Morning Groups Mary Jo Small Fellowships | Upcoming Meeting | Past Meetings A highlight of the annual SVHE conference for many attendees is the sustained, focused conversation that takes place during four sessions in the seminars we call Morning Groups. Conveners have provided the following descriptions of their groups. You are welcome to contact them for additional information or to request to be added to a group’s schedule. Autobiography and Memoirs Morning Group Co-Conveners Mary Treanor mtreanor@valpo.edu 574.233.5409 and Mary Ann Willis (maw274@gmail.com or mwillis@law.capital.edu) 614.236.6887. The Autobiography and Memoir group is interested mainly in intention, decisions about form, and strategies of shaping one's personal story. We aim for a balance between presenters' own autobiographical work and studies of such materials by others. The theme for this year’s presentations and discussions is “travel” in its various aspects. Since this group's focus is autobiography and memoir, the emphasis is the impact of travel on the individual rather than the travel itself. Possibilities include perspectives on travel-- as exploration and discovery, as exile or refugee, immigrant or emigrant. Has travel been for you a means of recovery, a venue of escape, a pilgrimage or journey inward? Has travel brought you cross-cultural learning or cross/cultural conflict? Have you been a traveler who gets lost? Do you travel as a tourist? or anti-tourist? Several papers have already been promised. One will be based on letters Gay Harter wrote to her mother as a then 19-year-old in the 1950s about her experiences in an American Friends Service Committee work camp in Mexico—“definitely an eye-opening cross-cultural experience.” Another paper by Janice Smith will draw on “a RECORD, a little red book” kept in 1973, in which the author, then 22, “wrote faithfully every day during her nine-month sojourn alone through Latin America (Minneapolis to Buenos Aires overland).” Past presenters have given us scholarly articles, excerpts from personal journals, poetry, memoirs, videos, photographic essays, and/or informal spoken reminiscences—a rich tapestry of possible forms for autobiography. We are always happy to greet returning members and eager to welcome new ones. If you are interested in presenting a paper and/or leading a discussion for this group, please contact Celebrating the Search Conveners:Carol Ochs cochs@earthlink.net and Hal Jackson halamjac@ca.rr.com This group has been going for thirty years with many various incarnations. It was originally called "Struggling with Religious Tradition", but when we discovered how much fun we had discussing our spiritual journeys the title was changed to reflect that: Celebrating the Search. We enthusiastically welcome new voices to share their papers, their unfinished papers, their dreamt of books, or just their late night questions as we all find joy in playing with ultimate concerns. We have many openings for this coming summer and invite you to share your thoughts. Chords of Memory: The Cold War Spy Film Convener – Jon Wiantwiantjc@earthlink.net Along with geo-political tensions and proxy wars, the Cold War gave us the contemporary spy novel and spy film. John Kennedy’s fascination with Ian Flemming’s James Bond took the spy novel from a sub-genre of mystery writers into a class by itself. In the forty years that followed, James Bond became synonymous with intelligence work and the pens of gifted writers and pulp fiction hacks alike churned out hundreds of “spy stories”. In print and in film, these creations became the new realities. From them we learned not only threats but also capabilities – real and imagined – as well as tradecraft and technique. The spy novel and film both reflected our world and helped shape it creating entertainment for the masses while often confounding the professional and deviling the historian. In the course of our review we will examine several examples of the genre looking at them both as a form of history and a source of education. We will analyze these works in terms of their historical representation and their “realities”. Morning Group participants will be prepared to offer their own examples of fictional works that have contributed to their understanding of the world of intelligence or that have been offered up as representations of reality. First session: Decision before Dawn (1951) While set in the last months of World War II, this film starkly lays out questions of betrayal and the amorality of agent-handling. Professionals consider this the most realistic portrayal of battlefield HUMINT or human source intelligence. Second Session: Our Man in Havana. Carroll Reed’s 1958 film based on Graham Greene’s novel is a masterpiece from any perspective. We, however, will be looking at it terms of how fabrication of information percolates through an intelligence service. Plays on Cold War themes but this 1965 film is as contemporary as CURVEBALL’S reporting on Iraqi WMD. Third Session: The Spy who came in from the Cold. This is THE iconic Cold War film, stark in its black and white photography; the movie mirrors the Manichean polarity of the time. Most agree that it successfully translates LeCarre’s novel and lays out the dilemmas of a democracy engaging in the moral ambiguity of espionage and counterespionage. Fourth Session: Under consideration. We welcome suggestions. The group’s convener is a veteran of nearly 40 years of analytical and operational intelligence work; the last 20 years were spent in senior positions at State and CIA. He is a past President of SVHE. Each year he offers a fresh and engaging consideration of a particular topic or approach related to security and intelligence. Environmental Values Conveners: Amy Berger aberger@heidelberg.edu and Tom Berger trberger@colby.edu The Environmental Values morning group will reconvene in Portland to coincide with the sustainability theme of the 2010 Fellows Meeting. Given the mounting concerns about potentially catastrophic effects of environmental trends such as global warming, what does it mean to be "sustainable"? Is there a common ground on which different approaches to "nature" (scientific, humanist, religious) can meet to create a sustainable future? Presenters will include David Burrell, who will provide an Afro-Asian perspective, and Elena Malits, who has been involved with the development of and commitment to a Sustainability Vision Statement in the context of a large religious foundation. The group also plans to take a field trip. Participants are encouraged to propose further readings and volunteer for morning group presentations, if possible by June 1, in keeping with this group's tradition of taking the group where the participants want to go. We will circulate a reading list of what you propose in preparation for our FM discussions. Historical Fiction Convener: Mary Papke papke@utk.edu In concert with our return to Portland, the Historical Fiction Morning Group will discuss three epics of the Pacific Northwest: Annie Dillard's The Living, David Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars, and Jonathan Raymond's The Half-Life. As always, I hope to hear from avid readers who would like to lead one session. Please contact me at papke@utk.edu. Medical Ethics, Law, and Culture Convener: Dan English dcenglish48@gmail.com This group will consider numerous subjects applicable to situations in contemporary medical practice. These often have medical and legal components, sometimes including other conflicts of interest. For example, how does one navigate, interpersonally, dilemmas between legal and professional positions while respecting the autonomy of the patient? (Very carefully!) Planning for Sustainability in the Current Political Climate Convener: Jo Margaret Mano manoj@newpaltz.edu We will take advantage of the Portland meeting location to look at issues of sustainability, environmental planning and decision-making in the current political climate. Portland has been an important leader in sustainability initiatives and innovative planning for many decades, and a leader in regional planning, providing an ideal place for considering the past and present of conflicting political and planning agendas. We are planning a field trip focusing on a local environmental and planning issue, continuing our practice of grounding our discussions in the meeting venue. Participants are encouraged to email proposed presentations and readings to me by April 15, as we welcome newcomers and friends to share in our tradition of including diverse perspectives and shared concerns. We welcome all to share in our discussions, and look forward to seeing you! Popular Culture Conveners: Margie Jones margie8888@aol.com Popular Culture is a growing field in higher education. This morning group brings an SVHE lens to works which are "popular" in general culture. We welcome participants of all ages and backgrounds as we consider themes, messages, why the works are popular, and whether and how their appeal varies by age group or other demographics. This year, we are planning an ‘upper level’ seminar, which assumes that participants are familiar with the resource materials. This means that participants are expected to ‘do the homework,’ to come prepared to engage in each day’s discussions. Those who are interested, but have not had time to complete the reading or viewing are welcome to join us, but should know that discussion will include spoilers, and will not take time to lay out basic plotlines and characters. Each day will begin with a look at the resource material, but we expect discussions to identify themes and questions which we will then explore by comparing and contrasting to other works. Homework: a) The Twilight Series – 4 books. Discussion leader: Meg Wiant. b) Battlestar Galactica – Discussion leader – Steve Sfekas. This is the recent tv series, and we are asking that participants at minimum watch: the two part pilot episode; Season 4, episode 6 (“Escape velocity”); Season 4, episode 8 (“Faith”); Season 4, episode 19 (“Someone to watch over me”); and the two part finale Season 4, episodes 21 and 22 (“Daybreak 1 and 2”). c) Harry Potter series – 7 books, and 6 movies. Please see the website for more detail on the plans for these sessions or contact the convener. Reacting to the Past: Acid Rain and the European Environment, 1979-89 Conveners: David and Susan Henderson; Coordinator: Dave Stewart dstewar2@csulb.edu In Acid Rain in Europe, Students represent the European nations at a series of major international conferences, beginning in Geneva in 1979 and ending in Helsinki in 1989. The goal of these conferences, held under the auspices of the United Nations, is to negotiate the first major international treaty to address long range transport air pollution. If successful, these negotiations will provide a model for dealing with other international environmental issues such as ozone depleting chemicals and Global Warming. In 1972, the UN adopted a statement that held nations responsible for the effects of pollution that travels outside their borders, but, prior to 1979, no treaty has been negotiated to implement this statement of principle. The long range transport air pollution treaty is negotiated against the background of the formation of the European Union and the beginning of Détente between the Soviet client countries and the West. These changes and the political events in the individual countries provide changing pressures on the negotiators during the course of the ten year span of the game. The time frame of the game provides a rich context for these discussions in which both the scientific and ethical understanding of the environment are evolving but on a solid footing. Research on the impact of acid precipitation in the environment was at its peak, yielding a large body of primary and secondary literature, much of which is accessible to non-science majors. Similarly, the debate over whether environmentalism is simply a utilitarian reaction to the damage done or is an example of deeper inherent rights of nature as a whole is in full swing. Finally, the debate juxtaposes market economics as a tool for environmentalism against command and control approaches common in Europe during this period. Game Masters: David E. Henderson is Professor of Chemistry at Trinity College and a founding member of the Environmental Science Program at Trinity. His research has included studies of acid precipitation and its effects on stream chemistry. He is also an expert on liquid chromatography and has published widely in the field. He has a wide range of interests including environmental protection and the history of religion. He is author of two other Reacting games, Evolution in Kansas and Constantine and the Council of Nicaea. Susan K. Henderson is Professor of Chemistry at Quinnipiac University. She has published research on food and environmental chemistry. She also has a wide range of interests including human health, nutrition, and yoga. Theorizing Culture: Reason and Sustainability Conveners: Allen Dunn ardunn@utk.edu and Eric Bain Selbo eric.bain-selbo@wku.edu The reading and discussion of philosophical works pertaining to the philosophical and ethical dimensions of sustainability. Reading selections range from works by Frankfurt School philosophers to more contemporary works like Curtis White's The Barbaric Heart: Faith, Money, and the Crisis of Nature and Jeremy Rifkin's The Empathic Civilization: The Rise of Global Consciousness in a World in Crisis. Participants in this group can receive copies of the reading by contacting Eric Bain-Selbo. Translingual and Transcultural Teaching and Learning Conveners: Cathy Bao Bean cathy@cathybaobean.com, Dr. Dongdong Chen, and Brian Mulcahy To meet the challenge of Edward Hall’s idea that culture is the silent language because “Culture hides much more than it reveals, and strangely what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own participants,” we give voice to two cultures by describing how to achieve a new kind of proficiency in a second language and culture through better understanding of the first. By interpreting (not merely translating) personal and true, often humorous, stories, we depict a modern reality that is enhanced by its universal appeal and global relevancy. Next, we present exercises that play with ideas and words to promote a translingual appreciation of the transcultural. Young Adults Description is forthcoming. If you are interested and have ideas on what you would like to do please contact the SVHE office – society@pdx.edu AFTERNOON SESSION Reacting to the Past: Confucianism and the Succession of the Wanli Emperor 1587 Convener: Daniel Gardner; Coordinator: Dave Stewart dstewar2@csulb.edu This game introduces undergraduate students to the suppleness and power of Confucian thought as applied to issues of governance during the Ming dynasty. The game is set in the Hanlin Academy. Most students are members of the Grand Secretariat of the Hanlin Academy, the body of top-ranking graduates of the civil service examination who serve as advisers to the Wanli emperor. Some Grand Secretaries are Confucian “purists,” who hold that tradition obliges the emperor to name his first-born son as successor; others, in support of the most senior of the Grand Secretaries, maintain that it is within the emperor’s right to choose his successor; and still others, as they decide this matter among many issues confronting the empire, continue to scrutinize the teachings of Confucianism for guidance. The game unfolds amidst the secrecy and intrigue within the walls of the Forbidden City, as scholars struggle to apply Confucian precepts to a dynasty in peril. Game Master: Daniel K. Gardner is Professor of Chinese History at Smith College [Northampton, MA] and the author of many books and articles on the Confucian and Neo-Confucian tradition in China. His most recent book is Zhu Xi’s Reading of the Analects: Canon, Commentary, and the Classical Tradition (Columbia University Press, 2003).