“Life Stories of Middlebury College” is a multi-phase initiative intended to gather people’s experiences while at the college, particularly reflections that highlight issues of diversity. In her interview, Susan Watson discusses adapting lessons from High School to teaching in college, her strategy of isolation for dealing with being a woman in a predominantly male field, the TA who became her mentor in college, lunch discussions with past generations of female physicists, the importance of brutal honesty in mentoring colleagues, how the size of Middlebury has helped her get to know students, and creating an environment where people are encouraged to succeed.

People Susan Watson Professor of Physics Susan Burch Associate Professor of American Studies; Director, CCSRE; Head of Life Stories project

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“Life Stories of Middlebury College” is a multi-phase initiative intended to gather people’s experiences while at the college, particularly reflections that highlight issues of diversity. In his interview, Roman Graf talks about his reluctance to teach at a liberal arts college in New England, the politics of Jeans Day, the difficulty of individual expression in a professional environment before tenure, his prejudices of small-town living, the difference between America and Europe in terms of sexism, racism, and homophobia, learning to say “yes”, why working as a diversity administrator created a daily experience of negativity, how a blind student helped him improve teaching, and why we need “theory checks” instead of “reality checks”.

People Roman Graf Professor of German and Head of the Brainerd Commons Susan Burch Associate Professor of American Studies; Director, CCSRE; Head of Life Stories project

Related Links Courses taught by Roman Graf

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“Life Stories of Middlebury College” is a multi-phase initiative intended to gather people’s experiences while at the college, particularly reflections that highlight issues of diversity. In his interview, Arthur Choo talks about the “global community” ideal in higher education, the experience of activism while being an ethnic minority, how an individual’s idea of race affects their perception of self, the effect of political correctness on classroom discussions, the humor of stereotypes, the difference between the ideal of diversity and the reality in the dining halls, combating the feeling of exclusivity in the Korean American Student Association, and the paradox of the success of minority students.

People Arthur Choo Sociology Major at Middlebury College Susan Burch Associate Professor of American Studies; Director, CCSRE; Head of Life Stories project

Related Links SOAN 0105 Society and the Individual SOAN 0356 ignificance of Race in the US Korean American Student Association

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This project examines the continued success of The Jerry Springer Show. Does the show promote the inclusion of the “other” in the American social order or is it a profit-seeking mechanism that proves only to further uphold a hierarchal American social structure in which some are excluded? By viewing scholarly articles on the talk show format, footage from The Jerry Springer Show, and other critical works in American Studies, I set out to prove that The Jerry Springer Show uses coded mechanisms to create the illusion of a democratic forum which promotes oppositional culture and challenges social norms. This, in turn creates a “participatory illusion” that veils the underlying profit-based motivations of the show. The goal is engaged viewers that question the motives of a seemingly un-refined format, “cheap amusements.” What is the show telling us about American society, and how is its shaping of perspective relevant to how we function as a society?

People Carl Culicchia Researcher Michael Newbury Sponsor & Professor of American Studies and English and American Literatures

Related Links The Jerry Springer Show The Jerry Springer Show as an Emotional Public Sphere. ‘It’s  a Circus’ Is Jerry Springer’s No-Holds-Barred Talk Show Harmles Populist Escapism, The End of Civilization As We Know It or Both? Jerry Springer an Appalling Diversion. Undergraduate Research Office

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“Life Stories of Middlebury College” is a multi-phase initiative intended to gather people’s experiences while at the college, particularly reflections that highlight issues of diversity. In his interview, Ian McCray discusses the transfer student experience, the growth of the Middlebury campus, working as a staff member at the College, the admissions process, questioning perceptions of racism in town, and the changes to the student body in terms of socioeconomic and racial diversity.

People Ian McCray Assistant Director of Admissions; Interview Subject Emma Hodge Interviewer Susan Burch Associate Professor of American Studies; Director, CCSRE; Head of Life Stories project

Related Links Lacrosse Rugby Transfer Students Life Stories Project

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“Life Stories of Middlebury College” is a multi-phase initiative intended to gather people’s experiences while at the college, particularly reflections that highlight issues of diversity. In his interview, discusses growing up while living abroad, studying Russian, French, Spanish, and Japanese, differences between rural and urban settings, performing a wedding at Middlebury, diversity, raising a family in Middlebury, and being ‘the other’.

People Miguel Fernández Professor of Spanish; Interview Subject Amy Rebecca Chin Interviewer Susan Burch Associate Professor of American Studies; Director, CCSRE; Head of Life Stories project

Related Links The Posse Foundation Voices of Indigenous People (VIP) Weddings in Mead Chapel Life Stories Project

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According to Howard Zehr (2002), “Restorative justice is a process to involve, to the extent possible, those who have a stake in a specific offense and to collectively identify and address harms, needs, and obligations, in order to heal and put things as right as possible.” We propose various methods of incorporating restorative practices into the Middlebury College judicial system.

People Ben Manger ’11, Philosophy Dana Callahan ’13, Biology Matthew George ’12.5, Biology Clayton Paschke ’13, Sociology Researchers Jon Kidde Sponsor, Sociology & Anthropology

Related Links Judicial Boards at Middlebury Diversity at Middlebury

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