Nuket Kardam is a professor in the Public Administration department at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. Professor Kardam is from Turkey and is currently researching the identities of people in her country.  In this video, Professor Kardam talks about “Who is a Turk” and the findings from her ongoing research.

People Nuket Kardam, Public Administration Professor, Monterey Institute of International Studies

Related Links “Who is a Turk”- Research Paper Selected Works Grassroots Leadership

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It is impossible to understand a nation’s motivations and actions without being familiar with its national identity and the circumstances that shaped it. In the early twentieth century, Germany and Italy were both governed by authoritarian regimes that intertwined extreme nationalism with fascist ideology. After WWII, each nation faced the difficult task of redefining the political, social, and ethical terms of its national identity. We ask the question “How did Italy and Germany come to terms with their fascist past, and to what extent is the legacy of fascism still alive in national discourse?” Our research, which uses Italian, German and English sources, shows that despite underlying similarities, each nation has taken a different approach to integrating their fascist past into national identity. We look, for example, at how Hitler and Mussolini are differently remembered and the effect of their political and cultural legacies. The larger aim of this presentation is to show how, generally speaking, memory is a key factor in national identity.

People Ashley Litzenberger Mark Turpin Researchers Natasha Chang Sponsor & Professor of Italian Natalie Eppelsheimer Sponsor & Assistant Professor of German

Related Links Undergraduate Research Office

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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, Ryan Kellett discusses issues of diversity he encountered growing up in San Francisco, his time studying and working in China, being part of a diverse group of students at the PALANA House, reflecting on work at Middlebury, and blogging.

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

Related Links PALANA House February Admissions 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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The One Child Policy (OCP) has had an enormous impact on Chinese society over the past thirty years and has further exacerbated the gender imbalance of the nation. The ensuing ?”marriage market shortages” in China have had important implications for marriageable-aged Chinese men and women. The scarcity of Han women in Chinese marriage markets and the concessions of the OCP with regard to ethnic minorities may increase the propensity of female Han to marry out when they see gains to marriage such as being able to have more than one child. Given this and other potential gains to intermarriage, under certain circumstances, interethnic marriage may be a rational choice for females in Chinese society.

People Rachel Butera Researcher Thiery Warin Thesis Advisor& Associate Professor of Economics Hang Du Second Reader & Assistant Professor of Chinese

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Related Links National Population and Family Planning Commission

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