November 3, 2008
CUNY’s blog for seminar and fellowship opportunities
The Great Issues Forum, www.greatissuesforum.org, is a wonderful new initiative that two of your fellow faculty members, Moustafa Bayoumi (English Department) and Corey Robin (Political Science), are involved with. The Great Issues Forum hopes to stimulate new scholarly lines of inquiry, engage faculty and students from around the entire CUNY system, inform the public at large, and encourage civic engagement in their local communities and around the world.
In a series of high-profile, free public Conversations presented by the Center for the Humanities at The Graduate Center and featuring artists, intellectuals, and policy makers, the Great Issues Forum examines the ways in which various categories of power work in our increasingly globalized world.
This year’s participants include Nicholas D. Kristof and Mary Robinson on political power, Naomi Klein and Joseph Stiglitz on economic power, Tom Stoppard and Derek Walcott on cultural power, and General Barry McCaffrey and Samantha Power on military power.
Complementing the Great Issues Forum's public events are Seminars at the Forum (http://www.greatissuesforum.org/blog), a series of online academic seminars.
Prof. Robin is the current seminar leader. Every two weeks, a prominent guest from the world of journalism, politics, academia, or the arts composes a blog entry responding to a key text that addresses the concept of "power” in the contemporary world, and engages in discussion with select City University of New York faculty (including Prof. Bayoumi) and graduate students.
Guest bloggers have included New York Times writer Jill Lepore on Hannah Arendt, critic Michael Warner on Michel Foucault, and upcoming are New Yorker writer Ariel Levy on Mary Wollstonecraft, Nation writer Laila Lalami on Edward Said, the novelist and essayist Pankaj Mishra on Claude Levi-Strauss, as well as many others.
Funding for the initiative was provided by the 2007 Carnegie Corporation of New York's Academic Leadership Award, presented to CUNY’s Chancellor Matthew Goldstein.
If you have any questions about Great Issues Forum, the Seminar and Fellowships, please do not hesitate to contact Andrea Jeyaveeran at ajeyaveeran@gc.cuny.edu.
Black Solidarity Day
Inspired by Douglas Turner Ward's play, "A Day of Absence," Black Solidarity Day was first observed in 1969 on the Brooklyn College campus by its founder, Dr. Carlos E. Russell, and is now celebrated on campuses throughout the CUNY system, as well as nationwide.
Although the first Solidarity Day encouraged participants to stay home all day to simulate the effects in the play, today it is used to celebrate and discuss black culture, politics, and social issues.
“Where Do We Go From Here?"
A post-election forum
Thursday, November 6th 2008
11am-12:30pm
Woody Tanger Auditorium
A panel discussion focusing on the post-election outcomes moderated by Professor Noel Anderson. Panelists include Bob Epstein (New York Obama Campaign), Kevin Powell (writer), and writer and professor Eisa Ulen.
Sponsored by ERIS, Africana Studies, Center for Diversity and the Dept of Political Science
12:30-1:30pm
Woody Tanger Auditorium
Join Kevin Powell as he discusses his new book “The Black Male Handbook: A Blueprint for Life”. Book signing to follow!
Sponsored by ERIS, Africana Studies, Center for Diversity and the Dept of Political Science
For more information about these events, contact the Center for Student Development and Leadership Programs in Room 302 of the Student Center or at 951-5712.
Encuentro 2008
Thursday, November 13, 2008
8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Brooklyn College Student Center
Campus Road and East 27th Street
Within the context of the Americas and the Diasporas, people have expressed their quest for freedom in a variety of ways: song, dance, poetry narrative and theatre, among others. In this generation, we also see expressions of freedom in fashion and style, and through a new language surging from the contemporary tools of technology and networking.
As liberation is local and global, communities and movements are forming in a virtual sphere and even the concept of liberation as freedom from tyranny and oppression has expanded to freedom from traditional notions of race, gender, sexuality and class. Encuentro 2008 will give a voice and vision to the many ways our communities tell of liberation, justice and freedom. It will include the work of artists, educators, activists and advocates.
We will explore contemporary political and social movements in Latin America and the U.S. while recognizing the exemplary work of individuals and groups who have contributed to innovative paradigms of Latino identity with the presentation of the 2nd annual Don Quijote Award. This year’s recipients are Repertorio Espanol, an acclaimed theatre group that has presented socially relevant plays for various Latin@ communities in bilingual format, and Mr. Junot Díaz, a renowned Dominican writer and 2008 Pulitzer Prize winner.
We invite the community of Brooklyn College and beyond to say “Presente!” on this historic occasion.
For Information call Professor Antonio Nadal at 718-951-5561
Do you know a bright motivated senior or graduate student that you would like to reward for their hard work and dedication to academic excellence? The Magner Center is once again sponsoring special Dale Carnegie workshops on campus as part of the Willard and Eleanor Archie Professional Skills Training Program. The Dale Carnegie workshops last semester were very successful. Your nominations should be sent to msarrao@brooklyn.cuny.edu. Spaces will be reserved on a
first come, first served basis. This semester's remaining workshop is:
How to take Charge and Advance in your Career
Sunday, December 7, 11:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. at Brooklyn College
Dale Carnegie workshops are recognized internationally and are used by major organizations (over 80% of Fortune 500 companies have used their training). Nominating a student for this event is a great way to recognize the student for their hard work and assure a great start to their career. Please recommend students who would appreciate and take full advantage of such a workshop.