they will face consequences on their student evaluations or from administrators.
“Dissenting classrooms can be chaotic and uncomfortable. We confuse giving up power with not having authority in the classroom: we think we cannot manage it,” Srivastava explains. “Students are of the belief that this is our job. We convey material and don’t expect them to think critically about it. Students resist dissenting as much as professors.”
Srivastava hopes this idea, which she uses in her own classrooms, will spread. She utilizes long-term group work, independent online research and spends very little time lecturing to the students. This allows room for the students to form and question their own opinions.
“Universities were the few spaces designed for critical thinking and now we have lost that,” she adds.
After Srivastava, Hackborn will address what dissent might look like in a mathematics classroom, where the subject matter seems to be factual. He will also discuss the dissenting role of mathematical physicist Galileo in the scientific revolution, as well as the case of Denis Rancourt, a physics professor at the University of Ottawa who was recently fired from his position. He was dismissed for awarding a grade of A+ to his entire fourth-year physics class, but university administrators were upset by Rancourt’s teaching style long before this event.
“Science has become status quo and it is good to question that,” Hackborn says. “What started out as a radical movement against established ideas and authority has become rather safe and conservative. Conflict in the classroom is important, especially when it helps students question the social consequences of the material they are learning.”
The lecture will be held on March 8th in room C014 and will go from 12:30 to about 1:30 p.m. Faculty and students are encouraged to attend the lecture to hear more about how they can encourage and engage in conflict in the classroom.
Film Night: The Holy Mountain
Mar 16th 2010, 7:00 pm
Visiting Speaker: Eliakim M. Sibanda, University of Winnipeg
Mar 23rd 2010, 7:00 pm
Faculty Colloquium: When Philosophy and Theology Become Forms of Dissent
Mar 29th 2010, 12:30 pm
Jerome Melançon - From Philosophy to Political Action: The Last Days of Jan Patočka
Dittmar Mündel - From Theology to Political Action: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's thought and actions during the Nazi regime.
Location: C014
12:30 - 2:00 pm
Dittmar Mündel - From Theology to Political Action: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's thought and actions during the Nazi regime.
Location: C014
12:30 - 2:00 pm
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