Wednesday, Sept. 21, 4:30 p.m. Library 201
"The New Supreme Court: Why Does It Matter?"
A discussion with Cheryl Hanna, Vermont Law School
and Bertram Johnson, Political Science Department.
Sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program and Wonacott Commons.
Thursday, September 22, 7:00 p.m., Dana Auditorium
"Nothing Like Dreaming"
Film by Vermont Filmmaker Nora Jacobson. Nothing Like Dreaming is Nora Jacobson's second dramatic feature film. Her first, My Mother's Early Lovers, co-written by Sybil Smith, was also shot in her native Vermont. Before the film screening, the filmmaker will present a demonstration of a fire organ or pyrophone, a musical instrument featured in the film.
Sponsored by the Film and Media Culture Program and the Women's and Gender Studies Program.
Friday, September 23, 12:15 p.m., Robert A. Jones '59 House Conference Room
"Gender Issues in Developing Country Family Planning and Other Reproductive Health Programs"
Lecture by Mihira Karra, Senior Public Health Advisor, USAID.
Sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program and the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs.
Tuesday, October 4, 4:30 P.M. Robert A. Jones '59 House Conference Room
"The Author and Her Translator: Mayra Montero and Edith Grossman"
A lecture in English by Cuban-born Mayra Montero, who has been praised as a major writer of the contemporary, post-Boom generation in Latin America. Ms. Montero will read from her latest novel, Captain of the Sleepers. Edith Grossman of Columbia University is an award-winning translator of poetry and prose by leading Spanish-speaking writers, including Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Mario Vargas Llosa, and Miguel de Cervantes.
Sponsored by the Spanish Department, the Women's and Gender Studies Program, Rohatyn Center for International Affairs, Atwater Commons, and Wonacott Commons.
Wednesday, October 13, Bicentennial Hall 104.
"Are Smart Men Smarter Than Smart Women? Ignorance and Women in Science"
Lecture by Carla Fehr, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Iowa State University. There are gaps in our cultural knowledge about women's intellectual abilities that empirical evidence seems unable to fill. Our culture's false knowledge and ignorance about women's intellectual abilities persist in the minds of even the most educated people, in the face of vast bodies of evidence. Debates regarding hypotheses of innate differences in the intelligence of men and women, as exemplified by Harvard President Lawrence Summers' remarks regarding men's and women's scientific abilities, are examples of the epistemology of ignorance in action. This ignorance has a chilling effect on diversity within scientific communities, which is as bad for science as it is for women scientists.
Sponsored by the Philosophy Department and the Women's and Gender Studies Program.
Saturday, October 15, 12 to 4 p.m., CFA Room 232.
"Performing Gender and Identity: Synthesizing Practice and Theory"
Writing/Performance Workshop with performance artist Janice Perry. Participants will write and develop performance pieces that can stand on their own or be joined together to create longer works that address identity, gender, social justice, and the creative process. We will cross disciplines and use multi-media to support the work (video, audio, powerpoint, dance, etc). Bring writing materials, comfortable clothing, technology (cameras, laptops and cables) and/or images from print media.
Students interested in identity, gender, creative writing, dance, theatre, multi-media and multi-discipline work (video, photography, hyper-text, anthropology, sociology, religion) strongly encouraged to attend.
Sponsored by the Women's and Gender Program.
October 17-18 Katrina Teach-In
October 17, 6-8 pm, McCullough Social Space
Panel discussion and multimedia presentation with students and faculty: Rebecca Gould, William Hart, Danielle Kantor, Gary Margolis, Sujata Moorti, Will Nash, Pete Nelson, Ellen Oxfeld, Emily Peterson, Don Wyatt
October 18, 12:30-1:30, MBH 104
Discussion with Peter Ryan and Molly Costanza Robinson.
October 18, 4:30 pm, MBH 216
"New Orleans Music and Culture and the Aftermath of Katrina" Talk by Tom Piazza, writer and music critic. Tom Piazza was born on Long Island and graduated from Williams College in Massachusetts. He is also a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. Known both as a fiction writer and as a music writer, his work has appeared in many magazines and other publications, including the New York Times, the Oxford American, the Atlantic Monthly, the New Republic, the Village Voice, the Quarterly, Story, and American Short Fiction.
His books include the novel My Cold War, the short-story collection Blues And Trouble, which won the James Michener Award for Fiction, and The Guide To Classic Recorded Jazz, which won the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for Music Writing. His 1999 book True Adventures With the King of Bluegrass, a portrait of bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin, was a finalist for the Ralph J. Gleason Award.
Wednesday, October 19, Dana Auditorium,
"Supporting Safety, Sobriety, and Healing"
Workshop and Lecture with Theresa Zubretsky. Theresa Zubretsky, director of "The Safety Zone," has more than 20 years of experience in both the domestic violence and substance abuse fields including serving as the director of a multi-county residential and non-residential domestic violence program and the Director of Community Education for the New York State Council on Alcoholism and Other Drug Addictions, Inc. For nearly thirteen years, Theresa was the Director of Human Services Policy and Planning for the New York State Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence. Theresa's uncanny way of linking women's safety with their sobriety has, undoubtedly, saved the lives of many women. Her work on exposing the interconnection of domestic abuse and the use of substances has brought her national recognition. Linking safety and sobriety as a goal of treatment has shifted the focus of addiction treatment for women. Likewise, the treatment of men who are abusive and are addicted can now be viewed through the lens of accountability.
The goal of the workshop is to enhance the ability of participants to identify victims of domestic violence, and to intervene in ways that enhance victim safety, and prevent or support recovery from alcohol and other drug addiction. Workshop: 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.
Lecture: 7 to 8:30 p.m.
Sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program.
Thursday, November 3, 7 p.m., Chellis House
"Documentaries: Real or Fiction?"
Informal discussion to get us in the mood for the screening of Born into Brothels.
Saturday, November 5, 3 p.m., Dana Auditorium
"Born Into Brothels."
Film screening and reception with Pam Boll ('78). Born Into Brothels (USA, 2004) won the Oscar for Best Documentary of 2004. A tribute to the resiliency of childhood and the restorative power of art, the film is a portrait of several unforgettable children who live in the red light district of Calcutta where their mothers work as prostitutes. Touching and heartfelt, yet devoid of sentimentality, Born Into Brothels defies the tear-stained tourist snapshot of the global underbelly. In Bengali with English subtitles.
Co-sponsored by the Film & Media Culture Program and the Women's and Gender Studies Program.
Bettina Matthias and Amy Cheifetz.
November 14, 7 p.m., Château Grand Salon
Lecture and Performance on the occasion of Fanny Mendelsohn's 200th birthday. By Bettina Matthias (lecturer and pianist) and Amy Cheifetz (soprano). November 14th marks the 200th birthday of German composer Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn's older sister. To celebrate and honor this talented woman and her unduly neglected musical work, WAGS and the German Department will host an evening featuring songs by Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel. Works by Clara and Robert Schumann will help contextualize this woman's creative genius and shed light on the role of women in the musical life of early 19th-century Germany. Soprano Amy Cheifetz (New York) will be accompanied by Bettina Matthias (German Department). A short introductory lecture will precede the recital.
Co-sponsored by the German Department and the Women's and Gender Studies Program.
November 17, noon to 1:30 p.m., Chellis House
Lunchtime Discussion with Elizabeth Martin, founder and executive director of WomensLaw.org.
The mission of WomensLaw.org is to provide free and easy access to legal information, empowering victims of domestic violence and sexual assault with knowledge to change their lives. The goal of WomensLaw.org is to create a comfortable, comprehensive, and reliable Internet site where victims of abuse can find answers and support any time, anywhere, and in an anonymous and secure environment.
November 19, 9 to 4 p.m. Kirk Alumni Center. FREE
Sister-to-Sister Summit.
One-day event for middle school girls from Addison County organized by students from Middlebury College in cooperation with Middlebury Union Middle School, Vergennes Junior High School and Mount Abraham Junior High School. A day-long event full of thought-provoking and fun activities for 7th and 8th grade girls. Workshops include breakdance, hip hop, self-defense, art projects, and leadership exercises to help girls achieve their fullest potential. Participants are invited to discuss issues that concern of concern with college mentors in several "chat rooms."
For more information, please contact Karin Hanta at (802) 443-5937 or khanta@middlebury.edu or Liane Barrera (802) 443-5659 or barrera@middlebury.edu