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Mini-University Sessions

9 a.m. Mini-University Session I

"Art of Living and Morals or does Virtue make one Happy?"
Doug McGaughey, Professor of Religious Studies
Description: Reflections on the capacity to be moral and our having to /become/ human. Can there by happiness without morals? What would it mean to claim that real happiness is experienced by the pursuit of virtue? The talk is based on the experience this past summer of translating /Lebenskunst und Moral oder macht Tugend Glücklich?/ by the German philosophical theologian, Otfried Höffe.
Eaton Hall, Room 209

"A Balancing Act: what biomechanics, trekking poles, becoming 'seasoned', and still staying active all have to do with real life."
Julianne Abendroth-Smith, Associate Professor of Exercise Science
In real life, while growing older or becoming more “seasoned”, staying physically active is a challenge. Yet physical inactivity is one of the risk factors for coronary heart disease, as well as being related to a host of other complications. Explore some gait and balance issues, the biomechanics behind age related changes in the human body, and some research into what can be done to keep moving.
Eaton Hall, 311

“Core Body Conditioning”
Christine Folz, Instructor, Exercise Science
Core Body Conditioning is a mat style class that takes a functional approach to lengthening and strengthening muscles through uniquely designed techniques that focus on the core muscles. It is based in the principles of Yoga, Pilates and basic strength training. Bring a mat if you have one and wear comfortable clothes, shoes are optional.
Sparks Center, Multipurpose Room

“Liquid Sky”
Chuck Williamson, Associate Professor of Chemistry
Many pairs of liquids exhibit remarkable mixing behavior: they mix completely at some temperatures, but separate into two layers at other temperatures. I will explain how laser light scattering can be used to make maps of this mixing behavior. To help illustrate how liquids scatter light, I will draw upon atmospheric examples of light scattering with which everyone is familiar: the whiteness of clouds and fog, the blueness of the sky, and solar halos.
CollinsScience Center, Room 205

"The Manipulation of Perception in American Society”"
Rollie Wisbroc, Instructor of Rhetoric & Media Studies
This session will include both a lecture and discussion about manipulation through rhetoric and will illustrate a typical rhetoric class here at Willamette.
Eaton Hall, Room 106

10 a.m. Mini-University Session II

“The Panopticon as Social Metaphor.”
Bill Duvall, Professor of History, Department Chair
In the 18th century, Jeremy Bentham developed what he believed to be a model for the ideal prison -- the Panopticon.  In the late 20th century, Michel Foucault argued that it best serves as a metaphor for contemporary society -- what he called a carceral society.  Foucault's argument will be the focus of our discussion.
Eaton Hall, Room 311

"A lesson in Spanish: Lost in Translation."
Maria Blanco-Arnejo, Professor of Spanish
The lesson will illustrate the connexion between languages and their cultures and the importance of keeping an open mind when learning a foreign language.
Walton Hall, Room 235

"Who Shaves the Barber?  Computational Completeness and the Admissibility of Russell's Paradox"
John Fiskio-Lasseter, Post-Doctoral Lausanne Graduate Fellow Computer Science
Foundational ideas in computation are closely linked to results in formal logic and the foundations of mathematics.  Yet the two worlds appear at first glance to be at odds, in large part because of the ability of any "real" computing device to formulate Russell's Paradox.  The impossibility of expressing this paradox is crucial in logic:  any formal system that can express it is inconsistent.  Conversely, the  ability to formulate the paradox is an essential feature of any mathematical model of computation.  Nonetheless, there is no real conflict between these ideas.  On the contrary, each arises from the mutual exclusivity of completeness and consistency, a trade-off which forms the core of our knowledge on the limits of both mathematics and computation.
CollinsScience Center, Room 205

“What my mathematics student did last summer.”
Peter Otto, Assistant Professor of Mathematics
Professor Otto will provide a general flavor of "mathematics research" by sharing the experience of our undergraduate summer research group last summer.  But no need to worry, he will assume no more than simple arithmetic for this talk.
Eaton Hall, Room 209

"Rhetoric, Archaeology, and Citizenship: Artifacts of Justice in 5th Century Athens"
Jeanne Clark, Associate Professor of Rhetoric & Media Studies
This session will simulate a day on the Willamette in Greece summer course. Examining artifacts of ancient Greek culture— from the material minutia of juror’s lots, ostraca, and cobbler’s nails to the ruins of the agora where Socrates disputed with his fellows, with the textual artifacts of dialogue, drama, and speech we will construct an understanding of justice as it was envisioned in a culture whose legacy is echoed in our own.
Eaton Hall, Room 106

11 a.m. Mini-University Session III

"The Making of an Exhibition:  The Art of Ceremony"
Rebecca Dobkins, Department Chair, Professor of Anthropology
This session will focus on the research and collaboration behind the development of the exhibition "The Art of Ceremony:  Regalia of Native Oregon", particularly the involvement of tribal community members.  Students in Dobkins’ Museum Studies Seminar were also essential to the exhibition's installation, and their behind-the-scenes roles will be illuminated.
HallieFord Museum, Hull Lecture Hall

Take-A-Break:Willamette’s Service Immersion Break Experience
MeganBay, TaB Director
Take-A-Break (TaB), now in its eighth year, is a student-led program that sends students staff and faculty around the country to do service projects during their winter and spring breaks.  Come learn about TaB’s impact at Willamette and in communities across the country, the exciting year ahead, and how your student can get involved in this once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Eaton Hall, Room 106

“Persuasion and Social Change”
Courtney Dillard, Visiting Professor in the Rhetoric & Media Studies Department
For more than a decade, Courtney's research agenda has focused on persuasion and social change. She will be offering a lecture and brief discussion session on key techniques in the art persuasion from politics to advertising.
Eaton Hall, Room 307

"Controversial Issues in Archaeology and Biblical Studies."
David McCreery, Professor of Religious Studies
Thirty years ago many archaeologists claimed that discoveries supported the historicity of the biblical traditions.  Now the tables have turned with growing numbers of scholars arguing that the archaeological record calls into question the historicity of major biblical events such as the exodus, conquest and the united monarchy of David and Solomon.  This lecture will provide an overview of the debate illustrated by artifacts from the periods in question.
Eaton Hall, Room 311

“The Irony of the Slave Narrative in American Renaissance: The Example of William W. Brown”
Ray Black, Lausanne Graduate Fellow in English
As tools for abolitionists, the Antebellum Slave Narratives challenged the practice of slavery and betrayal of ideals in ways the American Renaissance authors could not. We will briefly review the tenets of the American Renaissance authors and examine the ironic treatment given them in the slave narratives. We will conclude with the focus of my work, how William W. Brown's work went beyond the most popular slave narrative of the time, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass.
Eaton Hall, Room 110

“Life's Labors: Work and Self Under the "New" Capitalism."
Jong Bum Kwon, Lausanne Graduate Fellow in Anthropology
We are witnessing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.  The values of our homes are plummeting, the giants of Wall Street have fallen, and we worry over the financial security of our families.  As unprecedented as it may seem, many have argued that the current crisis is only the most recent.  Ours have been a society of tremendous social and economic uncertainty since the sweep of de-industrialization in the late 1970s.  In this section of the "Mini-University", we will discuss the social-cultural implications of endemic economic crisis and insecurity through the examination of the meanings of work and livelihood.  While we are told that economic policy is a matter neutral of technological expertise, the economy is inseparable from politics and culture, and work is not simply a means to earn a wage.  The meaning and experience of work (and unemployment) are intimately related to broader cultural understandings of individual moral worth, personal character, social fairness, and family and community.  How, then, does chronic uncertainty shape those values and ideas?  What are the consequences of un- and underemployment on social relations and identities?  Or, put in another way, what kind of person do you need to be to succeed in the "new capitalism"?
Eaton Hall, Room 209