Tuesday, November 1st

10:00–11:00 a.m.
“The Strategies of Lady Gaga” – Professor Amber Davisson [Gary Beck], Ford Hall, Room 122
WU Assistant Professor of Rhetoric and Media Studies, Amber Davisson, will discuss the strategies Lady Gaga uses to craft her image and will consider the message underlying Lady Gaga's precipitously high heels. “While many celebrities today make the news for drug abuse or relationship problems, Lady Gaga has shown an impressive ability to manage her image and stay on the front page,” says Davisson. “In the past few years, she has boasted more Twitter followers than the President and has found a place on Forbes’ and Time’s lists of most influential people.
11:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Courthouse Square Update – Geoffey James, Architect Emeritus, NW Architecture [Gary Beck], Ford Hall, Room 122
Earlier, this year, Geoffrey James, retired architect, was appointed to the Courthouse Square Solutions Task Force. Subsequently, he was appointed chair of the Task Force's Technical Subcommittee. James reports that the Technical Subcommittee's adopted goal and its focus have been on how to repair Courthouse Square to a better condition than before, to be structurally sound, seismically reinforced and with new interior finishes...(and all this) with the understanding that the total cost needs to be way below $15m to $18m. He will share with ICL membership the conclusions of the Task Force. James's career as an architect began in the UK in 1966 and has continued in the US since 1979. He has had prolific involvement in design and building in both Oregon and Washington.
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Favorite Books – Phil and Erin Hanni, Ford Hall, Room 122

ICL members will make short introductions to favorite books they have read recently. If you would like to make such an introduction contact ICL member Erin Hanni, our ICL Favorite Book Coordinator.

2:00–3:00 p.m.
Contemporary Literature Discussion: The Elegance of the Hedgehog, by Muriel Barbery. Phil and Erin Hanni, Ford Hall, Room 122
In this 2008 book you will be brought inside a Parisian residential hotel to meet and be charmed (and irritated) by its concierge, Renee, and a girl, Paloma, with adolescent brio. You will also enter their unlikely friendship as they struggle with life issues.

ICL has purchased and is circulating 8 copies of this paperback. We will keep you informed when they are available. Copies are also available for purchase at the Willamette Store and elsewhere. Published by Europa editions. Discussion will be led by Erin and Phil Hanni.

Thursday, November 3rd

10:00 a.m.–12:00noon
Art Program: Jack McLarty [Sharon Wright], Ford Hall, Room 122
Jack McLarty is the final artist to be presented in our ongoing Preservation of Oregon's Artistic Heritage series. The morning session will introduce this living artist, who has played a major part in the Portland art scene through video and discussion of the art scene in Portland during the last half of the 20th century. For more information, including a video, please go to http://salemart.org/?page_id=2168.
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Art Program: Jack McLarty (continued) [Sharon Wright], Hallie Ford Museum
Hallie Ford Museum of Art has many examples of Jack McLarty's work. Jonathan Bucci and Roger Hull will give us a chance to see them in the print study room. We will also visit the Carl Hall Gallery with additional works by McLarty and his contemporaries hanging in a recently refurbished permanent display.

Tuesday, November 8th

10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m.
Cheetahs on the Run: An Exploration of Brain-Gain Potential for Africa – W.U. Prof. Joyce Millen [Bill Griffitts], Ford Hall, Room 122
Throughout Africa, new strategies are emerging for Africans to assert greater self determination and thus a more authentic independence. Some are taking place in the street, as the popular uprisings in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya illustrate. Other strategies are occurring at the ballot box or through judicial reforms. This talk explores a strategy that recognizes the immensity and importance of Africa’s new Diaspora. This new strategy is being promoted by The African Union, several organizations within the United Nations, and a host of powerful financial institutions now calling upon skilled Africans living abroad to become more engaged and invested in Africa’s destiny. One of the chief aims of this strategy is to help turn Africa’s “brain drain” into a “brain gain” for the continent. By closely examining the life histories and current efforts of ten extraordinary Africans working in the United States and Europe, who are endeavoring to bring much needed health resources to their countries of origin, this research examines the opportunities and weaknesses of this new development paradigm for Africa.

For a summary of Joyce's book Cheetahs on the Run: An Exploration of Brain-Gain Potential for Africa, please click here.
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Great Decisions: The Horn of Africa ICL member – Jinx Brandt , Ford Hall, Room 122

This Great Decisions video will examine these questions: Is the Horn of Africa the next Afghanistan? U.S. national security priorities were expanded after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, to include waging war in Iraq and Afghanistan, tightening border security, pursuing cyberthreats, halting nuclear proliferation and attempting to snuff out homegrown terrorism. How has the U.S. national security agenda evolved since 9/11? In what ways will this agenda shape the American way of life in the future?

Read the 2011 Fall Update here.

ICL member Jinx Brandt will supplement this program with geographic information on the Horn of Africa.

Thursday, November 10th

10:00–11:00 a.m.
Beyond Insurance Reform James W. Myers, Associate Dean of the Atkinson Graduate School of Management, Willamette University [Peter Rasmussen], Ford Hall, Room 122

Quality Improvement for Providers: Our payment and insurance systems are the subject of frenzied political debate. But none of the proposed changes are likely to modify physician practice patterns. What can the medical profession do to improve quality and control costs?

[This program was canceled owing to unavailability of the presenter. Instead, a panel discussion on Healthcare Reform, moderated by Peter Rasmussen, was substituted, with panel members Derek Stables, Peter Ronai, Mark Kasoff and Don Masson.]

11:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
A Brief History of Fencing Presented by Jill Summers, Executive Director of Salem Classical Fencing, and volunteers, Ford Hall, Room 122
Swords capture the imagination and appear in countless movies, books, and television shows. This lecture and demonstration cover a brief history of the sword and its evolution from the bronze age to the duels of the Renaissance, and up through its current popularity as a non-deadly sport and martial art. Demonstrations of all three fencing weapons - foil, sabre, and epee - by current fencers will bring the history of the sport to life.
http://www.salemclassicalfencing.org/
1:00–2:00 p.m.
Brian Doyle, Editor of Portland Magazine [Lois Rosen], Ford Hall, Room 122
Brian Doyle will read from his seething, burbling, headlong work. Also sidelong jaunts into storycatching, inky craft, editing and other venial sins, and maybe basketball and hawks if we have time.
2:00–3:00 p.m.
From Time to Time.... Carola Dunn [Lois Rosen], Ford Hall, Room 122

Carola Dunn will talk about her experiences writing books set in three different periods, and the importance of understanding the Zeitgeist-- the spirit of the times, the way people of a given time felt and thought.

Tuesday, November 15th

10:00–11:00 a.m.
The Philosophy of Agriculture – Risa DeMasi [Jeanette Flaming], Ford Hall, Room 122
We face the challenge of coexistence and creating sustainable stewardship practices in an ever shrinking world with ever increasing needs for food, feed and fiber. Opinions on how to balance economic, philosophic, scientific, political and basic human desires and needs are diverse and potentially polarizing. Should we feed the world if we can? How do we safeguard without stifling innovation? Genetic control in a biological system, is it theft or trespass? Who can, will, or should sit in judgment?

DeMasi, a partner in a local grass seed company, Grassland Oregon, is responsible for sales, marketing and legislative affairs. She is active on the board of the American Seed Trade Industry participating in discussions that drive local, national and global policies.
1:00–2:00 p.m.
History of Tai Chi – Dennis Gifford [Don Taylor], Ford Hall, Room 122
ICL member Don Taylor is one of three ICL members who meet two times a week with local Tai Chi instructor, Dennis Gifford. Don is enthusiastic about Gifford's program and is anxious to introduce him to ICL. Gifford will talk about today's application of Tai Chi to enhance health and vigor. He will demonstrate Tai Chi movements as well as explain their symbolism. Gifford is a veteran of the Vietnam War and is a long-time Salem resident. Beginning the study of Tai Chi in Ohio in the late 70s, he continued his study here with Maria Yen-Lu who, at the time, also taught dance at Willamette U. In 1985 Gifford started teaching Tai Chi at Smiling Heart School of Tai Chi for the Salem-Keizer School District as well as for Chemeketa as part of continuing education.
2:00–3:00 p.m.
Abigail Susik*: The Screen Politics of Public Projection: Art, Design, Advertisement [Linda Vincent], Ford Hall, Room 122
As technology continues to transform and culture responds in tandem, large scale video projections in the public context are becoming a prominent medium for artists, designers, and advertisement corporations. With the advent of new and powerful projection devices, a world of total image space will soon be possible, in which any surface, animate or inanimate, public or private, literally has the potential to become ‘screen.’ What are the political and ethical implications of this expanding projection praxis, and how should fine art applications of this medium be distinguished from promotional, entertainment, and decorative endeavors?
For examples, click here and here.

*Abigail will be joining the Willamette faculty in the Fall as Roger Hull's permanent replacement.

Thursday, November 17th

10:00–11:00 a.m.
The Politics of Health Care Reform – W.U. Prof. Melissa Michaux, Associate Professor & Chair of the Department of Politics, Willamette University [Peter Rasmussen] , Ford Hall, Room 122
Who would be the winners and losers in health care reform, and how can we expect them to try to impact reform proposals?

For "Healthcare Reform Hits Main Street" by the Kaiser Family Foundation, click here.
11:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Kenya Experiences – Jinx Brandt [Gary Beck] , Ford Hall, Room 122
ICL member Jinx Brandt will share her observations on the state of education in Kenya: a historical perspective of the frustrations and successes of a culture in transition.
1:00–2:00 p.m.
How to Listen to and Understand Great Music – Prof. Robert Greenberg, Video Lecturer [Grant Hagestedt] Lecture 3. The Middle Ages, Ford Hall, Room 122

This lecture focuses on the changing role of music in the medieval world. First we examine the liturgical plainchant of the so-called Dark Ages, its role within the Church, and its musical characteristics. The rebirth of Europe during the High Middle Ages and the attendant development of polyphony are examined. Finally, we explore the violent disruptions of the 14th century—the so-called Babylonian Captivity, the Great Schism, the Black Plague, the Hundred Years War—and their effects on the arts and music of the time.

2:00–3:00 p.m.
The Art of the Dance, Ford Hall, Room 122

Sarah Tiedemann, flute [Grant Hagestedt]
Willamette University flute instructor Sarah Tiedemann presents "The Art of the Dance," a program of works for solo flute that are based upon dance, or that make you want to get up and dance. We'll be journeying through styles from Baroque dance to Latin dance, with a hint of Ian Anderson along the way, as she performs works such as Astor Piazzola, Tango Etudes; J.S. Bach, Partita; Michael Colquhoun, Charanga; and Ian Clarke, Zoom Tube.

Tuesday, November 22nd

10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Great Decisions: Germany's Ascendancy – W.U. History Prof. Bill Smaldone[Jeanette Flaming], Ford Hall, Room 122

This will be a look at Germany's developing leadership in the EU and in the world amid the varied challenges.

1:00–3:00 p.m.
Bronze Age Greece and the Legend of "Atlantis" – Prof. Bill Smith, Chemeketa Community College [Bill Griffitts, Ford Hall, Room 122
Bill Smith returns to ICL, this time to showcase Greek and Aegean prehistory. Bill provides the following background: “The Aegean Sea area was relatively warm and inviting to humans during the Upper Paleolithic Period (30,000 – 13,000 BP). Mild climate and availability of marine resources in the Aegean area led to very early settlement of hunter-gatherer peoples who developed diverse maritime cultural adaptations. These Mesolithic and Neolithic cultures were precursory to the island-based “Minoan culture” (and sea dominance) of the Aegean Bronze Age. A substantial amount of evidence suggests that the Minoan cultural sphere during the early Bronze Age in the Aegean area was in fact the source of the legendary Atlantis as described by Plato and numerous subsequent authors.” Bill suggests, too, that the Aegean islands served as stepping stones for the transfer of complex knowledge from the areas of Southwest Asia to Europe–knowledge that enabled European Neolithic peoples “to construct megalithic wonders such as New Grange Cathedral in eastern Ireland and Stonehenge in southern England.”

Thursday, November 24th

THANKSGIVING DAY
NO CLASSES

Tuesday, November 29th

10:00 a.m.–12:00 noon
Dramatic Themes in Opera-Part 2: Variations on Expressions and Thoughts of Love – Derek Stables [Grant Hagestedt], Ford Hall, Room 122
Opera provides some of the finest material for the appreciation of classical music. However, just listening to the music, without understanding the text and without seeing the acting, sets, and costumes, is only one part of the complete enjoyment of opera. This presentation will use excerpts from video recordings of several works to illustrate variations on the depiction of perhaps the most important of all dramatic themes: declarations of love and reflections on the nature of love. Derek Stables is an ICL member whose secret yearning to be an operatic tenor remains unfulfilled (but he still managed to get the girl!)
1:00–3:00 p.m.
Encounters With Other Cultures: From the Himalayas to Portland – Michael Osmera [Gary Beck], Ford Hall, Room 122
Michael Osmera, Adjunct Professor of Anthropology at Linfield College, presents case studies drawn from the Sherpas of Nepal, the Bikinians of the Marshall Islands, the Hawaiians, and the gardens of Portland. He explores themes of cross-cultural conflict, change, and exchange, and suggests an alternative approach to contemporary thinking about these processes.
Willamette University

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