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Mini-University Sessions: 2011
Thank you for visiting Family Weekend 2011. Information about Mini-University Sessions during Family Weekend 2012 coming in August!
9 a.m. | Mini-University Session I
"What Will They Dig Up Next?"
Stephen Patterson, George H. Atkinson Professor of Religious and Ethical Studies
The recent history of sensational archaeology has produced some astonishing claims: the burial box of James, the brother of Jesus; a long lost Gospel According to Judas; even the alleged discovery of the very tomb of Jesus himself. How have these remarkable discoveries fared under the careful scrutiny of scholars? How can one tell when a discovery is authentic and important and not simply a hoax? And are scholars really discovering things that change the way we understand the history of religion? Professor Patterson will guide you through this perplexing world of antiquities trafficking and show you what to look for when the next big discovery comes along.
Ford Hall 102
Aili Zheng, Assistant Professor of German
Film today is a transnational medium that challenges the spectator to decode complex cultural ingredients and social realities. We will consider three distinct cinema cultures and discuss representative films in this context. As an example we will focus on the representation of a family dilemma that finds its resolution in a very different cultural setting.
Take-a-Break Student Leaders
In this session, participants will learn more about Take-a-Break (TaB), Willamette's alternative break program that sends students, staff and faculty to communities across the country to engage in service and experiential learning. Hear stories and experiences from TaB leaders and learn how TaB instills a life-long commitment to service and justice in its participants. Participants will leave with a greater understanding of how TaB implements a new type of learning outside of the classroom and enforces a commitment to working in solidarity with community partners.
Eaton Hall 209
10 a.m. | Mini University Session II
"Cryptography goes public: the impressive utility of modular equivalence"
Erin McNicholas, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
How do we keep our personal and financial information secure in this fast-paced world of instant communication and commerce? Participants will learn how mathematical topics, once thought too pure to ever be of practical use, hold the key to modern information security. In the process, we will discuss the nature of mathematics, opportunities in the field and what the study of mathematics provides to the student.
Ford Hall 102
"Of Muses and Museums. Collecting Art from Galileo Galilei to Bill Gates"
Ricardo De Mambro Santos, Assistant Professor of Art History
Professor De Mambro Santos will explore some of the most significant (and curious) cases of art collections from Renaissance to Modernism. Particular attention will be dedicated to the collections of "curiosities" in 16th-century Europe as well as to the history of collecting drawings in 18th-century Italy. After the lecture, a guided tour will be organized at the exhibit, "Timeless Renaissance," at the Hallie Ford Museum of Art.
Eaton Hall 106
Gretchen Moon, Professor of English
Participants will read two poems: first a sonnet (14 lines) from the very early nineteenth century and then an even shorter mid-twentieth-century poem that explicitly quotes and plays off the sonnet. The conversation will focus on how the reader’s knowledge of mythology, the Bible, cultural contexts and poetic traditions allows rich and multiple readings of each poem and of the poems as an “intertextual conversation.” Fear no Poetry! Recovering English Majors and English Avoiders are all invited!
Eaton Hall 209
"Pinhole Photography, a hands-on workshop"
Alexandra Opie, Assistant Professor of Art
This hands-on photography session will focus on pinhole photography. Participants will learn about pinhole photography and experience making photographs themselves with this simple and engaging technology. Student assistants will facilitate the process.
This session is limited to to the first 20 people to arrive.
Art Building 400
11:00 a.m. | Mini-University Session III
"There's No Such Thing as Moral Responsibility"
Anthony Coleman, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
We naturally think that people are morally responsible for their actions. But many philosophers have argued against this natural idea. In this session, we will examine and discuss one of these arguments.
Ford Hall 102
Seth Cotlar, Associate Professor of History
How did enslaved African-Americans make sense of the world they inhabited? If we want to understand America in the years before the Civil War, it is essential that we strive to hear the voices of the millions of enslaved people whose labor helped build the new nation. But how do we recover those voices when most enslaved people were forcibly kept illiterate and thus left behind almost no written records? In this session we will work toward some answers to these questions by reading a slaveholder's diary from the 1760s and some 1930s interviews with ex-slaves.
Eaton Hall 106
Kimberlee Chambers, Assistant Professor Environmental and Earth Science
Advocates of the local food movement argue that making geographically close food choices can increase food security and ensure the economic, ecological and social sustainability of communities. In this lecture Professor Chambers will present findings from research conducted with Willamette students that looks at some challenges of the local food movement and possible areas for opportunities. These results address questions such as “can we eat locally” and “what does local mean anyway”? Their findings help consumers make more informed choices and policy makers develop new plans for this region and other areas nationally and internationally.
Eaton Hall 209
"Scene Design for Theatre - Sculpting the Experience"
Chris Harris, Professor of Theatre
A suggestion about the evolving priorities of scenic elements in contemporary theatre, proposing a movement away from design as interior decoration to sculpting for the experience. This session will be illustrated with examples of design work.
M. Lee Pelton Theatre 202
1 p.m. | Mini-University Session IV
"The Liberal Arts as the Arts of Liberation: Plato and the Allegory of the Cave"
Sammy Basu, Associate Professor of Politics
Why engage in the liberal arts? To be free! But what does it mean to be free? Participants in this session will have to make their way through one of the more remarkable allegories in the history of western political philosophy, Plato's cave, and be prepared to reflect upon and talk about its potential relevance to their own lives.
Ford Hall 102
Sarah Kirk, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Most medications are designed to either target a pathogen or correct a chemical imbalance. This seminar will focus on designing drugs that target specific receptors in the body for distinct purposes, a process known as “rational drug design.” We will discuss the relationships among the drug’s molecular structure, the interaction with the body’s receptors, and therapeutic result. We will focus on discovering the size and shape of the receptors, designing drugs to fit them and how all the pieces must be put together like a puzzle.
Eaton Hall 106
"Free Will"
Ivan Welty, Assistant Professor of Philosophy
Reflections on an argument by Augustine.
Eaton Hall 209
“Stress, Love, and Cannabinoids: The triad behind appropriate decision making”
Emma Coddington, Assistant Professor of Biology
Why did we make that decision this morning? This session explores how decisions are made. Participants will learn about the hormones that can influence their decision-making processes and how state of mind can subconsciously influence decision-making processes. We will end with a discussion about how we can actively influence our own subconscious states of mind.
Eaton Hall 307