Middlebury

MiddLab

Digital Lecture Archive

A MiddLab Project

View from Washington

David Gergen talks about his personal experience while serving four US presidents at the White House and about the qualities in these men that he came to appreciate over time.

People

Gergen, David R. (David Richmond), 1942-

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View from Washington

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Alchemists : American women poets and alcohol

Millier explains the role of alcoholism and gender expectations in the work of five American women poets of the first half of the twentieth century.

People

Millier, Brett Candlish

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Alchemists : American women poets and alcohol

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Arab and Jewish nationalism : a battle of two rights

Arthur Hertzberg examines the historical context that continues to form the religious and political atmosphere of the Middle East. In particular, he presents the Jewish and Arab response to the Balfour Declaration of 1917. Hertzberg argues that progress toward peace in the Middle East will come only through agreements reached by means of intervention by the superpowers.

People

Hertzberg, Arthur

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Arab and Jewish nationalism : a battle of two rights

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Tradition of thanksgiving

Shenandoah, an Onandaga elder, applies Native American beliefs to environmental ethics.

People

Shenandoah, Audrey

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Tradition of thanksgiving

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Women’s history is religious history

Ann Braude, director of the Women's Studies in Religion program at the Harvard Divinity School, discusses the participation of women as "the most consistent feature" of the American religious landscape. In particular, she points out the imbalance between women's numerical dominance in church and their lack of power

People

Braude, Ann

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Women's history is religious history

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How did democracy in America turn out?

Citing Tocqueville's warnings and predictions, Commager discusses the future of American democracy in the wake of Nixon's resignation.

People

Commager, Henry Steele, 1902-

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How did democracy in America turn out?

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From conflict to coexistence : a roadmap to peace

By examining events after the 1991 Gulf War, John Wallach discusses the possibility of a peace accord between Israel and Palestine and acknowledges the threat of Islamic fundamentalism to Israel as one of the major issues to address.

People

Wallach, John

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From conflict to coexistence : a roadmap to peace

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Past and future of American grand strategy

John Lewis Gaddis, Professor of History, Yale University, author of The U.S. and the Origins of the Cold War, We Now Know: Rethinking Cold War History; The Landscape of History: How Historians Map the Past; and Surprise, Security, and the American Experience, discusses American grand strategy.

People

Gaddis, John

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Past and future of American grand strategy

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Struggling towards peace in times of terror

The youngest speaker ever in the history of the Israeli Knesset and a staunch supporter of peace in the Middle East, Avraham Burg has been referred to as "one of the best speechmakers in politics." Ha'Aretz Magazine writes, "he has a unique, multilayered manner of speaking that evokes lofty musings on the 'eternal Israel' while simultaneously evincing a hard-nosed, here-and-now pragmatism." While defending Israel's right to protect its citizens, Burg is a straightforward realist: "Whoever wants a full democracy with a Jewish majority cannot hold onto the entire land from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, because it is a land that has people of another nation with different national aspirations."

People

Burg, Avraham

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Struggling towards peace in times of terror

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Urban democracy and the fate of the Earth

Engel applies concepts of liberal democracy to personal responsibility for the environment.

People

Engel, Ronald J.

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Urban democracy and the fate of the Earth

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Practices of bodhisattvas

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama explains the notion of the bodhisattva, describing the qualities that make a 'Buddha-to-be'. He also discusses the fundamental Buddhist concepts of enlightenment and emptiness, and how bodhisattva aspirations translate into moral efforts based on the desire to liberate all beings. The interconnected system of Tibetan Buddhist practice is used to illustrate how Buddhism sees material existence. The Dalai Lama ends with an outline of the vehicles of Buddhism and the path of the bodhisattva. In English and Tibetan.

People

Bstan-dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, 1935-

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Practices of bodhisattvas

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Rhymed Couplets

Robert Frost takes couplets and pairs as his theme in this Abernethy lecture from the fifties. The introductory segment offered here is two minutes long.

People

Frost, Robert, 1874-1963

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Rhymed Couplets

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Caring for the world

Prescott-Allen discusses problems of biological depletion and calls for a world ethic of sustainability.

People

Prescott-Allen, Robert

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Caring for the world

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Islam and the environmental crisis

Nasr explores the benefits that Islamic beliefs bring to the environmental crisis.

People

Nasr, Seyyed Hossein

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Islam and the environmental crisis

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Tibetan Buddhist perspective on spirit in nature

Tenzin Gyatso, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, talks about the Buddhist approach to the environmental crisis. He talks about the Buddhist perception of nature and about the ethical principles an individual should adopt.

People

Bstan-dzin-rgya-mtsho, Dalai Lama XIV, 1935-

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Tibetan Buddhist perspective on spirit in nature

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Square in the quilt : one theologian’s contribution to the planetary agenda

McFague uses Judeo-Christian themes to explain human responsibility for the environment.

People

McFague, Sallie

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Square in the quilt : one theologian's contribution to the planetary agenda

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Road not taken : a reading by Robert Frost at Bread Loaf

Robert Frost reads his famous poem at the Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Ripton, Vermont.

People

Frost, Robert, 1874-1963

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Road not taken : a reading by Robert Frost at Bread Loaf

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Inventing the ‘Holocaust’ in cinema : the case of Poland

Liebman discusses the role of cinema in the creation of collective memories of the Holocaust and the lack of representation in Eastern European countries for a forty-year period after the war.

People

Liebman, Stuart

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Inventing the 'Holocaust' in cinema : the case of Poland

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Tarnished image : how diplomacy can lead the way to new relations between America and the world

2005-02-21

People

Raval, Aditya Mahendra

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Tarnished image : how diplomacy can lead the way to new relations between America and the world

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Supreme Court in American history

Justice William Rehnquist discusses the history of the Court and how judicial powers have shaped the development of American law, politics and society. William Rehnquist was nominated as chief justice of the United States by President Reagan and sworn in on September 26, 1986. He is also a popular historian of the Court. He is the author of three books about the Court and the American legal system: The Supreme Court: How It Is, How It Was (1987), Grand Inquests (1992), and All the Laws But One: Civil Liberties in Wartime (paperback 2000).

People

Rehnquist, William H., 1924-

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Supreme Court in American history

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Future of international criminal justice

Richard J. Goldstone practiced law in his native South Africa, eventually serving as an appeals judge of the Supreme Court from 1989-1994. After the end of the apartheid era, he helped draft the new South African constitution, and served as a justice on the Constitutional Court of South Africa until 2003. Simultaneously, from 1994 to 1996 he served as the first chief prosecutor for first international war crimes trials since Nuremberg, and in 1998 chaired a committee, which drafted a Declaration of Human Duties and Responsibilities for UNESCO (the Valencia Declaration). He also chaired an international independent inquiry on Kosovo (investigating allegations of war crimes), and was appointed as co-chair of the International Bar Association 19s Task Force on Terrorism. He discusses crimes of mass violence.

People

Goldstone, Richard

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Future of international criminal justice

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Colombia’s conflict : moving beyond the "war on terrorism"

Ms. Arnson, Deputy Director of the Latin American Program of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, speaks about issues related to the peace process, human rights, and U.S. policy in Latin America.

People

Arnson, Cynthia

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Colombia's conflict : moving beyond the "war on terrorism"

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China’s new diplomacy and US-China relations

Fravel examines China's efforts to settle territorial disputes.

People

Fravel, M. Taylor

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China's new diplomacy and US-China relations

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New frontiers with ultracold gases

Professor Ketterle shares results of MIT research on quantum-degenerate gases. This includes a new low-temp record of less than one nanokelvin, the conversion of ultracold atoms into ultracold molecules, Bose-Einstein condensation of molecules, and experiences with atom chips where the magnetic field of miniaturized wires traps and manipulates ultracold atoms close to a surface.

People

Ketterle, Wolfgang

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New frontiers with ultracold gases

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Beyond the synagogue gallery : men, women, and the reframing of American Judaism

Karla Goldman of the Jewish Women's Archive discusses the architectural desegregation of the synagogue in the U.S. and asserts that looking at public space reveals important dynamics in the Judaistic tradition.

People

Goldman, Carla, 1960-

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Beyond the synagogue gallery : men, women, and the reframing of American Judaism

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Nature writing and environmental issues in Taiwan: a roundtable discussion

Award-winning author and naturalist Liu Ke-hsiang discusses issues involved in the contemporary nature writing tradition, followed by an outline of wilderness concepts by Chien I-ming of the Mei-Ho Institute of Technology. In Chinese with English translations provided by Professor Tom Moran

People

Qian, Yiming

Liu Kexiang, 1957-

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Nature writing and environmental issues in Taiwan: a roundtable discussion

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Notes on Fascist-Antifascist politics and culture from the point of of a "misfit"

The series takes its cue from the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb and the end of World War II. Seven experts on cultural developments in different countries speak on issues relating to memory, national identity and reconstruction in the wake of 1945.

People

Rimanelli, Giose

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Notes on Fascist-Antifascist politics and culture from the point of of a "misfit"

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Birches : a reading by Robert Frost at Bread Loaf

Robert Frost reads his famous poem.

People

Frost, Robert, 1874-1963

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Birches : a reading by Robert Frost at Bread Loaf

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Japanese writers and the Second World War

The series takes its cue from the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima bomb and the end of World War II. Seven experts on cultural developments in different countries speak on issues relating to memory, national identity and reconstruction in the wake of 1945.

People

Treat, John Whittier

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Japanese writers and the Second World War

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To America from Hiroshima

Kay Otake was five years old when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, August 6, 1945. On the 60th anniversary of the bombing, she offers a survivor's perspective.

People

Otake, Kikuko

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To America from Hiroshima

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Reception of the Holocaust in the early 1960s

Mintz examines reactions to the films Judgment at Nuremberg (1961) and The Pawnbroker (1965), and discusses how films have shaped the American perception of the Holocaust in popular culture.

People

Mintz, Alan L.

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Reception of the Holocaust in the early 1960s

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Russian film and post-War reconstruction

In conjunction with a screening of "The Cranes are Flying", a 1957 Russian film about WWII, Professor Aksenova discusses post-War reconstruction.

People

Aksenova, Galina

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Russian film and post-War reconstruction

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Brasil de Lula

2005-07-17

People

Cason, Jeffrey

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Brasil de Lula

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Moacyr Scliar discusses his work

Noted Brazilian author Moacyr Scliar talks about his writing with students in the Portuguese School.

People

Scliar, Moacyr

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Moacyr Scliar discusses his work

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U.S.S.R. after World War II : recovering from war and civil war

Before the Second World War, the government of the USSR strongly punished anti- Semitism. Yet, following the war, and the defeat of Hitler's racist and genocidal program, the USSR embarked on a campaign against "rootless cosmopolitans," a euphemism for Jews. The lecture explained how this development was rooted in the war experience and in the myriad ethnic conflicts in the USSR.

People

Miner, Steven Merritt

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U.S.S.R. after World War II : recovering from war and civil war

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Transnationalist tendencies in the film industries of Fascist Spain, Italy, and Germany

Susan Larson focuses on the cinematic collaborations between the fascist film industries of Franco's Spain and Hitler's Germany, between 1939 and 1945. Her lecture examines images of nation-building in the two contexts, cross-cultural exchanges, and cultural stereotyping in the form of the Spanish films termed "espa

People

Larson, Susan

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Transnationalist tendencies in the film industries of Fascist Spain, Italy, and Germany

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Anthropogenic warming began well before the industrial era

"For decades, two assumptions have been part of the scientific understanding of global warming-(1) natural forces kept Earth's climate in a warm 'interglacial' state for several millennia, and (2) humans first began to alter this state during the industrial era (the last two centuries). Both of these assumptions are flawed: natural processes have been pushing climate toward a cooler, partly glaciated state for thousands of years, and emissions of greenhouse gases from early farming held off most of this natural cooling" -- From lecture notes

People

Ruddiman, William F.

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Anthropogenic warming began well before the industrial era

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How big is too big? Global warming and moral choices

McKibben discusses the latest science on global warming as well as the meaning of that science, and the idea that humans are suddenly casting a much larger shadow over the planet's operations.

People

McKibben, Bill

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How big is too big? Global warming and moral choices

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Islam and globalization

2005-12-01

People

Arjomand, Said Amir

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Islam and globalization

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From Jim Crow to civil rights : continuity and change in the Black struggle for freedom

Professor Chafe speaks about the history of the Black struggle for equality in the United States.

People

Chafe, William Henry

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From Jim Crow to civil rights : continuity and change in the Black struggle for freedom

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"Her heart was hardened by sin" or so he said : representing enslaved women in abolitionist newspapers

Dr. Moody's discussion focuses on how, given the absence of enslaved women's narratives from its media, the abolitionist enterprise itself seems ironically to have silenced slave and ex-slave women.

People

Moody, Jocelyn K.

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"Her heart was hardened by sin" or so he said : representing enslaved women in abolitionist newspapers

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Infrastructure of American democracy promotion

Discusses the policy infrastructure necessary to protect and promote national security.

People

Melia, Thomas O.

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Infrastructure of American democracy promotion

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Reporting the news in China

Rupert Wingfield-Hayes discusses how rapid economic development in the People's Republic has profoundly changed Chinese society, and concomitantly, brought greater prosperity to the economies of the industrialized West. However, China's remarkable prosperity has not come without a tremendous price. China's environment and healthcare system are profoundly challenged. Rampant corruption among Chinese Communist Party leaders has led to theft of public assets, in particular, of land for development projects, resulting in increases in mass protests as Chinese band together to protect themselves against the transgressions of the state. While China's future is uncertain, the emerging middle class is likely to be the dominant force in determining the course of China in the 21st Century.

People

Wingfield-Hayes, Rupert

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Reporting the news in China

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Maritime security in the South China Sea

The South China Sea is bordered by the world's most rapidly industrializing countries and traversed by the world's busiest shipping lanes. It is also a unique ecosystem with extraordinary biodiversity and a repository for valuable natural resources. Unfortunately, it also faces problems of piracy, terrorism, pollution, overfishing, drug trafficking, and people smuggling. What is being done to avoid a maritime tragedy of the commons?

People

Rosenberg, David

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Maritime security in the South China Sea

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Locke’s religious thinking and his politics

Nuovo's lecture explores the ways in which John Locke's religious outlook influenced how he thought about politics and toleration, in particular with respect to his notion of the law of nature and its unusual rigor, and the limits of toleration. Nuovo discusses the ways in which Locke's religious motives combined with other more worldly ones in his thinking on these themes and, more broadly, how these relate to his frequently repeated characterization of himself as a lover of truth and as a Christian, two characters which he supposed could be reconciled in a single intellectual life. The goal to which these explorations are supposed to lead is an understanding of the character of Locke's mind and its ruling dispositions.

People

Nuovo, Victor

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Locke's religious thinking and his politics

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United States and Israel in a Post-Cold War World

2005-04-08

People

Newman, Hillel

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United States and Israel in a Post-Cold War World

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Road to 9/11 : and where we are today

The Executive Director of the 9/11 Commission discusses the official investigation.

People

Zelikow, Philip, 1954-

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Road to 9/11 : and where we are today

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Don’t leave your language alone! Language loyalty and group identity

Fishman discusses the interdisciplinary connections between language and ethnicity.

People

Fishman, Joshua A.

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Don't leave your language alone! Language loyalty and group identity

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Disarming Iraq : reflections of a policy practitioner

Discusses the long effort by the international community to "hold the line" on weapons of mass destruction, and Saddam Hussein's violation of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

People

Butler, Richard

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Disarming Iraq : reflections of a policy practitioner

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Global climate change : past and future

This lecture begins with a review of the now-solid evidence for a human influence on the climate of recent decades. Such evidence includes instrumental measurements available for the past two centuries, paleoclimate observations spanning more than a millennium, and comparisons of the predictions from computer models with observed patterns of climate change. The lecture then addresses future impacts of human-induced climate change that are significant for the United States, including possible influences on tropical Atlantic hurricane intensity and frequency and on water supplies in the Western U.S. Throughout the lecture, scientific evidence for climate change is presented at a level appropriate to a general audience.

People

Mann, Michael E., 1965-

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Global climate change : past and future

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Religion and nation : competitors or reinforcers?

What has been termed the global religious revival has been broadly perceived as proving that religious identity is more powerful than national identity. A broad comparative analysis suggests that this perception of the two forms of group identity as opposed and weighted in favor of religion is overdrawn: it suggests that the religious revival has operated primarily within the confines of national groups and that even so-called universal religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam, in practice appear to reinforce the specific identities under their umbrella.

People

Connor, Walker, 1926-

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Religion and nation : competitors or reinforcers?

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Muslim is the new Black : constructing the ethno-racial outsider in Western Europe

Bleich argues that Muslims have been constructed as ethno-racial outsiders in Western Europe over the past twenty years. Although the term "Muslim" was scarcely applied to immigrant communities in the decades following World War Two, the late 1980s and then the early 21st century marked two significant turning points in European conceptions of Muslims. He also argues that this construction of images was a political process, with media, political, and civic elites contributing to perceptions of Muslims. He concludes that Europe is at a cross-roads with respect to the direction such images will take in the future.

People

Bleich, Erik

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Muslim is the new Black : constructing the ethno-racial outsider in Western Europe

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To interpret faithfully, whether you believe it or not : Jonathan Pointer, Black interpreter to the Wyandots

Most Native American, white, and bi-racial interpreters on the American frontier lived firmly on one side or the other of the cultural divide. However, Jonathan Pointer (1784 - 1857), an African-American interpreter for the Wyandots at Upper Sandusky, Ohio, lived "between worlds." Although raised by the Wyandots, he lacked a Wyandot spouse, and therefore was never fully integrated into Wyandot society. Pointer's race, status, role raise a number of questions about intermediaries on the frontier. Why did the Wyandots turn to a black man to do their translating? Did white negotiators trust him? Was Pointer merely a free-lance functionary or a key culture broker? Did Pointer's status as interpreter trump his racial identity? How did Pointer identify? An analysis of Jonathan Pointer will complicate and deepen our understanding of interpreters on the American frontier, and will render visible the presence of blacks in Indian country.

People

Hart, William B.

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To interpret faithfully, whether you believe it or not : Jonathan Pointer, Black interpreter to the Wyandots

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Making poverty history : slogan or reality?

MacCormack discusses one of the eight Millennium Development Goals, the problems faced in eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, and the difficulty in encouraging the US to take more of a leadership role.

People

MacCormack, Charles

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Making poverty history : slogan or reality?

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Crime v. nationalism : what really drove war in the Balkans?

Glenny discusses the growth of organized crime that developed in the Balkans as the result of the international embargo.

People

Glenny, Misha

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Crime v. nationalism : what really drove war in the Balkans?

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U.S. policy in the Middle East: a Congressional perspective

Representative Palarino discusses the oversight role of Congress and U.S. policy in the Middle East, and illustrates the talk with two case studies: one on the Palestinian elections, the other on Iraq.

People

Palarino, R. Nicholas

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U.S. policy in the Middle East: a Congressional perspective

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Iran, South Asia, and North Korea : meeting the proliferation threat?

Spector discusses the nuclear proliferation threat and related issues, including deterrence strategies.

People

Spector, Leonard S.

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Iran, South Asia, and North Korea : meeting the proliferation threat?

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Global Muslim identity and the Denmark cartoon crisis

Gilani discusses the widespread Muslim protests in 2005-06 over 12 cartoons depicting Islam--including some of the prophet Muhammed--that were published in a Danish newspaper.

People

Gilani, Ijaz

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Global Muslim identity and the Denmark cartoon crisis

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Afghan women : an emerging political force in the face of immense obstacles

The speakers discuss the situation of women in Afghanistan, the emergence of women as a political force, and the challenges to implementing the equal rights status in the new constitution, which Gailani helped to write.

People

Gailani, Fatima

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Afghan women : an emerging political force in the face of immense obstacles

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Democracy and growth reconsidered : why economic performance of new democracies is not encouraging

Popov presents case studies which illustrate the impact of liberal democracy on economic growth.

People

Popov, Vladimir

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Democracy and growth reconsidered : why economic performance of new democracies is not encouraging

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Rebuilding Afghanistan : achievements, challenges and the future

Mr. Haidari discusses Afghanistan's progress in building a democratic state and the obstacles to the country's long-term reconstruction. In addition, he talks about the US-Afghan relations and highlight the importance of continued US and international engagement in Afghanistan for maintaining peace and security in the world.

People

Haidari, Ashraf

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Rebuilding Afghanistan : achievements, challenges and the future

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Iran’s nuclear program and U.S. – Iranian relations

An explanation of the strategic and political issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program, and the U.S. response.

People

Farhang, Mansour

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Iran's nuclear program and U.S. - Iranian relations

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Identity in question : being Jewish in the new Germany

Peck talks about his new book, and provides a picture of Jewish life and culture in Germany since reunification.

People

Peck, Jeffrey M.

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Identity in question : being Jewish in the new Germany

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One nation under God: religion, nation, and the drive for statehood in the post-Soviet world

Connects the nuclear reactor accident at Chernobyl with the demise of the Soviet Union.

People

Marsh, Christopher, 1969-

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One nation under God: religion, nation, and the drive for statehood in the post-Soviet world

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Tsunami and its effects on Sri Lankan politics and reconstruction efforts

Professor Tambiah talks about the tsunami's devastating impact on Sri Lanka, and how reconstruction efforts are hampered by the country's ongoing ethnic conflicts.

People

Tambiah, Stanley Jeyaraya, 1929-

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Tsunami and its effects on Sri Lankan politics and reconstruction efforts

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Media and the global war on terror

This symposium presents a panel of international speakers, including journalists, current and former faculty and students from the Middlebury College Language Schools, and political strategists. The speakers present various perspectives on issues surrounding terrorism and the role of mass media, from polarized messaging to the politics of terror, followed by a brief period for open discussion.

People

Gentile, Don

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Media and the global war on terror

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Media’s role in promoting or fighting terrorism

This symposium presents a panel of international speakers, including journalists, current and former faculty and students from the Middlebury College Language Schools, and political strategists. The speakers present various perspectives on issues surrounding terrorism and the role of mass media, from polarized messaging to the politics of terror, followed by a brief period for open discussion.

People

Abdella, Ahmed

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Media's role in promoting or fighting terrorism

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One, two, many fundamentalisms, but not in Latin America

Tension between Catholics and Protestants rarely produces religious or ethnic violence in Latin America because neither side can rely on the state to support them.

People

Stoll, David, 1952-

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One, two, many fundamentalisms, but not in Latin America

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How democratic could the Arab or Muslim world be?

An historical perspective on human rights and democracy movements in the Middle East.

People

Ibrahim, Saad

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How democratic could the Arab or Muslim world be?

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Terrorism and media: the end of neutrality

This symposium presents a panel of international speakers, including journalists, current and former faculty and students from the Middlebury College Language Schools, and political strategists. The speakers present various perspectives on issues surrounding terrorism and the role of mass media, from polarized messaging to the politics of terror, followed by a brief period for open discussion.

People

Severgnini, Beppe

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Terrorism and media: the end of neutrality

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Politics of terror

This symposium presents a panel of international speakers, including journalists, current and former faculty and students from the Middlebury College Language Schools, and political strategists. The speakers present various perspectives on issues surrounding terrorism and the role of mass media, from polarized messaging to the politics of terror, followed by a brief period for open discussion.

People

Birch, Douglas

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Politics of terror

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Role of Arab media in shaping the public opinion

This symposium presents a panel of international speakers, including journalists, current and former faculty and students from the Middlebury College Language Schools, and political strategists. The speakers present various perspectives on issues surrounding terrorism and the role of mass media, from polarized messaging to the politics of terror, followed by a brief period for open discussion.

People

Abdalla, Mahmoud

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Role of Arab media in shaping the public opinion

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Marketing fear

Is it irresponsible to "advertise" terrorism? Zucconi considers the effect of overplaying terrorism in the media.

People

Zucconi, Vittorio, 1944-

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Marketing fear

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An impossible portrait of America? Reading Bernard Henri Lévy’s "American Vertigo"

In 2004, Bernard-Henri Lévy, a French writer and philosopher, set out to retrace Alexis de Tocqueville’s 1831 visit to the United States for The Atlantic Monthly. Published by Random House in January 2006, “American Vertigo” includes Lévy’s interview-based portraits representing a full spectrum of American culture. Knox says, “Lévy has written a controversial book on America, which has puzzled some and offended others. The book poses some interesting French/American questions that I would like to discuss."

People

Knox, Edward C.

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An impossible portrait of America? Reading Bernard Henri Lévy's "American Vertigo"

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Q & A : verbal expression and visual truth in the documentary film interview

Reviews the development of the documentary film interview and discusses the interview techniques of Ken Burns, Michael Moore and Errol Morris.

People

Grindon, Leger

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Q & A : verbal expression and visual truth in the documentary film interview

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Y-a-til une France Noire?

Examines France's national identity in light of immigration and a growing Black presence in Paris and around Marseilles.

People

Monénembo, Tierno

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Y-a-til une France Noire?

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A MiddLab Project

Peut-on ecrire le genocide?

Discusses his visit to Rwanda to gather material for a novel and his inability, as a writer, to adequately relate the suffering and brutality he saw there.

People

Monénembo, Tierno

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Peut-on ecrire le genocide?

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A MiddLab Project

Is terrorism challenging press freedom?

This symposium presents a panel of international speakers, including journalists, current and former faculty and students from the Middlebury College Language Schools, and political strategists. The speakers present various perspectives on issues surrounding terrorism and the role of mass media, from polarized messaging to the politics of terror, followed by a brief period for open discussion.

People

Mourrier, Pierre-François

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Is terrorism challenging press freedom?

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A MiddLab Project

Musical performance by the Welfare Poets

2006-09-30

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Welfare Poets

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Musical performance by the Welfare Poets

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A MiddLab Project

Neoliberalism and the city

This keynote address for the 2006 Clifford Symposium focuses on New York City since the 1970s, but also touches on urban and cultural developments in cities around the world.

People

Harvey, David, 1935-

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Neoliberalism and the city

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Discovering "Ur of the Chaldees" : inside Woolley’s excavations at Abraham’s birthplace

Discusses Sir Leonard Woolley's excavations at Ur and what these sensational discoveries revealed about one of the world's first cities.

People

Zettler, Richard

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Discovering "Ur of the Chaldees" : inside Woolley's excavations at Abraham's birthplace

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A MiddLab Project

Private military contractors and the challenge of regulating new wars

Security contractors constitute the second largest force in Iraq, after the American military. They come from countries all over the world -- the US, South Africa, the UK, Russia, Israel, Peru, El Salvador, Nepal, Fiji -- and work for established publicly traded companies, as well as small start up firms. They often earn much more than their military counterparts, who they support and enhance. Despite their prominence, their activities go underreported, and the regulations guiding their conduct are unclear. This lecture focuses on the present state of security contracting worldwide, and on the implications of their increasing use for our foreign policy and military engagement.

People

Carmola, Kateri

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Private military contractors and the challenge of regulating new wars

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Polarized elites, moderate voters : the great disconnect in American politics

The general public is often portrayed as bitterly divided on social, political and economic issues. In his talk, Professor Fiorina challenges this conventional wisdom by showing that most Americans stand in the middle of the political landscape, preferring centrist candidates and holding moderate positions on charged cultural issues. Fiorina argues that it is the political parties, political activists and the media that have ignored this fact and distorted public perceptions.

People

Fiorna, Morris

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Polarized elites, moderate voters : the great disconnect in American politics

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Resistance memory and the forgotten legacy of Robert Desnos

Nunley examines the non-clandestine writings of French Surrealist poet Robert Desnos during World War II, and discusses their place in considerations of French Resistance to the German Occupation.

People

Nunley, Charles

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Resistance memory and the forgotten legacy of Robert Desnos

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A MiddLab Project

Infectious ideas : contagion in Islamic thought

Medieval Muslim legal tradition generally considered the plague to be non-contagious and argued that one should not flee an outbreak of the plague. What was the logic that supported this conclusion, how was it justified, and when and how did it change? By examining plague treatises from the 14th to the 19th centuries, this talk investigates the various factors – intellectual and political – that led to shifts in both Islamic law and public health policy in the Middle East.

People

Stearns, Justin

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Infectious ideas : contagion in Islamic thought

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A MiddLab Project

Oil versus wilderness : selling Alaska’s North Slope

The oil-versus-wildlife debate is particularly relevant on Alaska’s North Slope, a rich swath of tundra that is home to an abundance of wildlife and 48 billion barrels of oil. The North Slope is the largest intact wilderness in the United States, offering grand vistas and uninterrupted views of native wildlife, such as caribou. Oil companies drilling in Prudhoe Bay plan to expand their operations throughout the region. In his talk, Sartore discusses what he has learned about this fragile wilderness and the importance of saving these increasingly rare and beautiful areas.

People

Sartore, Joel

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Oil versus wilderness : selling Alaska's North Slope

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A MiddLab Project

Envisioning a new Africa

A lecture on African politics and its link to writing.

People

Waberi, Abdourahman A.

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Envisioning a new Africa

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A MiddLab Project

Chicago’s Millennium Park

Gilfoyle discuss Millennium Park, Chicago’s award-winning center for art, music, architecture and landscape design. Rising from the ruins of a decrepit old railroad, the park boasts impressive bridges, pavilions and fountains as well as a garden, cafe, ice rink, theater, and cycle center. It is intended not only to epitomize the "new Chicago," transcending racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic divisions, but it is also meant to symbolize the integration of public and private sectors.

People

Gilfoyle, Timothy J.

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Chicago’s Millennium Park

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Reflections on American hegemony in light of the invasion of Iraq

General Odom publicly warned against invading Iraq before the event, remained silent on the matter until April 2004 when he publicly called for the earliest withdrawal feasible, and in the fall of 2005 declared that it is likely to be "the greatest strategic disaster in American history." Since that time he has called for the United States to "cut and run" from Iraq in order to escape the strategic paralysis the war imposes on U.S. foreign policy in the region and globally.

People

Odom, William E.

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Reflections on American hegemony in light of the invasion of Iraq

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Current state of constitutional law in Africa : perspectives of a former African Justice

Selassie presents a model of constitution building which incorporates common values among diverse ethnic groups.

People

Selassie, Bereket Habte

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Current state of constitutional law in Africa : perspectives of a former African Justice

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Can hip-hop make the transition from cultural movement to political power?

Bakari speaks on hip hop's emergence as a burgeoning political movement, claiming that it is a world view and has become a national, unified, youth culture.

People

Kitwana, Bakari

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Can hip-hop make the transition from cultural movement to political power?

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Russian response to modernity : Crystal Palace, Eiffel Tower, and Brooklyn Bridge

Katz discusses the Russian response to modernism embodied by a troika of late nineteenth century engineering: The Crystal Palace (1853), the Brooklyn Bridge (1883), and the Eiffel Tower (1889).

People

Katz, Michael R.

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Russian response to modernity : Crystal Palace, Eiffel Tower, and Brooklyn Bridge

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A MiddLab Project

Weight of the colonial past in French immigration

Spire discusses his doctoral thesis about the relationship between the State and immigration in France from 1945-1975.

People

Spire, Alexis

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Weight of the colonial past in French immigration

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Violence against women and the example of the Mirabal sisters

Dedé Mirabal Reyes and Minou Tavárez Mirabal are descendants of the Mirabal family, activists whose history of resistance to Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship in the Dominican Republic during the 1960s made them worldwide symbols of political resistance. Their story is told in Julia Alvarez’s novel In the Time of the Butterflies. On November 25, 1960, Trujillo’s operatives killed the sisters, Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa Mirabal, for their involvement in efforts to overthrow his government. The United Nations now marks the anniversary of their assassination as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Dedé Mirabal Reyes is the last surviving sister of the “Butterflies.” Minou Tavárez Mirabal is her niece, and daughter of the late Minerva Mirabal. She addresses historic and current social conditions as they involve violence against women in the Dominican Republic

People

Mirabal, Minou Tavárez

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Violence against women and the example of the Mirabal sisters

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On loving a damaged planet

In a keynote address celebrating the 75th anniversary of the Middlebury College Mountain Club, McKibben discusses the impact of environmental damage and how it has complicated our appreciation of the natural world.

People

McKibben, Bill

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On loving a damaged planet

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Fuel or food : dealing with the global energy crisis

The discussion covers several topics, including dwindling fossil fuel supplies worldwide; how conservation and rising fuel efficiency might ease the crisis; and whether or not the development of crop-based ethanol and biodiesel will pit the energy industry against the food industry.

People

McKibben, Bill

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Fuel or food : dealing with the global energy crisis

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Occult revival in 18th century Britain

Research in occult practices actually revived during the Enlightenment. Using a segment of a book he is in the process of writing, Monod explores the reasons for occultism's positive image during this time period.

People

Monod, Paul Kléber

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Occult revival in 18th century Britain

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History and propaganda in Northeast Asia

Investigates the intersection of history, memory and propaganda in Northeast Asia, where differently recalled episodes from World War II and before continue to influence relations between China, Korea, and Japan.

People

Waters, Neil L., 1945-

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History and propaganda in Northeast Asia

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After Fidel : Cuba, Venezuela, a Latin-American "axis of evil"?

Using declassified documents from the National Security Archive, Cuba-expert Peter Kornbluh offers a historical perspective and an insider's view of the last fifty years of American-Latin American relations.

People

Kornbluh, Peter

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After Fidel : Cuba, Venezuela, a Latin-American "axis of evil"?

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Profit and loss : White privilege and its consequences for racial equity and justice

Wise discusses white identity, the social dynamics of race, and the impact of racism on the majority race.

People

Wise, Tim

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Profit and loss : White privilege and its consequences for racial equity and justice

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Hard as iron : the struggle to modernize the American iron industry 1800-1868

This lecture explains the reasons for the U.S. iron industry's halting, uneven, and often failed efforts to match the scale and technology of British iron-making in the decades leading up to the Civil War. Geography, geology, labor relations, economic cycles and luck all played a part.

People

Knowles, Anne Kelly

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Hard as iron : the struggle to modernize the American iron industry 1800-1868

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Local history in a national context : the Vermont flood of 1927

The flood of November 1927 was the greatest disaster ever to strike Vermont. Though it's usually seen simply as part of state and local history, the story of Vermont's recovery illuminates much about America's passage through the troubled decade of the 1920's.

People

Clifford, Nicholas Rowland

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Local history in a national context : the Vermont flood of 1927

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Greatest generation : Chinese fiction writers 1900 to 1949

Moran, editor of The Dictionary of Literary Biography, Volume 328, Chinese Fiction Writers, 1900-1949, discusses the lives and careers of some of the writers profiled in the book. Authors include Ai Wu, Ba Jin, Bao Tianxiao, Bing Xin, Cheng Xiaoqing, Ding Ling, Jiang Guangci, Lai He, Lao She, Ling Shuhua, Lu Xun, Lu Yin, Mao Dun, Mu Shiying, Shen Congwen, Shi Tuo (Lu Fen), Wu Jianren (Wo Foshanren), Wumingshi (Bu Baonan), Xiao Hong, Xu Zhenya, Yu Dafu, Zeng Pu, Zhang Ailing (Eileen Chang) and Zhang Tianyi.

People

Moran, Tom

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Greatest generation : Chinese fiction writers 1900 to 1949

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New dream : updating MLK’s vision to meet today’s ecological and social challenges

Jones advocates constructing a green economy, llifting people out of poverty in the process by creating "green-collar" jobs.

People

Jones, Van

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New dream : updating MLK's vision to meet today's ecological and social challenges

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Separation of church and state : Roger Williams and the birth of an American ideal

Contrary to popular myth, it wasn't Thomas Jefferson, who bequeathed to us the image of a "wall of separation" between church and state. More than a century before Jefferson, a Puritan deviant named Roger Williams (1603- 1683) used the phrase to argue for religious freedom in New England. Professor Davis will introduce this outcast champion of religious liberty, show how Williams turned his Calvinist convictions into a defense of free conscience, and make the case for Williams's importance to thinking about religious freedom in the United States today.

People

Davis, James Calvin

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Separation of church and state : Roger Williams and the birth of an American ideal

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Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service : acceptance speech

In September 2006 the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars presented Kathryn Wasserman Davis with its Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. This is her acceptance speech.

People

Davis, Kathryn Wasserman

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Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service : acceptance speech

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Meaning of the body : aesthetics of human understanding

Johnson discusses his recent work on the embodied character of language and meaning.

People

Johnson, Mark

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Meaning of the body : aesthetics of human understanding

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Pluralism Project of distortion : What do Asian Americans really believe?

Addressing the common wisdom that post-1965 immigration brought diversity of religion to the U.S., Dr. Yang presents statistical evidence that more than half of all Asian immigrants, and two out of three East-Asians, are either Catholic or Protestant. He suggests that Harvard's Pluralism Project distorts this reality and in doing so harms the assimilation of Asian-American Christians.

People

Yang, Fenggang

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Pluralism Project of distortion : What do Asian Americans really believe?

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Islam, human rights, and constitutionalism

Brown presents research on legal reform in the modern Middle East, and the intricacies of building a constitutional democracy on an Islamic foundation.

People

Brown, Nathan J.

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Islam, human rights, and constitutionalism

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Religion, immigrants and the quest for a Self : an examination of contemporary Korean-American Buddhism

Suh explores the practice of Buddhism by Korean-American immigrants in the U.S., a country with predominantly Christian traditions.

People

Suh, Sharon A.

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Religion, immigrants and the quest for a Self : an examination of contemporary Korean-American Buddhism

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Transnational religions and American identities

Williams traces the contemporary development of transnational religion, especially in India, and its impact on the formation of an American identity.

People

Williams, Raymond Brady

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Transnational religions and American identities

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Place at the multicultural table : the development of an American Hinduism

Kurien examines religion, ethnicity and politics among Indian immigrants in the U.S.

People

Kurien, Prema A., 1963-

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Place at the multicultural table : the development of an American Hinduism

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Social entrepreneurship and the liberal arts education

This event focused on social entrepreneurship in the 21st century and the potential for its institutionalization as a master’s degree at Middlebury College, in affiliation with the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Social entrepreneurship is a pragmatic way for students to implement their liberal arts education while still in college. Social entrepreneurs develop innovative solutions to society’s most pressing issues and, rather than relying on government or business sectors, solve problems by changing the system, spreading the solution, and persuading societies to take new leaps. The lecture explores what it means to be a social entrepreneur and a student, and how Middlebury College could take a leadership role in initiating this process.

People

Welch, Wilford

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Social entrepreneurship and the liberal arts education

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Memo to John Roberts : the gender wage gap is real

Hartmann's talk focuses on pay equity and gender inequality in the work force.

People

Hartmann, Heidi I.

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Memo to John Roberts : the gender wage gap is real

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Fellini betrayed : the English and Italian soundtracks of La Strada

Van Order examines the editing and mixing of dialogue, music and ambient sound in the English-language version of La Strada, over which Fellini had no control.

People

Van Order, M. Thomas, 1961-

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Fellini betrayed : the English and Italian soundtracks of La Strada

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Role of law in China’s economic development

Clarke discusses the Rights Hypothesis, which contends that economic growth is dependent upon stable and predictable property rights, and how to reconcile China's substantial economic growth with its weak legal enforcement.

People

Clarke, Donald

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Role of law in China's economic development

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Impact of resource wars in Africa

Africa is becoming the most important and fastest growing source of oil for both the U.S. and China. Klare discusses the little-noticed creation in February 2007 of the Africa Command, the first regional military command created by the U.S. in twenty-five years.

People

Klare, Michael T., 1942-

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Impact of resource wars in Africa

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Only woman at the table

Beate Sirota Gordon was hired, at the age of twenty-two, by the Allied Occupation under General MacArthur to work on reconstruction, and one of her major undertakings was assignment to the committee charged to draft a new constitution. Gordon is credited with writing the equal rights and equality in marriage amendments of the Japanese Constitution of 1947. She is considered a powerful feminist ally in Japan today.

People

Gordon, Beate

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Only woman at the table

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U.S. and the new Middle East

Rose discusses the effects of Bush administration policies on the current situation in the Middle East and advocates a policy of restraint by the U.S.

People

Rose, Gideon

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U.S. and the new Middle East

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From Jesus to Shylock : Christian supersessionism and ‘The Merchant of Venice’

2007-04-26

People

Heschel, Suzannah

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From Jesus to Shylock : Christian supersessionism and ‘The Merchant of Venice’

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Russia leaves the West : foreign policy under Putin

Trenin discusses President Vladimir Putin’s speech before the Munich Conference on Security Policy in February 2007 and frames it as Putin's setting new rules of engagement with the U.S. Trenin's lecture was given on the day of Boris Yeltsin's funeral and he precedes his talk with a long and personal eulogy to Yeltsin.

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Trenin, Dmitrii

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Russia leaves the West : foreign policy under Putin

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New international division of cultural labor and Global Hollywood

Using material from his book, Global Hollywood, Miller examines the factors underlying Hollywood's success in the world film market.

People

Miller, Toby

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New international division of cultural labor and Global Hollywood

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Genomania : bad metaphors and good biology

Dr. Lewontin has been a consistent and active participant in the various debates surrounding human genetic variation and its relationship to race. His work and writing have influenced a broad range of disciplines and his lecture should appeal significantly to those outside of the biological sciences.

People

Lewontin, Richard C., 1929-

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Genomania : bad metaphors and good biology

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Brave new ocean

Overfishing, habitat destruction, global warming and other human-induced activities have contributed to a severe decline in ocean biodiversity, yet public awareness of the changes — and their implications for the future — has been minimal. Jackson has actively searched for innovative ways to address declining ocean health by collaborating with the media to inspire public action.

People

Jackson, Jeremy B.C., 1942-

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Brave new ocean

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Israel, Iran and the future of terrorism

Drawing on his personal experience in the region, Goldberg argues that it is not too late to achieve a two-state solution with Israel and Palestine that would lead to reconciliation in the Middle East.

People

Goldberg, Jeffrey, 1965-

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Israel, Iran and the future of terrorism

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Global warming : interpreting the facts

Lomborg, author of the bestselling The Skeptical Environmentalist, gives a public lecture followed by a moderated discussion with Bill McKibben, Middlebury College scholar in residence in environmental studies. Lomborg uses a cost-benefit analysis approach to argue that other issues should have priority over global warming.

People

Lomborg, Bjørn, 1965-

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Global warming : interpreting the facts

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Reflections on transatlantic relations : foundations, faith, and fundamentalism

Sloan examines the religion-related sources that threaten the transatlantic alliance.

People

Sloan, Stanley R.

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Reflections on transatlantic relations : foundations, faith, and fundamentalism

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Liberal arts and the martial arts reconsidered

In this lecture and demonstration, Levine compares the Greek ideal of arete and the Japanese ideal of budo as a means to rekindle discussion regarding the place of both mind and body in a liberal arts education.

People

Levine, Donald Nathan, 1931-

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Liberal arts and the martial arts reconsidered

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Islam : a truly American religion?

Smith presents a wide-ranging talk that covers the history of Muslim immigration to the West; the generational, cultural and religious differences in American Muslim communities; American secularism; and the issues around 9/11.

People

Smith, Jane I.

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Islam : a truly American religion?

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Intimas suculencias

Esquivel discusses her new book, Intimas suculencias : tratado filosófico de cocina.

People

Esquivel, Laura, 1950-

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Intimas suculencias

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Middlebury College commencement address 2007

Former President Bill Clinton reminds the Middlebury College Class of 2007 about the importance of community in his commencement address on Sunday, May 27, 2007. After citing some findings from the Human Genome Project, he says that while our differences may make life more interesting, our common humanity matters more.

People

Clinton, Bill, 1946-

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Middlebury College commencement address 2007

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Africa’s sovereign sorrow : the politics of poverty

Englebert presents data from his latest book to explain how Africans use sovereignty and the rule of law to maintain African unity.

People

Englebert, Pierre, 1962-

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Africa's sovereign sorrow : the politics of poverty

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Identität zwischen den Zeilen : die Guttmann Korrespondenz

Using the Guttmann family's correspondence in Vienna, Austria and Brooklyn, NY between 1926 and 1944 as a base, Geffers-Browne discusses German-Jewish identity.

People

Geffers-Browne, Christine

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Identität zwischen den Zeilen : die Guttmann Korrespondenz

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Violence and moral software in Luso-Afro-Brazilian fictions

Mendes deconstructs the concept that Portuguese language communities are less violent in nature than other communities. He develops his thoughts through a study of the concept of violence in Western thought in general and in Portuguese language literature and film in particular.

People

Mendes, Victor J., 1963-

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Violence and moral software in Luso-Afro-Brazilian fictions

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Education of Edwin James

Robert Buckeye offers reflections on Edwin James (1797-1861), Middlebury College Class of 1816. In 1829 James was appointed botanist and geologist to the exploring expedition of Major Samuel H. Long. In 1823, he published the 2-volume Expedition to the Rocky Mountains, 1818-19, a report of the exploration of what we now know as Pike's Peak. Buckeye proposes that in addition to his pioneering work as an explorer, James was a visionary environmentalist and an early proponent of civil rights for Native and African Americans, and speculates on why this extraordinary American has been relegated to relative historical obscurity.

People

Buckeye, Robert

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Education of Edwin James

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Quelle langue pour dire le monde?

Pliya invites us to share the internal search by a writer to find the right voice for each of his creations.

People

Pliya, José, 1966-

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Quelle langue pour dire le monde?

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Conversation with Dina Rubina

Jerusalem-based Russian writer Dina Rubina, one of Russia's most widely read authors today, discusses and reads from her work in this entertaining and thought-provoking lecture.

People

Rubina, Dina

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Conversation with Dina Rubina

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End of postmodernity, globalization and the Orwellian time warp

Carravetta reads and discusses the introduction to his upcoming book: "After all: critical theory and the geography of culture at the end of the Postmodern age." The book deals with three interconnected themes. The postmodern debate brought out the deficiencies of hyperrational models of analysis, including the dangers of globalization, but did not succeed in stemming the tide toward a less instrumental and market-oriented notion of culture. As a result, in the XXI century, cultural production and the exchange of values do not follow any humanistic logic and are creating a systematically conflictual reality based on profit, fear and near complete control and manipulation of facts. Therefore, a post-communist dystopia, or what he calls an Orwellian warp.

People

Carravetta, Peter

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End of postmodernity, globalization and the Orwellian time warp

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Backsliding on democracy? Russian politics and law under Putin

In this provocative lecture, Moscow lawyer, law professor, and former lawmaker Alexander Domrin discusses the myth of today's Russia as a non-democratic country and the failures of Russian democracy under Yeltsin in the 1990s. He sees in Russia today the resurgence of a strong political and economic power in which democracy has by no means failed.

People

Domrin, Alexander N.

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Backsliding on democracy? Russian politics and law under Putin

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Élections présidentielles 2007 en France

Perrineau presents his analysis of the reasons for, and the meaning of, the results of the 2007 Presidential election in France.

People

Perrineau, Pascal

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Élections présidentielles 2007 en France

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"Consensual" relations in the academy: gender, power, and sexuality

Lane discusses consensual sexual relations between faculty and students in terms of professional responsibility, abuse of power, and the meaning of informed consent.

People

Lane, Ann J., 1931-

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"Consensual" relations in the academy: gender, power, and sexuality

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Evolution of the post-Soviet identity: in search of the Russian soul

Vassilieva describes the period from perestroika to the economic collapse in the mid-90s, and paints a picture of contemporary Russia as a multitude of nationalities having no clear sense of history, values, or a future.

People

Vassilieva, Anna

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Evolution of the post-Soviet identity: in search of the Russian soul

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Scenes from the field: lessons from reporting in a hostile environment

Gelbspan discusses the political battle over global warming through the lens of journalism.

People

Gelbspan, Ross

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Scenes from the field: lessons from reporting in a hostile environment

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Religion and American foreign policy

A wide-ranging conversation about the significant role religion plays in international relations. Robison recommends a library of recent books on religion and politics.

People

Robison, Olin

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Religion and American foreign policy

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Iraq and the future of political Islam

Piscatori looks at the factors that may affect the course of Muslim politics in the near future. Iraq, of course, lies at the heart of views of political Islam today.

People

Piscatori, James P.

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Iraq and the future of political Islam

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Making of a European economist

Colander examines U.S. economics Ph.D. programs and notes the changes in methodology that have taken place since the 1990 publication of his and Arjo Klamer's book, "The Making of an Economist." Colander's latest book, "The Making of an Economist, Redux," was published this year by Princeton University Press.

People

Colander, David C.

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Making of a European economist

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Superclass

Who's shaping globalization? Rothkopf discusses "The Superclass", his upcoming book about the world's power elite.

People

Rothkopf, David J. (David Jochanan), 1955-

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Superclass

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Plight of North Korean women in China

Beck discusses how human rights issues in North Korea affect neighboring countries, especially addressing the impact on North Korean women who live in China.

People

Beck, Peter

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Plight of North Korean women in China

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Why does Islam become politicized?

Four speakers, in individual talks, discuss Islamic political thought and conditions in post-invasion Iraq.

People

March, Andrew

Patel, David

Piscatori, James P.

Malik, Anas

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Why does Islam become politicized?

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To drive by not driving: the art of life

The talk deals with the most important characteristics of Daoism and its relationship to Confucianism. It starts from the explanation of the Chinese phrase "Zi ran" and then discusses Daoism, Confucianism and Chinese thought.

People

Lian, Xinda

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To drive by not driving: the art of life

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Religion, ritual and power in the Mosaics of Ravenna

Yarbrough focuses on the Mosaics of 5th and 6th century Ravenna, Italy, to present a social and religious history of the Byzantine world.

People

Yarbrough, O. Larry

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Religion, ritual and power in the Mosaics of Ravenna

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What it means to be a Muslim

A discussion of Islamic thinking and religious beliefs in the American Muslim community.

People

Hayat, Mahmoud

Malik, Anas

Stearns, Justin

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What it means to be a Muslim

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What is anti-Americanism? The case of France

Meunier explores the background and politics of French anti-Americanism.

People

Meunier, Sophie

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What is anti-Americanism? The case of France

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Sociality of Neoliberalism: affect, family, and Japanese youth

Allison presents research on the connections between capitalism, affect, family and youth in 21st-century Japan.

People

Allison, Anne, 1950-

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Sociality of Neoliberalism: affect, family, and Japanese youth

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Islam, human rights, and democracy

2007-10-06

People

Modirzadeh, Naz

Kunkler, Mirjam

Mecham, Quinn

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Islam, human rights, and democracy

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A MiddLab Project

Reading the passion of John

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

Parini, Jay

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Reading the passion of John

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Is it one story from four or four stories from one?

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

Yarbrough, O. Larry

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Is it one story from four or four stories from one?

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Dealing with Russia: a business, political, and legal perspective

An anecdotal account of life in Russia after the 1991 revolution.

People

O'Connor, Eileen, 1960?

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Dealing with Russia: a business, political, and legal perspective

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Passion in Christian liturgy

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

Atwell, Robert

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Passion in Christian liturgy

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Democracy, institution-building and the rule of law in Central and East Europe

A commentary on the current economic and social development of the countries in central Europe.

People

Machácek, Jan

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Democracy, institution-building and the rule of law in Central and East Europe

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Politics of piracy in China and Russia

Dimitrov presents research from his upcoming book, The Politics of Piracy in China, on copyright, patent, and trademark piracy in China and Russia.

People

Dimitrov, Martin

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Politics of piracy in China and Russia

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Fifteen stations in the passion of Mark

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

Alvarez, Julia

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Fifteen stations in the passion of Mark

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Theological themes in the Passion

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

Sonderegger, Katherine

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Theological themes in the Passion

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Passion and the resurrection

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

Hatjigeorgiou, Maria

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Passion and the resurrection

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Dying for our sins: Jesus’ passion on the silver screen

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

Reinhartz, Adele, 1953-

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Dying for our sins: Jesus' passion on the silver screen

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Green strategies for historic buildings

Carroon speaks about incorporating "green" building techniques into restoring historic buildings.

People

Carroon, Jean

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Green strategies for historic buildings

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From the deep past to the not-too-distant future : the importance of time scales for understanding and addressing the current climate crisis

Seven Middlebury College faculty members present research in their individual fields of inquiry on the theme of climate change.

People

Landis, Matthew

Lloyd, Andrea

Manley, Patricia Lee

Munroe, Jeffrey

Trombulak, Steven C.

Wolfson, Richard

Isham, Jonathan

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From the deep past to the not-too-distant future : the importance of time scales for understanding and addressing the current climate crisis

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Did He die and how; the death of Jesus in Islamic discourse

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

Mourad, Suleiman Ali

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Did He die and how; the death of Jesus in Islamic discourse

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Passion in American Literature

The death of Jesus, the central event of "the Passion," is a major icon of the Western world, however one views it. The 2008 Scott Symposium begins with an examination of the story of Jesus' death in the gospels and other early Christian literature, then looks at the development of these narratives in liturgy, art, music, literature, drama, and film.

People

McWilliams, John P.

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Passion in American Literature

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Power transition in Russia? The significance of the presidential election

Rutland discusses the status of Russian democracy in the wake of the 2008 election.

People

Rutland, Peter

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Power transition in Russia? The significance of the presidential election

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Dictatorship and repression

Gregory presents an overview of his research in Soviet state and party archives.

People

Gregory, Paul R.

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Dictatorship and repression

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Political power and property rights in Russia’s regions

Explores the political origins of secure property rights for Russian businesses, based on survey evidence collected in 2004. Firms in regions with greater electoral competition are (1) better protected from government corruption, (2) more influential in shaping new rules and regulations at the regional level, and (3) more apt to have expanded or renovated their capital stock. Those that are members of business associations are also characterized by stronger property rights, though the impact of this organization within the business community holds more strongly in regions with less electoral competition. Business community organization, in other words, substitutes for electoral competition in restraining the "grabbing hand" of state officials.

People

Pyle, William

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Political power and property rights in Russia's regions

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China : is political reform possible?

Fewsmith examines the impact of generational change in China, and the likelihood of significant political reform in the near future.

People

Fewsmith, Joseph, 1949-

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China : is political reform possible?

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Culture of food in rural China

Oxfeld examines the embedded meanings of food in a very local village context (Moonshadow Pond Village, Mei Xian, Guandong) and the way food is used to create meaning and to create relationships.

People

Oxfeld, Ellen, 1953-

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Culture of food in rural China

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Beyond the Bush years

Painting a picture of a society in crisis, Herbert urges thoughtful members of the electorate to participate more actively in civic affairs.

People

Herbert, Bob, 1945-

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Beyond the Bush years

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Pentagon’s new map

Barnett lays out a national security strategy that justifies U.S. intervention in regions of the world that are the most unconnected to globalization.

People

Barnett, Thomas P.M.

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Pentagon's new map

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Benefits and risks of nuclear energy in a globalized world

Ferguson presents research from his 2007 report for the Council on Foreign Relations, which lays out both the potential and the limits of nuclear power to enhance energy security and slow climate change.

People

Ferguson, Charles

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Benefits and risks of nuclear energy in a globalized world

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Coming transformation : America, capitalism and the environmental future

Seeing an “emerging environmental tragedy of unprecedented proportions,” Speth says his aim is to describe a non-socialist alternative to capitalism. That alternative includes moving to a post-growth society and environmentally honest prices, curbing consumerism with a new ethic of sufficiency, rolling back growing corporate control of American political life, and addressing the enormous economic insecurity of the average person. “My point of departure is the momentous environmental challenge we face,” Speth says. “But today’s environmental reality is linked powerfully with other realities, including growing social inequality and neglect and the erosion of democratic governance and popular control.” Speth examines how these seemingly separate areas of public concern are intertwined and calls upon citizens to mobilize spiritual and political resources for transformative change on all three fronts.

People

Speth, James Gustave

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Coming transformation : America, capitalism and the environmental future

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Still broken: a recruit’s inside account of intelligence failures from Baghdad to the Pentagon

A former intelligence officer offers an overview of the Iraq War and the intelligence process.

People

Rossmiller, Alex

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Still broken: a recruit's inside account of intelligence failures from Baghdad to the Pentagon

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Economic challenges facing the United States

A review of issues affecting the U.S. economy includes entitlements, health care, energy, trade, immigration, education, and R&D development.

People

Hubbard, Allan, 1947-

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Economic challenges facing the United States

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Soul of a citizen : hope in a time of fear

Loeb describes what gets people – especially students – involved in working for change; how community involvement can give us a powerful sense of connection and purpose, nurturing hope in a time of fear; and how we can avoid burning out in exhaustion over the long term.

People

Loeb, Paul Rogat, 1952-

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Soul of a citizen : hope in a time of fear

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Small business in Russia

Buyske reviews entrepreneurship and small business banking in Russia as it exists after perestroika and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

People

Buyske, Gail

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Small business in Russia

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Public diplomacy and the challenges of European power

Public diplomacy has become a major instrument for the European Union, its member states, and its peoples to position themselves in the world at the beginning of the 21st century. In what way will this newly formulated diplomacy influence transatlantic relations?

People

Redonnet, Jean-Claude

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Public diplomacy and the challenges of European power

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You must pay the sandman: impacts of sleep deprivation on health and performance and what you can do about it

What can research tell us about the essential role sleep plays in helping us achieve our full learning potential? Study after study has shown that our brain performs crucial tasks of reviewing, organizing, and prioritizing while we sleep, consolidating what we have learned or practiced during the day. So the maximum benefit from studying or learning any sort of new skill takes place only after a good night's sleep.

People

Attarian, Hrayr P.

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You must pay the sandman: impacts of sleep deprivation on health and performance and what you can do about it

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Role of non-government organizations in achieving the millennium development goals

MacCormack addresses the role of the Save the Children Federation in managing the UN Millennium Development Goals.

People

MacCormack, Charles

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Role of non-government organizations in achieving the millennium development goals

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Quest for our own identity: a discourse on post-colonial African and Caribbean cinema and literature

This year's symposium focused on how national identities have been expressed, challenged and negotiated through film. The speakers present various perspectives.

People

Fonkoua, Romuald-Blaise

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Quest for our own identity: a discourse on post-colonial African and Caribbean cinema and literature

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After Iraq: whither U.S. strategy?

Bacevich explains the nature and underlying logic of U.S. strategy in the global war on terror to date, and why that strategy has failed. It also provides a sense of where that failure leaves U.S. foreign policy at the end of the Bush administration, identifies the most significant legacies of the Bush era, and explains the most problematic constraints that the next U.S. president will face.

People

Bacevich, A. J.

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After Iraq: whither U.S. strategy?

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Effect of globalization on Arab cinema and literature

This year's symposium focused on how national identities have been expressed, challenged and negotiated through film. The speakers present various perspectives.

People

Antun, Sinan, 1967-

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Effect of globalization on Arab cinema and literature

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Actionable responses to global poverty: supporting "what works" as solution and problem

Discusses types of activities that are required to take people out of poverty and the role of social institutions in shaping the survival strategies of the poor.

People

Woolcock, Michael J. V., 1964-

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Actionable responses to global poverty: supporting "what works" as solution and problem

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European identities and cultural memory at the beginning of the third millennium

This year's symposium focused on how national identities have been expressed, challenged and negotiated through film. The speakers present various perspectives.

People

Domenichelli, Mario

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European identities and cultural memory at the beginning of the third millennium

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First phase of Trajan’s Pantheon: the design of Apollodorus of Damascus

What was the Pantheon? Who designed it? Broucke addresses the fundamental challenge of assembling conclusive information about a building that was constructed long ago, burnt twice, and had its ruins removed to make a place for its larger and still-standing successor, the Hadrianic Pantheon.

People

Broucke, Pieter B. F. J.

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First phase of Trajan's Pantheon: the design of Apollodorus of Damascus

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Culture of globalization

Storey discusses the drivers of globalization and presents it as an interplay between American hegemony and local resistance.

People

Storey, John, 1950-

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Culture of globalization

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Our energy future: a major change

Blittersdorf advocates for wind energy and other clean renewable energy sources.

People

Blittersdorf, David

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Our energy future: a major change

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Lucky to be foreigner: reflections of a cosmopolitan filmmaker

This year's symposium focused on how national identities have been expressed, challenged and negotiated through film. The speakers present various perspectives.

People

Lilienthal, Peter, 1929-

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Lucky to be foreigner: reflections of a cosmopolitan filmmaker

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White House ghosts: presidents and their speechwriters

Rob Schlesinger '94 discusses his first book, an entertaining and well-researched study of White House speechwriters.

People

Schlesinger, Robert

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White House ghosts: presidents and their speechwriters

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Bubble economy of Nebaj: Micro-Credit experience in Western Guatemalan Highlands & what it tells us about solidarity

Recently the Ixil Mayas of Guatemala have experienced two new strategies for climbing out of poverty. The first, conceived by aid consultants, is to lend them money so that they can become entrepreneurs. The second, conceived by the Ixils, is to borrow $5,000 each to smuggle themselves into the United States. For Ixils intent on working in the U.S., microcredits and other lending institutions have been an obvious place to borrow the money. For other Ixils who have borrowed money from institutions, the highest possible rate of return is to turn around and loan the money to Ixil migrants at 10% per month. Since Ixils in the U.S. have few defenses against unscrupulous employers, many are unable to make enough money to pay the debts and Nebaj lending institutions face many defaults.

People

Stoll, David, 1952-

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Bubble economy of Nebaj: Micro-Credit experience in Western Guatemalan Highlands & what it tells us about solidarity

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Sportsmanship and the value of honorable competition

Doyle engages student athletes in an interactive discussion of the principles of sportsmanship.

People

Doyle, Daniel E., 1949-

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Sportsmanship and the value of honorable competition

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Psychology of social identity: its role in group performance differences and the challenges of an integrated society

Steele’s talk explores unseen pressures on the academic performance of certain groups — groups whose abilities are negatively stereotyped, such as women in math and minorities in most academic fields.

People

Steele, Claude Sherman

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Psychology of social identity: its role in group performance differences and the challenges of an integrated society

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Poetry reading

Kinell reads from his own poems, intermingled with others he admires.

People

Kinnell, Galway, 1927-

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Poetry reading

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Is the economy coming to an end? What’s going on in the financial markets?

Middlebury faculty economists scrutinize the U.S. financial crisis.

People

Pardee, Scott

Matthews, Peter Hans

Prasch, Robert E., 1958-

Colander, David C.

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Is the economy coming to an end? What's going on in the financial markets?

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Dramatizing the archive : contested sites of memory and erasure

Kinder discusses The Labyrinth Project, an art collective and research initiative on interactive cinema and database narrative at USC's Annenberg Center for Communication.

People

Kinder, Marsha

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Dramatizing the archive : contested sites of memory and erasure

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Looking backwards : milestones in the field

Moderator Jay Parini and panelists Leger Grindon, Brett Millier, Paul Monod, and Michael Newbury discuss the “greatest hits” in their respective scholarly fields.

People

Millier, Brett Candlish

Monod, Paul Kléber

Newbury, Michael, 1962-

Parini, Jay

Grindon, Leger

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Looking backwards : milestones in the field

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Sites of memory : a faculty panel

Moderator Jason Mittell and panelists Rebecca Bennette, Daniel Brayton, Rachael Joo, and Christian Keathley discuss how the relationship between memory and place functions in literature, art, and culture. This topic was inspired by the fact that we had just transformed our old library – which was the College’s centennial building in 1900 – into a center for literary and cultural studies.

People

Joo, Rachel

Bennette, Rebecca

Brayton, Dan

Keathley, Christian

Mittell, Jason

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Sites of memory : a faculty panel

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Is China going to take over the world economy?

2008-10-09

People

Hornik, Richard

Hout, Thomas M.

Colander, David C.

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Is China going to take over the world economy?

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Reclaiming conservatism: how a great American political movement got lost, and how it can find its way back

An analysis of the conservative movement, which Edwards believes has abandoned the ideals for which it once stood.

People

Edwards, Mickey, 1937-

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Reclaiming conservatism: how a great American political movement got lost, and how it can find its way back

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Connecting taste, place, and the environment: towards a new future of food

Trubek analyzes the powerful connection between where our food comes from and the taste sensations it gives.

People

Trubek, Amy B.

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Connecting taste, place, and the environment: towards a new future of food

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Finding a way forward: options for ending the conflict in Eastern DRC

Oldham discusses the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

People

Oldham, Phil

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Finding a way forward: options for ending the conflict in Eastern DRC

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Expressionist excess or melodramatic desire? towards a performative aesthetic for Nelson Rodrigues

In this talk, Professor Medeiros investigates the expressionist and melodramatic modes in the work of Brazilian playwright Nelson Rodrigues to suggest how actors and directors might work together to solve his poetics of excess.

People

Medeiros, Claudio

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Expressionist excess or melodramatic desire? towards a performative aesthetic for Nelson Rodrigues

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Europe, Central Europe, Russia, and energy security (troubles with natural gas)

Machácek discusses energy strategies and political relationships in the European countries and Russia.

People

Machácek, Jan

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Europe, Central Europe, Russia, and energy security (troubles with natural gas)

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Population aging and pension reforms in Europe: the role of the European Union in meeting the challenge

The role of the EU in assessing public finance needs and legislating the coordination of national security systems, including portability of pension rights for people who move across borders.

People

Oksanen, Heikki

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Population aging and pension reforms in Europe: the role of the European Union in meeting the challenge

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How to escape the big box swindle and build a local economy

An invigorating account of how some communities have successfully countered the spread of big boxes and rebuilt their local economies.

People

Mitchell, Stacy

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How to escape the big box swindle and build a local economy

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Empire strikes back: American and European responses to a resurgent Russia

After Russian behavior during the Georgia crisis, Rupnik says there is little disagreement now in Europe about the nature of the new Russia.

People

Rupnik, Jacques

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Empire strikes back: American and European responses to a resurgent Russia

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Borneo medical expedition presentation

Student presentation of medical expedition to Borneo to teach EMT procedures in a remote region of Borneo.

People

Waldman, Caleigh Elizabeth

Wilson, Hannah Garling

Heck, Stephen Matthew

Chock, Michael George

Kavookjian, Haik Christopher

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Borneo medical expedition presentation

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Projects for Peace: an International Studies Colloquium presentation by six Middlebury College students.

On the event of her 100th birthday, philanthropist Kathryn Wasserman Davis established a new program to encourage and support motivated youth to create and implement their ideas for building peace throughout the world in the 21st century. One hundred student proposals from colleges and universities participating in the Davis United World College Scholars Program were selected in 2007 and 2008 to receive funding for their summer projects. Two projects from Middlebury were funded by Mrs. Davis this year, and the College supported four additional student proposals.

People

Ali Khan, Shujaat

Ahmed Khan, Saad

Gretebeck, Lisa Mariko

Sherpa, Tenzing

Vaughan, Matthew

Basij-Rasikh, Shabana

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Projects for Peace: an International Studies Colloquium presentation by six Middlebury College students.

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Understanding the role of food in Middlebury’s Carbon Neutrality Initiative

Over the past few years, there have been several efforts by Middlebury College students, faculty and staff to trace the origins of our food. Bill Hegman, GIS Specialist, Matt Biette, Director of Dining Services, and Jack Byrne, Director of Sustainability Integration highlight those efforts and lead a discussion on how food purchasing decisions made at Middlebury affect us environmentally, economically, socially, and politically.

People

Biette, Matthew

Byrne, Jack M.

Hegman, William

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Understanding the role of food in Middlebury's Carbon Neutrality Initiative

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Latino spin: public image and the whitewashing of race

Davila discusses her recent book, which "unearths the competing interests and race-inflected ideological tendencies behind characterizations of Latino political identity in the mainstream media" --Publisher's Weekly

People

Davila, Arlene M., 1965-

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Latino spin: public image and the whitewashing of race

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France, the United States and NATO: a new "ménage à trois"?

Leo Michel discusses the implications of a new relationship between French President Sarkozy, the United States, and NATO.

People

Michel, Leo G.

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France, the United States and NATO: a new "ménage à trois"?

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Buckyballs, tiny machines, and nanoputians : the miniature world of nanotechnology

Introduction to nanotechnology using the examples of buckminsterfullerenes (buckyballs), molecular machines (molecular components that have been designed to perform mechanical-like movements in response to specific stimuli), and nanoputians (organic molecules whose structural formulae appear human).

People

Byers, Jeffrey H.

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Buckyballs, tiny machines, and nanoputians : the miniature world of nanotechnology

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November 1938-November 2008: seventy years after Italy’s racial laws

Visani discusses the attitude of church leaders toward the 1938 anti-Jewish laws of Mussolini, based on archival research conducted in the Vatican Secret Archives opened to scholars in September 2006. Sponsored by Departments of History and Italian, Cook Commons, Jewish Studies Program-Saltz Fund, and Rohatyn Center for International Affairs.

People

Visani, Alessandro, 1968-

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November 1938-November 2008: seventy years after Italy's racial laws

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Second-class in the Second City : space and the artistry of place in black Chicago

Nash contrasts two artistic texts, Richard Wright's Native Son and Gwendolyn Brooks' A Street in Bronzeville, examining them in the light of both the history of the development of Chicago's South Side during the period 1930-1970 and some sources of pictorial history, one of which only recently became available to researchers.

People

Nash, William R., 1964-

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Second-class in the Second City : space and the artistry of place in black Chicago

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Black man’s burden : representing history in contemporary African American art

Pinder surveys an array of Black American artists who have confronted the racial memories of the past in their work. Her lecture accompanies the exhibition at Middlebury College Museum of Art, Confronting history: contemporary artists envision the past.

People

Pinder, Kymberly N.

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Black man's burden : representing history in contemporary African American art

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Environment as a bridge to peace in the Middle East

Rabbi Cohen speaks about the ecology and environmental challenges in Israel and the Middle East, and about the efforts of Arava Institute to bring together Israeli, Palestinian, Jordanian, and other students, in order to facilitate communication about and generating solutions for environmental and social problems in the Middle East.

People

Cohen, Michael M., Rabbi.

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Environment as a bridge to peace in the Middle East

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Uncle Sam’s diagnosis: social determinants of health and health policy in the United States and Canada

Childhood poverty, not individual lifestyle, is a more accurate predictor of heart and other diseases no matter how healthy and wealthy you become as an adult. Health inequalities are due to differences in living conditions, and living conditions are determined by social policy. The U.S. spends only 14% of GDP on social and public spending, comparing poorly with other developed countries.

People

Raphael, Dennis

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Uncle Sam's diagnosis: social determinants of health and health policy in the United States and Canada

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On linguistic diversity: child language and the notion, "possible human language"

Mr. Soltan explains the purpose of linguistic theories by focusing on the theory of universal grammar. He explains how it is exhibited across different languages and also how it may be applied to the study of child language or the stage during which children are first learning their languages.

People

Soltan, Usama

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On linguistic diversity: child language and the notion, "possible human language"

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Russia and Brazil: democratization in comparative perspective

Mr. Segrillo summarizes the political histories of Brazil and Russia and then compares the process of democratization happening in each country.

People

Segrillo, Angelo, 1958-

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Russia and Brazil: democratization in comparative perspective

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Endangered languages and the strange case of the Summer Institute of Linguistics

Discusses the history and current activities of the controversial Summer Institute of Linguistics and its work with indigenous peoples in Mexico and South America.

People

Stoll, David, 1952-;

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Endangered languages and the strange case of the Summer Institute of Linguistics

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Middle East challenges to the Obama administration

Mr. Makovsky reports on the state of Israel's relationship with its neighbors from Israel's perspective as a context for the policy options that the Obama administration should pursue in the Middle East.

People

Makovsky, David

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Middle East challenges to the Obama administration

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Penguins as marine sentinels

Penguins are sentinels of the marine environment, and by observing and studying them, researchers can learn about the rate and nature of changes occurring in the southern oceans. As ocean samplers, penguins provide insights into patterns of regional ocean productivity and long-term climate variation.

People

Boersma, P. D. (P. Dee)

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Penguins as marine sentinels

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When will France have its own Obama? : a roundtable discussion

Anthropologists convene to discuss race issues in French politics, what Obama represents for the French, and the implications of his election in France in light of recent race tensions and violence there.

People

Berliss, David I.

Epstein, Beth S.

Raulin, Anne

Poulin-Deltour, William J.

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When will France have its own Obama? : a roundtable discussion

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Residential energy efficiency in Vermont

Discussion of "building science" - the analysis and control of the physical phenomena affecting buildings used to to optimize building performance, to reduce energy use, and to ensure the comfort and safety of the occupants.

People

Hand, Thomas

Hand, Jamie

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Residential energy efficiency in Vermont

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Corporate social responsibility, from Vermont to China

Mr. Kritkausky discusses the need for creation of global standards of corporate social responsibility, and the assistance of small and medium-sized enterprises in Vermont and China in developing sustainable marketing strategies and viable positions in the value chain as they seek to become more environmentally and socially sustainable. He has directed ECOLOGIA research on China's "socially responsible" entrepreneurs, a hopeful and neglected business subculture in China, and talks about the need for socially responsible business practices worldwide.

People

Kritkausky, Randall

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Corporate social responsibility, from Vermont to China

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All contributions great and small: how the campaign finance system shapes U.S. policies

Johnson's thesis is that while interests at stake with small political contributions in the U.S. are different from interests with large contributions, it is still 'interested' money, which should make us concerned about its effects on representation, especially the fact that small contributions may be contributing to more extreme elected officials and thus more party polarization.

People

Johnson, Bertram

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All contributions great and small: how the campaign finance system shapes U.S. policies

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Visualizing patterns in U.S. urban population trends

Schroeder explains how he created his map, which visualizes patterns in population trends throughout the major U.S. urban centers during the period, 1955-2000. He highlights two techniques that he used: namely, cascading density weighting and bicomponent trend mapping.

People

Schroeder, Jonathan

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Visualizing patterns in U.S. urban population trends

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Urban sustainability: can we make cities sustainable?

The world is urbanizing: more than half of the global population lives in cities, and almost all the projected population growth in the coming decades will be in urban areas in the developing world. This is potentially worrisome, given that today's cities consume three-quarters of the world's natural resources and generate three-quarters of the world's waste. On the other hand, cities have the potential to be extremely efficient. In this talk, MIT Professor Judith Layzer considers how cities can contribute to global efforts to become more sustainable.

People

Layzer, Judith A.

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Urban sustainability: can we make cities sustainable?

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Creating value for all : strategies for doing business with the poor

Discussion of the role of the private sector enterprises in the economic development of poor countries, and of the need of more inclusive business models that recognize the poor not only as consumers, but also as drivers of growth. Thommessen highlights that in markets that include more poor people, we all win. Business models that include the poor require broad support and offer gains for all.

People

Thommessen, Christian H.

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Creating value for all : strategies for doing business with the poor

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Treasure into tractors: the selling of Russia’s cultural heritage, 1918-1938

Explores the fate of Russian art collections and libraries following the Russian Revolution in 1917, the institutions and individuals responsible for their sale, and the prominent collectors, libraries, and museums that acquired them. Unlike the widely publicized controversy surrounding Soviet-Nazi war loot and its restitution, the sales of the inter-war period are not well known outside a small scholarly community. This talk reveals the extent of the Soviet government's voluntary 'realization' of Russia's cultural patrimony between 1918 and 1938 and its consequences for both the international art market and the perception of Russian art. The imperial Easter eggs by Faberge and Old-Master paintings purchased by Andrew Mellon from the State Hermitage and now in the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. are the most celebrated works that changed hands. Equally significant are the bibliographic rarities from imperial libraries, icons and liturgical art from churches and monasteries, and antiques, furnishings and fine art from estates, palaces, and private homes.

People

Odom, Anne, 1935-

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Treasure into tractors: the selling of Russia's cultural heritage, 1918-1938

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Archaeology, the maritime landscape, and fishing the ocean’s past

Mapping and evaluating marine cultural landscapes allows scientists and researchers to gain new understanding of the roles of maritime activities within specific societies, to discover patterns of maritime-based interactions between cultures, and to develop a better long term understanding of human impacts on specific maritime ecosystems. It also allows a long term analysis of the human aspects of environmental change, and a clearer identification of important cultural variables such as trade patterns, availability of technologies, and impacts of shore-centered activities (farming, industrialization, urbanization) on the seas and oceans.

People

Jensen, John Odin

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Archaeology, the maritime landscape, and fishing the ocean's past

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Challenges of development in East Asia

Ms. Barma explores political, economic, and social issues common to diverse East Asian countries, the development challenges they face, and the role of the World Bank in promoting and facilitating growth in that region.

People

Barma, Naazneen

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Challenges of development in East Asia

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Does Democracy Promote Development?

Thacker's research focuses on the effect of democracy on three aspects of development: health or human development, environmental quality, and economic openness. His research combines an empirical approach with classical historical analysis.

People

Thacker, Strom

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Does Democracy Promote Development?

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Is linking thinking? Addressing scholarly hypermedia

The link is perhaps the single most revolutionary device within the web. While it shares certain attributes with the footnote, the endnote, and the citation, it lacks the long evolution that distinguish our print-based traditions of pointing readers to new and related materials. As a result, what it gains in immediacy it loses in its ability to reliably deliver not only the material its author intended to be delivered, but often over time, its ability to deliver anything at all. Through a survey of existing and emerging link architectures, and their expression in commercial browsers, this talk looks at a number of allied questions surrounding linking in particular, and the construction of hypermedia environments in general. In short, how do we evaluate the quality of thought within hypermedia scholarship?

People

Roy, Michael

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Is linking thinking? Addressing scholarly hypermedia

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Market for virtue: a critical appraisal of the potential and limits of corporate social responsibility

A clear, balanced analysis of the contemporary corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement in the United States and Europe. Vogel discusses recent CSR initiatives and responds to new developments in the CSR debate. He asserts that while the movement has achieved success in improving some labor, human rights, and environmental practices in developing countries, there are limits to improving corporate conduct without more extensive and effective government regulation. Vogel believes that there is a market for virtue, but it is limited by the substantial costs of socially responsible business behavior.

People

Vogel, David, 1947-

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Market for virtue: a critical appraisal of the potential and limits of corporate social responsibility

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Blogs, billions and bailouts: is the press up to covering the financial crisis?

Wessel identifies a host of problems besetting the relationship between newspapers and their readership: chief among them is the issue of objectivity versus partisanship on the part of both newspapers and readers.

People

Wessel, David

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Blogs, billions and bailouts: is the press up to covering the financial crisis?

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Early spring: climate change in a New England landscape

Seidl correlates anecdotal evidence of changes in her local environment with the larger issue of global warming.

People

Seidl, Amy, 1965-

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Early spring: climate change in a New England landscape

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Socially Responsible Investing 101

Weber presents the basics of socially responsible investing with a focus on green investing, and she also discusses the viability of SRI for institutions such as colleges to use to grow their college endowments.

People

Weber, Cheyenna

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Socially Responsible Investing 101

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Laughing matters: joking and gender in satirical gazettes from the Italian Fascist period

Examines an important figure of Italian fascist propaganda called the donna-crisi, or “crisis-woman,” as she is represented in several of Italy’s most widely-read satirical gazettes. The central argument is that these texts that shed significant light on how the crisis-woman functioned as an instrument of propaganda.

People

Chang, Natasha V.

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Laughing matters: joking and gender in satirical gazettes from the Italian Fascist period

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Human security and regional cooperation in East Asia

Professor Akaha discusses the pressing human security issues in East Asia and the scope and form of institutionalization of regional cooperation dealing with these issues, with a particular focus on human trafficking, labor migration, and HIV/AIDS, three of the most challenging human security issues in the region.

People

Akaha, Tsuneo, 1949-

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Human security and regional cooperation in East Asia

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Proportionality and self defense in war

Discusses the multi-dimensional aspects of proportionality that are not often considered or understood in traditional 'just-war' theory.

People

McMahan, Jeff

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Proportionality and self defense in war

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Role of political and economic ideas in policymaking

The panel discusses the role that ideas have played in shaping U.S. policy. Douglas Irwin discusses the role of ideas in U.S. trade policy with contrast to Great Britain's trade policy; David Colander discusses the role of ideas in shaping key aspects of the relationship between the U.S. and Latin America; and Murray Dry talks about the role ideas played in the time of Hamilton, Madison, and Jefferson between a Republican government and Federalism.

People

Dry, Murray

Collander, David

Morrison, James

Irwin, Douglas A.,1962-

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Role of political and economic ideas in policymaking

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Free Speech or Hate Speech? The Danish Cartoon Controversy in the European Legal Context

2009-10-16;

People

Bleich, Erik;

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Free Speech or Hate Speech? The Danish Cartoon Controversy in the European Legal Context

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What You Need to Know About Health Care Reform: How hard can it be to reform the U.S. health care system?

Skinner explores the following questions: How hard can it be to reform the United States health care system? Have other countries figured out a better way? Why do health care costs vary so much across regions? What’s needed to fix American health care? And why is doing something about health care cost growth critical?

People

Skinner, Jonathan

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What You Need to Know About Health Care Reform: How hard can it be to reform the U.S. health care system?

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Crisis of the British Empire, 1763-83: a textbook problem

What did the American Revolution look like through British eyes? It represented a crisis for British identity and a turning point for Britain's expanding empire, as an imperial relationship based on common cultural ties was replaced by a new vision of global dominance, founded on the forced integration of non-British peoples.

People

Monod, Paul Kléber

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Crisis of the British Empire, 1763-83: a textbook problem

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To Live or Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan

2009-10-07;

People

Schmidle, Nicholas

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To Live or Perish Forever: Two Tumultuous Years in Pakistan

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Study Abroad in China: Do Students Become More Fluent?

2009-10-07;

People

Du, Hang

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Study Abroad in China: Do Students Become More Fluent?

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Eco Entrepreneurship: The Time is Now

2009-10-14;

People

Smith, Jed A.

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Eco Entrepreneurship: The Time is Now

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The origins of political complexity in the Maya area

2009-10-15;

People

Hammond, Norman

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The origins of political complexity in the Maya area

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Mythical Triumph of Gothic Style in Early Renaissance Florence

Kanter considers the early artistic traditions of the quattrocento, from the Gothic style of Lorenzo Ghiberti's Gates of Paradise to the advent of Masaccio and the classical ideals of Donatello and of Filippo Brunelleschi, and introduces a number of alternative readings of history.

People

Kanter, Laurence B.

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Mythical Triumph of Gothic Style in Early Renaissance Florence

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Blue Helmets and Black Markets: The Business of Survival in the Siege of Sarajevo

The 1992-1995 battle for Sarajevo was the longest siege in modern history. It was also the most internationalized, attracting a vast contingent of aid workers, UN soldiers, journalists, smugglers, and embargo-busters. The city took center stage under an intense global media spotlight, becoming the most visible face of post-Cold War conflict and humanitarian intervention. However, some critical activities took place backstage, away from the cameras, including extensive clandestine trading across the siege lines, theft and diversion of aid, and complicity in the black market by peacekeeping forces. In Blue Helmets and Black Markets, Peter Andreas traces the interaction between these formal front-stage and informal backstage activities, arguing that this created and sustained a criminalized war economy and prolonged the conflict in a manner that served various interests on all sides. Although the vast majority of Sarajevans struggled for daily survival and lived in a state of terror, the siege was highly rewarding for some key local and international players. This situation also left a powerful legacy for postwar reconstruction: new elites emerged via war profiteering and an illicit economy flourished partly based on the smuggling networks built up during wartime. Andreas shows how and why the internationalization of the siege changed the repertoires of siege-craft and siege defenses and altered the strategic calculations of both the besiegers and the besieged. The Sarajevo experience dramatically illustrates that just as changes in weapons technologies transformed siege warfare through the ages, so too has the arrival of CNN, NGOs, satellite phones, UN peacekeepers, and aid convoys. Drawing on interviews, reportage, diaries, memoirs, and other sources, Andreas documents the business of survival in wartime Sarajevo and the limits, contradictions, and unintended consequences of international intervention.

People

Andreas, Peter, 1965-

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Blue Helmets and Black Markets: The Business of Survival in the Siege of Sarajevo

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Major themes in evolutionary medicine

Medically significant traces of our evolutionary history; reproductive medicine; the evolution and ecology of infectious diseases; the evolutionary genetics, genomics, and emergence of disease; the evolutionary biology of digenerative disease; antibiotic resistance; the hygiene / old friends hypothesis (co-evolution); evolution in a contemporary human population.

People

Stearns, S. C. (Stephen C.), 1946-

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Major themes in evolutionary medicine

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End of the Cold War: The Night the Masks Fell

A lecture by Igor Lukes, History professor at Boston University on the events leading to the fall of the Berlin Wall in fall 1989. This lecture is part of a week-long event called Freedom Without Walls co-sponsored by the German Embassy to the US in Washington, DC., commemorating 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall in November 1989.

People

Lukes, Igor

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End of the Cold War: The Night the Masks Fell

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Love Chemistry: The Science behind Viagra

Dr. Terrett led the team of medicinal chemists at Pfizer’s UK laboratories who investigated a novel therapeutic mechanism that ultimately resulted in the molecule destined to become Viagra. The presentation describes how a project initially intended to find a cardiovascular medicine resulted in a treatment for erectile dysfunction, and how new clinical methods were required to test the effectiveness of the drug. The talk also describes what happens when unassuming scientists are thrust into the media limelight.

People

Terret, Nicholas K.

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Love Chemistry: The Science behind Viagra

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Reflections on 1989: Twenty Years of Czech-American and Transatlantic Relations

2009-10-30;

People

Kolar, Petr

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Reflections on 1989: Twenty Years of Czech-American and Transatlantic Relations

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Challenges of Teaching and Learning about Biological Evolution

Learning about biological evolution presents particular challenges for students. Barriers to learning come in the form of students’ prior conceptions that conflict with the scientific perspective of biological change. Theory and research from developmental and educational psychology provide insight into these barriers. Helping students understand evolution is not simply a matter of adding to their existing knowledge, but rather, it means helping them to see the world in new and different ways. Theoretical perspectives on creating change in students’ conceptions have implications for teaching about biological evolution.

People

Sinatra, Gale M.

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Challenges of Teaching and Learning about Biological Evolution

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Darwin’s wretched-looking little weeds: Insights on evolution from the flora of the Galapagos

2009-09-25;

People

Schlessman, Mark A., 1952-

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Darwin's wretched-looking little weeds: Insights on evolution from the flora of the Galapagos

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New Geopolitics of Energy : Beyond the Crisis

Klare speaks on geopolitics and resource-driven conflict, the energy crisis, and relations between the United States and China.

People

Klare, Michael T., 1942-;

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New Geopolitics of Energy : Beyond the Crisis

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Greening Study Abroad: Sustainable Study Abroad Grants Presentations

Sustainable Study Abroad student presentations by grantees Kathleen (Kat) Hartley, Sophia University, Japan: Organic Farming in Japan; Stephanie Joyce, Unifersidad Austral de Chile (Middlebury School in Latin America): Glacial Meltwater as an Urban Resource; Deanna Tamborelli, Universidad Antonio Ruiz de Montoya (University of Virginia), Peru: Saving Peru's Waterways: The Effectiveness of Grassroots Environmental Activism

People

Joyce, Stephanie

Tamborelli, Deanna

Hartley, Kathleen

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Greening Study Abroad: Sustainable Study Abroad Grants Presentations

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Too Much Tuscan Sun? Americans Write about Italy

2009-10-30;

People

Knox, Edward C.

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Too Much Tuscan Sun? Americans Write about Italy

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Darwin and the evolution of reasons

2009-09-25;

People

Dennett, Daniel Clement

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Darwin and the evolution of reasons

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Can the Private Sector be trusted to Protect Nature? Conservation Cowboys in Africa and Latin America

2009-09-17;

People

Langholz, Jeff A. (Jeff Alan)

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Can the Private Sector be trusted to Protect Nature? Conservation Cowboys in Africa and Latin America

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Psychology of Right View: Neuroscience, Nature and What We See

From a Buddhist perspective, "right view" is an enlightened understanding of reality as relational and dynamic. Inspired by new neuroscience, this presentation explores the development of such a view in the interest of understanding systems and interdependence. The focus will be natural patterns.

People

Sewall, Laura, 1955-

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Psychology of Right View: Neuroscience, Nature and What We See

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Enduring Significance of the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights, with Special Attention to the Problem of the Defamation of Religion

Little speaks on the enduring legacy of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, with particular attention to questions of freedom of religion. In response to skepticism regarding the very existence of norms human beings can all agree to protect, he sketches a philosophical justification of the human rights language codified in the U.N. Declaration. He also defends the Declaration's ideal of religious freedom, in particular against critics in predominantly religious societies who argue that it is an imposition of western culture that insufficiently protects against the "defamation of religion." Finally, Little argues for the continued importance of the concept of "human rights," in the face of pragmatist and relativist challenges to rights language as a basis for universally recognized moral and political boundaries.

People

Little, David

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Enduring Significance of the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights, with Special Attention to the Problem of the Defamation of Religion

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Hope for Change: Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities in Afghanistan

International Studies Colloquium round table discussion with Ambassador Jeffrey Lunstead, Diplomat in Residence; Will Bellaimey ’10; Bilal Sarwary ’10; and Hamza Usmani ’10; moderated by Hillary Aidun '12.

People

Bellaimey, Will

Sarwary, Bilal

Usmani, Hamza

Lunstead, Jeffrey J. (Jeffrey John), 1947-

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Hope for Change: Understanding the Challenges and Opportunities in Afghanistan

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Raising Bilingual Children in Monolingual Environments: A Case Study

2009-12-20;

People

Martinez-Lage, Ana

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Raising Bilingual Children in Monolingual Environments: A Case Study

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AIDS Activism at Home and Abroad

An International Studies Colloquium presentation by Patricia Siplon, associate professor of political science at Saint Michael's College, and 2003 Vermont Professor of the Year. She is the author of AIDs and the Policy Struggle in the United States (2002), and AIDs Treatment Activism in the Era of Globalization (forthcoming).

People

Siplon, Patricia D.

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AIDS Activism at Home and Abroad

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Martin Luther King Celebration Keynote Address

2010-01-18;

People

Sinkford, William

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Martin Luther King Celebration Keynote Address

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Accidental Empire: Israel’s Settlement Dilemma

2010-02-18

People

Gorenberg, Gershom

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Accidental Empire: Israel's Settlement Dilemma

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War of Necessity, War of Choice

Haass--a member of the National Security Council staff for the first President Bush and the director of policy planning in the State Department for Bush II--contrasts the decisions that shaped the conduct of the two Iraq wars and makes a crucial distinction between the 1991 and 2003 conflicts, while offering an examination of the means and ends of U.S. foreign policy: how it should be made, what it should seek to accomplish, and how it should be pursued.

People

Haass, Richard

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War of Necessity, War of Choice

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What Happened in Copenhagen and What Does it Mean Now for America and the World?

Firsthand accounts of what happened in the December meeting of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Copenhagen and a discussion of what the negotiations mean for U.S. legislation and international climate change negotiations as a whole. Introductory remarks by Bill McKibben, Scholar-in-Residence in Environmental Studies. Panelists: Chris McGrory Klyza, Stafford Professor of Public Policy, Political Science and Environmental Studies; May Boeve '07; Rhidaya Trivedi '12; and Benjamin Wessel '11.

People

McKibben, Bill;

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What Happened in Copenhagen and What Does it Mean Now for America and the World?

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Reading Beyond Orientalism: Why Polemics Never Really Die

2010-01-21;

People

Varisco, Daniel Martin

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Reading Beyond Orientalism: Why Polemics Never Really Die

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How to read the Bible

2010-04-18;

People

Kugel, James L.

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How to read the Bible

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Crude Democracy: Resource Wealth and Political Regimes

Prof. Dunning challenges the conventional wisdom that natural resource wealth promotes autocracy. Oil and other forms of mineral wealth can promote both authoritarianism and democracy, Dunning argues, but they do so through different mechanisms; an understanding of these different mechanisms can help elucidate when either the authoritarian or democratic effects of resource wealth will be relatively strong. Exploiting game-theoretic tools and statistical modeling as well as detailed country case studies and drawing on fieldwork in Latin America and Africa, Prof. Dunning builds and tests a theory that explains political variation across resource-rich states.

People

Dunning, Thad, 1973-

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Crude Democracy: Resource Wealth and Political Regimes

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Stories of Platinum Anticancer Drug Research

Sunhee Choi, John D. McCullough Professor of Chemistry gives her inaugural lecture.

People

Choi, Sunhee

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Stories of Platinum Anticancer Drug Research

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New U.S-India Relationship: Setting the Stage

Karl F. Inderfurth, who worked in the U.N. and for the U.S. government specializing in South Asian affairs, gave a speech about the dynamic between India and the United States. Inderfurth started out by stating that India has a big role to play in today’s political climate. “India has emerged as one of the rising powers in the 21st century,” Inderfurth explained. “Along with China, it is one of the major powers on the Asian continent.” He then went on to state why the United States must engage with India. Inderfurth mentioned the global environment, a desire to maximize economic trade as reasons for U.S. involvement in moving the South Asian region toward stability. Many of the points he made centered on the power the two countries would have working together to create a positive change in the world. “The United States is the world’s first democracy,” he pointed out. “India is the world’s largest.” The relationship between the two nations was not always so stable. It was only after the Cold War, once India began to open itself up to other nations, that a true bond was formed. “It has been a transformation from a country with which we had an estranged relationship and democracy to one where we are engaged democracies.” However, Inderfurth admitted that he was afraid that the publicity India is receiving because of its booming economy would create an unrealistic expectation of what it can achieve in the present. “We don’t have to look at India through rose-tinted glasses,” he said. “What we need right now is a realistic outlook for the nation.” Two of the main problems India faces is maintaining its high economic growth and dealing with challenges such as infrastructure and poverty. Inderfurth added that Manmohan Singh’s government is aware of the domestic challenges it faces. “India sees itself as a developing country,” he explained. “An advanced country, but a developing country.” As of now, India’s rising population is an advantage, because the booming economy has stimulated job and education opportunities. Another aspect of the India-U.S. relationship Inderfurth focused on was where China fit in to the picture. In the past, India and China have had continuous border disagreements that created tension between them. Both nations have come together to work on their relationship, and China is now India’s largest trading partner. “The U.S. needs to engage China on its merits as it does India,” said Inderfurth, “and not get into a competition or a competitive triangle between the two. It should be a cooperative triangle, not a confrontational triangle.” Collaboration between the three nations could lead to great progress on important issues, such as climate change and energy security. Overall, “Looking at India in a realistic sense of where it is and what challenges it faces and what it can accomplish is a good idea and one that will be well served in this symposium,” said Inderfurth.

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Inderfurth, Karl

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New U.S-India Relationship: Setting the Stage

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Nonproliferation Regime: The Good, the bad and the Ugly

Dr William Potter started his presentation by outlining several of the more positive – yet in his opinion often neglected – features of the NPT. Mr Potter pointed out that the NPT is the treaty with the broadest membership in the world. Although there are four notable exceptions (including the DPRK), almost the entire international community has voluntarily chosen to ratify the treaty. Mr Potter also argued that despite fatalistic forecasts about proliferation cascades, the pace of proliferation remains much less than anticipated. Mr Potter also considered as ‘good news’ the increasing number of countries who have signed the Additional Protocol – an agreement which gives the IAEA more freedom to carry out controls in the member state. The new political leadership in the United States was also considered as a positive development as it carved out greater political space for progress on nuclear disarmament. Mr Potter then went on to outline several negative developments relating to the NPT. These included the increasingly uncompromising positions on the part of some NWS as well as NNWS. Another turn for the worse was the apparent disappearance of a group of like-minded states who previously had served as a vital bridge between many of the NWS and NNWS on disarmament and non-proliferation issues. Sharp divisions between member states contributed to the crumbling of this consensus. Mr Potter also cautioned of the rising prospects for non-state actors to enter into the equation as suppliers, middle-men and end-users of nuclear material. He stressed that it was crucial for the United States, its Allies, and Russia to take the lead in minimising the use of highly enriched uranium in the civilian nuclear sector and called for stricter punishment for crimes relating to lax nuclear security. Mr Potter also looked critically upon the recent US-Indian nuclear deal which he said has weakened the NPT. In terms of recommendations for the future, Mr Potter stressed the importance of revitalising US-Russian and NATO-Russian cooperation. Although recognizing that it was not a substitute for high-level US-Russian proliferation consultations, Potter suggested a greater use of the NATORussia Council to pursue coordinated action on non-proliferation policy and to counter nuclear terrorism. Another recommendation urged NATO to reassess its continued deployment of substrategic nuclear weapons in Europe. Mr Potter went on to call for greater collaboration in the safeguarding of sensitive fuel cycle technologies through the promotion of regional nuclear fuel centers, such as the Angarsk facility. Increased sharing of intelligence relating to illicit nuclear trafficking was also recommended. In conclusion, Mr Potter spoke of the need to bridge an apparent knowledge deficit regarding non-proliferation issues.

People

Potter, William C.

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Nonproliferation Regime: The Good, the bad and the Ugly

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President Obama’s Foreign Policy One Year Out

Stephen Walt offers a preliminary assesment of President Obama's foreign policy and handling of foreign affairs.

People

Walt, Stephen M., 1955-

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President Obama's Foreign Policy One Year Out

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A MiddLab Project

Economics and Voter Turnout : Is Turnout too Low, and What Can (or Should) be Done About It

It has often been argued that voter turnout in the United States is too low, particularly compared with turnout in other industrialized democracies, and that a healthy democracy should have higher turnout. Yet, an economist might argue, that it is surprising turnout is as high as it is, given the likelihood that any individual's vote will change the election outcome is vanishingly small in elections of reasonable size. Professor Henry Farber presents a short tour of economist's view of what economics has to say about voter turnout, and discusses alternative views of the determinants of turnout and the value of high voter turnout. Farber also discusses policies, used both in the U.S. and abroad, to increase voter turnout. These include mandatory voting with fines for not voting and a "Democracy Day" which provides an Election Day holiday in order to encourage voting.

People

Farber, Henry S.

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Economics and Voter Turnout : Is Turnout too Low, and What Can (or Should) be Done About It

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A MiddLab Project

Why we act and why we don’t: The Psychology Behind Engaging (or not) in Pro-Environmental Behaviors

Michelle McCauley, professor of psychology at Middlebury College, is interested in using psychology to help encourage and motivate pro-environmental behaviors. In this talk, McCauley shares a brief background on Conservation Psychology, which seeks to use what we know about psychology specifically to encourage and understand conservation behaviors. In addition, she will discuss some of the questions she and her students are trying to address regarding motivation, attitudes, and pro-environmental behaviors.

People

McCauley, Michelle

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Why we act and why we don't: The Psychology Behind Engaging (or not) in Pro-Environmental Behaviors

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A MiddLab Project

In It for the Long Term: Colby Hill Ecological Project’s First Ten Years of Biodiversity Monitoring on Forever Wild Private Lands

Colby Hill Ecological Project is a wilderness conservation and biodiversity monitoring effort on Vermont hill farms largely reclaimed by forest. Building a baseline of information about animals, plants and ecosystems, a handful of local researchers have worked to bring forth the story of the lands and document the legacy of a place conserved as "wild forever."

People

Lapin, Marc

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In It for the Long Term: Colby Hill Ecological Project's First Ten Years of Biodiversity Monitoring on Forever Wild Private Lands

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A MiddLab Project

New Biopolitics of Race and Health

Professor Roberts discusses the emergence of race-based biotechnologies and how they relate to health.

People

Roberts, Dorothy

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New Biopolitics of Race and Health

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A MiddLab Project

Some Observations on Twenty-Five Years of Collecting Art for a College Museum

In this lecture Richard Saunders discusses the journey taken to build an art collection for the Middlebury College Museum of Art since his arrival in 1985. His talk will consider such important ingredients as a compass, luck, patience, money, expertise, creativity, and friends, all of which have been essential elements in determining the direction the collection has taken.

People

Saunders, Richard H., 1949-

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Some Observations on Twenty-Five Years of Collecting Art for a College Museum

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A MiddLab Project

Art and the Public Realm

Internationally renowned artist Spencer Finch gives an illustrated lecture about his experiences producing public art installations. Finch's work probes both the transience and permanence of the human experience. His installations explore the phenomena of light, color and shadow, distilling works of poetry and literature, as well as engaging the natural world and the physical sciences.

People

Finch, Spencer, 1962-

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Art and the Public Realm

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A MiddLab Project

How to Read the Bible

Kugel's talk takes the audience on a tour through the Hebrew Bible based on an introductory course he taught at Harvard University for more than 20 years. His first aim is to acquaint listeners with the contents of the Bible itself, and he points out that by the end of his introduction, readers will have met all the major biblical figures: Abraham and Sarah, Moses, Miriam, Aaron, and Solomon, to name just a few. The talk also touches on some the major events, from the story of Adam and Eve to the Exodus from Egypt, the Babylonian exile, and Israel's eventual return to its homeland. The talk not only focuses on what the Biblical text says but on the larger question of what a modern reader is to make of it.

People

Kugel, James L.

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How to Read the Bible

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A MiddLab Project

Finding Meanings

This panel addresses national and transnational public health and the history of developmental aid.

People

Rimoin, Anne

Ott, Katherine

Keller, Richard C. (Richard Charles), 1969-

Ralph, James R. (James Richard), 1960-

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Finding Meanings

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A MiddLab Project

Gender Pay Gap: Going, Going, Going But Not Gone

Professor Blau’s talk addresses the following questions regarding gender earnings gap: What are the trends in the gender pay gap in the United States and what are the fundamental explanations for the gender pay gap? Can these explanations help us to understand why it has decreased? Also, has discrimination against women declined? And are there broad market-wide trends that help to explain the decrease in the gender pay gap? Specifically, have trends in the demand for labor favored women relative to men? Finally, why is the gender pay gap in the United States larger than in many other economically advanced countries?

People

Blau, Francine D.

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Gender Pay Gap: Going, Going, Going But Not Gone

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A MiddLab Project

Will the Environment Survive a Revived Peace Process?

2010-10-06

People

Tal, Alon, 1960-

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Will the Environment Survive a Revived Peace Process?

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A MiddLab Project

Before Yellowness: the Chinese as Perceived by Self and Other at the Beginning of European Contact

Through an analysis of the surviving Chinese and Western primary sources that address the subject, the presentation provides a narrative account of how yellowness of skin complexion came to be attributed to the Chinese as a people.

People

Wyatt, Don J.

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Before Yellowness: the Chinese as Perceived by Self and Other at the Beginning of European Contact

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A MiddLab Project

Cosmologist Reflects on the Work of Michelangelo Antonioni

2010-10-07

People

Winstein, Bruce

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Cosmologist Reflects on the Work of Michelangelo Antonioni

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A MiddLab Project

Future of Foreign Assistance

2010-10-08

People

Hewko, John

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Future of Foreign Assistance

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A MiddLab Project

Othering: Connecting through Difference

2010-09-23

People

Ray, Susan L.

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Othering: Connecting through Difference

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A MiddLab Project

The Lifecycle of Fieldwork: fieldwork methodology & process in developing countries

Lecture about establishing a research question, designing a project and research methodology

People

Teets, Jessica C.

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The Lifecycle of Fieldwork: fieldwork methodology & process in developing countries

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A MiddLab Project

21st century sustainable park design

Through its innovative management of 29,000 acres of New York City land, the Parks Department has emerged as a national and international leader in urban sustainability. Parks Commissioner and Middlebury Alumnus Adrian Benepe '78.5 has overseen the largest expansion of the City parks system since the 1930s. Commissioner Benepe will discuss how the agency's initiatives related to sustainable design and construction, natural resources management and fuel and energy conservation are transforming the New York City landscape and leading to new paradigms for park creation and maintenance.

People

Benepe, Adrian

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21st century sustainable park design

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A MiddLab Project

Land and Justice Symposium, Opening panel: Laboring Justice: Land, Food, People, and Policy

2011-04-08

People

Liu, Yvonne Yen

Doolittle, Amity

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Land and Justice Symposium, Opening panel: Laboring Justice: Land, Food, People, and Policy

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A MiddLab Project

21st century sustainable park design

2011-02-17

People

Benepe, Adrian

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21st century sustainable park design

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A MiddLab Project

Different American History

In this participatory presentation, O’Hara and Smith will present a different American history that contextualizes African Americans’ relationship to land and place in the U.S. Using race as a lens, presenters and participants will identify personal relationships and new connections between issues that usually are treated as unrelated environmental, economic development, or civic engagement policy concerns

People

Smith, Mistinguette

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Different American History

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A MiddLab Project

Hate, harmony and homo sapiens: zones of peace (ZoP) amidst war

Using case studies from Colombia, Yugoslavia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Aceh, Zimbabwe, and El Salvador, this presentation will evaluate zones of peace created during and after war

People

Iyer, Pushpa

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Hate, harmony and homo sapiens: zones of peace (ZoP) amidst war

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A MiddLab Project

The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI): Is It Working

Tom Tietenberg discusses the effectiveness of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, the first market-based regulatory program in the United States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. RGGI Inc. is a nonprofit corporation created to provide technical and administrative services to the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative CO2 budget trading programs of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont.

People

Tietenberg, Thomas H.

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The Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI): Is It Working

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A MiddLab Project

Does Wikileaks threaten American interests?

A panel discussion about the effect of Wikileaks on American diplomacy and international security.

People

Kraus, Michael

Lunstead, Jeffrey

Stanger, Allison

Sloan, Stanley R.

Dry, Murray

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Does Wikileaks threaten American interests?

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A MiddLab Project

Ham and Eggs in the 21st Century? An Updated Look at What the Past Tells Us about the Future of Retiring Baby Boomers and an Aging American Society

Professor Mitchell’s talk addresses issues regarding health care, social security, and public pensions and whether echoes of the past in current political and social movements presage future developments as the baby boomers move into retirement.

People

Mitchell, Daniel J. B.

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Ham and Eggs in the 21st Century? An Updated Look at What the Past Tells Us about the Future of Retiring Baby Boomers and an Aging American Society

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A MiddLab Project

American Intervention in Colombia: Why the War on Drugs has Failed

2011-05-10; 2011

People

Pulido, Daniel

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American Intervention in Colombia: Why the War on Drugs has Failed

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A MiddLab Project

How Do You Get So Clean and White? Racism and Hygiene in Gilded-Age America?

The history of the management of waste in the United States and how it relates to race.

People

Zimring, Carl, A., 1969-

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How Do You Get So Clean and White? Racism and Hygiene in Gilded-Age America?

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A MiddLab Project

Unstuck: writing our way out of the eco-conundrum

Jennifer Sahn asserts in this lecture that nature writing as a genre is dead and writers are freed from the constraint of that label.

People

Sahn, Jennifer

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Unstuck: writing our way out of the eco-conundrum

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A MiddLab Project

Recovering fish and wildlife in an era of climate change

2011-03-17; 2011

People

Wood, Chris

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Recovering fish and wildlife in an era of climate change

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A MiddLab Project

Laboring Justice: Land, Food, People, and Policy

Indigenous Peoples environmental activists have long responded with an alternative framing of the central issues in climate change-issues of justice, human rights and equity. This talk explores the origin of this alternative framing of climate change. Particular emphasis is placed in exploring indigenous peoples’ concerns about the potential loss of land rights and self-determination that could result from “Reduced Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation” (REDD) projects and what safe guards are needed to mitigate the impact of REDD polices on the basic rights of forest-dependent peoples. In the second part of the lecture Yvonne Yen Liu discusses The Applied Research Center’s recent survey of the food system, to map out the race, gender and class of workers along the supply chain. People of color typically make less than whites working in the food chain. This wage gap plays out in all four sectors of the food system, with largest income divides occurring in the food processing and distribution sectors.

People

Liu, Yvonne Yen

Doolittle, Amity

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Laboring Justice: Land, Food, People, and Policy

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A MiddLab Project

Preparing for International Research, Internships, and Independent Projects

Undertaking internships and international opportunities for study and research

People

Sheridan, Michael

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Preparing for International Research, Internships, and Independent Projects

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A MiddLab Project

Cosmic geometry

Artist Sabra Field explains her work Cosmic Geometry, an array of cellular, plant, animal and architectural patterns in a grid, grouped in themed quartets. The work demonstrates that the human and natural worlds are connected by the same forms and patterns. Field shows how such great architecture as the roof of the Duomo in Florence looks similar to trees on a Vermont hillside while the inside of the Pantheon dome resembles the pattern found in a piece of honeycomb.

People

Field, Sabra

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Cosmic geometry

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A MiddLab Project

Why organic is a better national policy than genetic modification

Gary Hirschberg, the organic yogurt producer, spoke to the debate surrounding genetically engineered (GE) crops, which, he said, pose problems from a freedom of choice perspective. Hirshberg spoke at length about the health benefits of organic, and about the advantages of limiting produce grown with potentially harmful chemicals, but he said that his is not an argument to exclude conventional growers — all he wants, he said, is to keep access to non-GE, organically farmed produce for those who want it.

People

Hirshberg, Gary

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Why organic is a better national policy than genetic modification

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A MiddLab Project

Multilingual Communication in a globalized world: Why English isn’t enough

Professor Barry Slaughter Olsen highlights not only how knowledge of other languages and cultures can expand individual career opportunities but also how it has become crucial to national security and prosperity.

People

Olsen, Barry

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Multilingual Communication in a globalized world: Why English isn't enough

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A MiddLab Project

From addictions to Alzheimer’s: neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness meditation

How does mindfulness training treat addictions and other neurological issues?

People

Brewer, Judson Alyn

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From addictions to Alzheimer's: neurobiological mechanisms of mindfulness meditation

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A MiddLab Project

Contingent Pacifism and Selective Refusal

A philosophical discussion of conscience, personal judgments and moral ethics that lead to conscientious objection and selective refusal to serve in the military.

People

May, Larry

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Contingent Pacifism and Selective Refusal

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A MiddLab Project

Recent works of Patrick Dougherty

Patrick Dougherty, creator of the sculpture 'So Inclined" returned to campus when that work was decomissioned to present a slide show of his latest projects and promote his book entitled 'Stickwork'.

People

Dougherty, Patrick, 1945-

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Recent works of Patrick Dougherty

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A MiddLab Project

Common Reading lecture – The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

Pulitzer Prize winning author Junot Diaz reads a short piece from his novel The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. He then opens up the conversation-style lecture to questions leading to discussions of compassion, privilege and the power of authority in dictators and Superman.

People

Diaz, Junot, 1968-

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Common Reading lecture - The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

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A MiddLab Project

Language School Commencement

Max Marmor speaks briefly about his role as president of the Kress foundation in funding scholarships for students attending the MIddlebury College Language Schools.

People

Marmor, Max

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Language School Commencement

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A MiddLab Project

Poverty 101

How has the poverty rate increased since the 1960's in the United States? What do the statistics tell us? What are the causes of poverty in the United States?

People

Beckley, Harlan, 1943-

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Poverty 101

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Community action in New England : Social Entrepreneurism – Connecting Passion and Creativity to Solve Tomorrow’s Challenges

Hal Colston shares the history of his career as an advocate for the poor in Vermont through his employment in a variety of nonprofit organizations.

People

Colston, Hal

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Community action in New England : Social Entrepreneurism - Connecting Passion and Creativity to Solve Tomorrow's Challenges

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A MiddLab Project

Housing Issues, Homelessness and Community Action in Vermont

This lecture describes the housing situation for low-income residents of Addison County, Vermont. As government funding continues to shrink, Middlebury Community Care Coalition and its volunteers are partnering with the Addison County Housing Coalition to provide housing assistance for those in crisis and transitioning to and from homelessness

People

Sinclair, Doug

Pixley, Ingrid

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Housing Issues, Homelessness and Community Action in Vermont

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Understanding Social Determinants of Health: Breaking the Link between Poverty and Poor Health

This lecture addresses the social determinants of poor health. Many aspects of poverty affect health, including living in substandard housing and limited access to health services. The lecturers describe their volunteer efforts in the Boston area where they improve their clients' awareness of and access to resources.

People

Marder, Samantha

Nichols, Hannah

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Understanding Social Determinants of Health: Breaking the Link between Poverty and Poor Health

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