The International Brown Bag Series
This series aims to raise awareness of international issues in a format that is easy for students and community members to access. The 2008-2009 Brown Bag Series is listed below these objectives. The objectives of the series are to:
- help fulfill the overall objectives of the Alworth Institute;
- introduce students, staff and the wider community to interesting aspects of foreign culture, society and history;
- raise awareness of political life and conditions in diverse parts of the world;
- create opportunities for sharing insights developed during professional and leisure interest travel and other programs of study abroad;
- create opportunities for visiting faculty to share relevant topics with the wider University;
- involve students, staff and community members in exchanging ideas and reflecting on international and any related domestic policy issues.
“This series provides the audience the opportunity to share in the international travel experiences of numerous individuals from the University, local and international communities. Many presentations are travelogues; some are reflections of the current issues confronting a country’s people; others capture the cultural character of distant societies; but, each allows a unique insight into places many would never have the opportunity to visit.”
Dr. Cindy M. Christian, Alworth Institute Program Associate
2009-2010 International Brown Bag Series
Fall 2009:
Brown Bag are held on Thursdays at 12:00 Noon at UMD unless otherwise indicated.
“Global Water Futures"
Presented by Erik R. Peterson, Senior Vice President of the Center for Strategic & International Studies (CSIS)
Thursday, September 24, 2009 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
The Rafters, Kirby Student Center
Erik Peterson examines current and future water dislocations the world over. He questions whether countries, companies and other organizations are doing enough to support the 884 million people without access to clean water. He also outlines several integrated solutions to the global problem that water presents. This interactive session allows participants to gain a deeper understanding of the current water crisis by asking the critical question: How do we balance rising scarcity with growing demand in the field of resource management?
"Canada and the U.S.: Partners in Recovery"
Presented by Minneapolis-based Canadian Consul General Martin Loken
Thursday, October 1, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Library 4th Floor Rotunda
Consul General Loken will speak on the unparalleled relationship between Canada and the United States. Special emphasis will be put on current bilateral issues, including trade, the economy and environment. Loken joined Canada’s Foreign Service in 1990. His previous overseas assignments were at the Canadian Embassy in Prague (1992-1994) and at Canada’s Permanent Mission to the World Trade Organization and the United Nations in Geneva (1998-2002). He has been responsible for a range of geographic and functional issues, including science and technology relations with Japan and global human rights. From 2002 to 2008 he served in the Trade Policy and Negotiations Branch, where he worked on several major trade agreements and negotiations.
"Backpacking through the Scottish Highlands: A Cultural Experience"
Presented by Shawn Grund, Senior in UMD's Communication Department
Thursday, October 8, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Library 4th Floor Rotunda
Shawn Grund spent a month traveling through Scotland in the summer of 2009. He will discuss his experiences with the culture of the Scottish Highlands as well as the city of Glasgow. He will also speak about his participation in the TGO Challenge, a social coast-to-coast backpacking event through the Highlands, one of the only events like it in the world. For more information on Grund’s experience see http://www.plamerican.com/news/general-news/seeing-world-one-step-time-107
"Journalism in a Complicated Place: The Role of Community Journalism in South Africa”
Presented by Dr. John Hatcher, UMD Writing Studies Department
Thursday, October 22, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Library 4th Floor Rotunda
Democracy, it is said, is easy in a homogenous society, but in culturally complex places the challenges of providing the good life for all are more daunting. The same challenges can be said for the role of journalism in societies that are divided based on cultural cleavages. In no place on the planet are these challenges more pronounced than in South Africa, where community journalists face the challenge of both reaching their defined community groups while also working toward the goal of realizing the dreams of the Rainbow Nation. In this illustrated presentation, Dr. Hatcher will share his thoughts on journalism in South Africa based on his recent trip to the country and his interviews with South African journalists.
"After Heart and Seoul”
Presented by Dr. Jiyoon Yoon, UMD Department of Education & UMD Students
Thursday, October 29, 2009 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Library 4th Floor Rotunda
In June of 2009, eight students in the Teaching Exchange Program of UMD’s Department of Education traveled to South Korea to study its education system and culture. These students and the program coordinator, Dr. Yoon, will discuss their meaningful and fun experience teaching in Korea. They will show the goals, process, and share the excitement of their first teaching experiences in Korea.
"The Spaces of the University: Minnesota and Cambridge, UK”
Presented by Dr. David Beard, UMD Writing Studies Department
Thursday, November 5, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Library 4th Floor Rotunda
Nothing could appear less similar: the University of Minnesota (born of the practical arts of agriculture), established in the 19th century to train professionals and citizens, and Cambridge University, a university centuries old before any European set foot in Minnesota. And yet, there are remarkable similarities and instructive differences. In this presentation, Dr. Beard will investigate the spaces of these two universities. The lands these universities occupy define their missions, their cultures, and their relationships to the societies whose young they educate.
"Monster in the Lake: A Brazilian Odyssey"
Presented by Kelly Wendt, Graduate Fellow, UMD Department of Geological Sciences
Thursday, November 12, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Library 4th Floor Rotunda
In June of 2009, Kelly Wendt was part of a team of researchers including students from the University of Arizona and UNESP in Brazil. The team was in western Brazil in the world's largest wetland known as the Pantanal to collect sediment cores. They were arrested by local authorities on charges of illegally prospecting for minerals, and jailed for nine days. After a month released on bail, they were allowed to return to the U.S. to await the outcome of their case. Wendt will discuss this experience and his research.
"Cultural Immersion in Northern Ireland"
Presented by Dr. Molly Minkkinen, Associate Professor, UMD Education Department and UMD students
Thursday, November 19, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Library 4th Floor Rotunda
In May of 2009, Dr. Minkkinen led twelve UMD students to Newcastle, Northern Ireland as part of a short-term study abroad program. Students explored Northern Ireland’s culture and education, political and economic systems. They also spent 35 hours in either an early childhood or early primary classroom setting. Dr. Minkkinen and some of the students will share their experiences as well as photos from their excursions to Belfast, Knowlth and Dublin as well as visits to castle ruins, Giant’s Causeway, and the Viking Museum. Information about this and other study abroad opportunities will be available.
Archives
Spring 2009:
Brown Bag are held on Thursdays at 12:00 Noon unless otherwise indicated.
“The Anglo American Roots of the New Rhetoric: A Visit to Cambridge University”
Presented by Dr. David Beard
Thursday, February 5, 2009 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Dr. David Beard, Assistant Professor of Writing Studies at UMD, visited the United Kingdom and Cambridge University in the summer of 2008. He will discuss his research on the scholarly connections across the Atlantic that have occurred in the study of rhetoric in the early 20th and 21st centuries. Specifically, he will address how the administrative shape of the university shapes the intellectual products of that university, and the differences internationally. What do American universities offer that English Universities do not? Dr. Beard will illustrate his analysis with pictures of Cambridge University.
"The Pakistan You Don't Know"
Presented by Waqas Ahmad and Nisar Ahmed
Thursday, February 12, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Waqas Ahmad and Nisar Ahmed, both graduate students in UMD's Electrical and Computer Engineering Program, will discuss several features of life in their native Pakistan. They will provide information about the people, religion, culture, politics and natural world of Pakistan. They will present an illustrated talk that will increase understanding of a Pakistan rarely portrayed in the U.S..
"La Ley no es Todo (The Law is not Everything): Feminist Politics in Venezuela”
Presented by Chere Bergeron
Thursday, February 19, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Chere Bergeron spent three and one half months beginning in the summer of 2008 studying and living in Mérida, Venzuela. While there, she investigated the effects of feminist politics and initiatives under the presidency of Hugo Chávez. She focused specifically on policies to confront violence against women, reproductive rights, and economic justice for 'ama de la casa' or the Venezuelan housewife. She will discuss her research findings and also share reflections about her experiences living in the country. Ms. Bergeron is a UMD student majoring in Women's Studies and International Studies.
"The Global Wind Band Movement: A Celebration in the Canary Islands”
Presented by Professor Mark Whitlock
Thursday, March 5, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Mark Whitlock, Professor of Music at UMD, participated as a guest conductor at the 4th Iberoamericano Congress for Composers, Directors, and Arrangers for Symphonic Bands held in Santa Cruz de Tenerife in the Canary Islands, Spain. He will speak about the growth of the wind band movement throughout the world, specifically its expansion in the Iberian region of Europe. This area, along with South America, has produced a wealth of new music for the wind band that deserves attention. Professor Whitlock will also show pictures and discuss his visit to the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and the islands.
"Spain: A Winter Odyssey”
Presented by Pauline Nuhring
Thursday, March 26, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Pauline Nuhring, Associate Administrator in UMD's Office of Continuing Education, will present on her January 2009 travels throughout Spain. Ms. Nuhring, along with UMD Professor Eileen Zeitz, will take this off-season trip to experience a bit of the true flavor of Spanish life. After exploring Madrid, they plan to travel off the beaten track to some of the lesser-known sites and destinations in Spain.
"Exploring China”
Presented by UMD Students and Professor Zhuangyi Liu
Thursday, April 16, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Several UMD students who participated in the May 2008 UMD Program, "Chinese Language in China," will show pictures and talk about their experiences participating in this unique program. The students, with the program leader, Dr. Zhuangyi Liu, a Professor in the UMD Department of Mathematics and Statistics, studied language and culture in Beijing, Shanghai and Qingdao. They visited Tiananmen Square, Peoples’ Congress, the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Terracotta Warrior Museum, the Shanghai Museum, and the Bund area on the Huangpu River. In addition, they had extensive language instruction in Mandarin Chinese at Ocean University in Qingdao.
"History isn't enough: The Symbolic History of Nuremberg"
Presented by Mrs. Leonore Bauemler and Dr. Deborah Petersen-Perlman
Thursday, April 23, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Mrs. Leonore Baeumler and Dr. Deborah Petersen-Perlman, members of UMD's Baeumler Kaplan Holocaust Committee, will review the ancient history of Nuremberg as a crossroads of European commerce and an Imperial City of the Holy Roman Empire. Using artistic and photographic images (including photos from their fall 2008 trip to Germany), the presentation will review the Nazis' idealized view of the city and explore how they made use of its medieval past to recast it for their purposes as a Nazi Center in the 1930s and 1040s. The Jewish experiences of the city from the 13th century to the present will be woven throughout the presentation. (Co-sponsored by the Bauemler-Kalpan Holocaust Commemoration Commitee)
"Medellin, Cali and Bogota: Flowers, Salsa, Telefericos in Colombia"
Presented by Dr. Adam Pine
Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Dr. Adam Pine, Assistant Professor in the Geography Department at UMD, visited Colombia in the summer of 2008. In this illustrated presentation he will talk about Cali (a city famous for its salsa), the Medellin flower festival (which was ending just as he arrived in the city), and the AMAZING telefericos in both Bogota and Medellin.
Fall 2008:
“Redefining the Renaissance: The Culture of Artistic Exchange between the Dalmatian Coast of Croatia and the Italian Mainland”
Presented by Dr. Jennifer Webb
Thursday, September 25, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Dr. Jennifer Webb, Assistant Professor of Art History in UMD’s Department of Art and Design, examines common assumptions about Italian Renaissance Art by sharing her ideas developed during a summer 2008 trip to Croatia and Italy. In the fifteenth century a number of artists traveled from the Dalmatian coast of Croatia to work at some of the most powerful Renaissance Italian courts while their Italian counterparts traveled east to work in cities like Dubrovnik. Dr. Webb considers how the pieces found at these more ‘provincial’ sites compare with the masterpieces of the Renaissance in Florence, what influence Croatian artists may have had on Italian culture, and how a more comprehensive understanding of the culture of the Adriatic basin might help art historians and historians alike move towards a more nuanced definition of the ‘Renaissance.’ This presentation also includes pictures of Dr. Webb’s ten-day trip.
“The Fate of the English Country House”
Presented by Dr. Dianne Barre
Thursday, October 2, 2008 - 12:00 p.m.(noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
The future of the English Country House has often been in doubt. The houses are the product of past economic circumstances. They are often inconvenient to live in and expensive to maintain. How has this rich architectural heritage adapted to change or been put to new uses? What have been the consequences, visually and functionally? Finding new uses for old buildings is a theme in many American downtowns. Dr. Dianne Barre is an expert on the English Country House and associated gardens and a faculty participant in the UMD Study in England program, examines whether continuity or change has been achieved in England.
“Researching Garden History”
Presented by Dr. Dianne Barre
Friday, October 3, 2008 -12:00 p.m. (noon).
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Dr. Dianne Barre is a garden historian involved with the charting of the development and the regeneration of interest in historically significant gardens. Many such gardens are now ‘lost’ or in very neglected and over-grown conditions. Dr. Barre has been working on a project to visit and record the condition of many dozens of such gardens in her native Staffordshire in England. She has just recently visited a garden in which the original 16th century garden terraces still survive. In this talk, Dr. Barre will illustrate and answer the following questions: What is garden history? How can garden history be researched? How useful is garden history to the heritage industry and the understanding of the use of leisure in the past?
“(De)Constructing Borders: Native Nations Treaty-Making with the United States and Canada”
Presented by Dr. Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark
Thursday, October 9, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Treaties between tribal/First nations and colonial nations, namely the United States and Canada, initially served as the legal tool for colonial nations to acquire land and construct borders. Treaties were fundamental to the formation of colonial nations because treaty-making served as the main legal practice which legitimized the existence and sovereignty of colonial nations. For many tribal/First nations, treaties operated as a means for seeking recognition and protection of their own sovereignty, land title, and rights to their territories. Throughout the treaty negotiation process, tribal/First nations expressed and sought to retain their own conceptions of sovereignty, nationhood, and land tenure. In this presentation, Heidi Kiiwetinepinesiik Stark, a Turtle Mountain Anishinaabe and Assistant Professor in the UMD Department of American Indian Studies, takes a bi-national approach by examining treaty-making practices in the U.S. and Canada, but more importantly it places tribal/First Nations at the center. She lays out the benefits of a multi-national study that includes the valuable contributions of tribal/First Nations.
“Second City of the United Kingdom”
Presented by Paul Strommer, Leif Olson, Stephanie Bassett
Thursday, October 16, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Three students that have recently participated in UMD's Study in England Program in England's second largest city, Birmingham, will discuss their experiences living in the city. Paul Strommer, Leif Olson, and Stephanie Bassett will also examine Birmingham's history and its evolution into a leading urban center in the United Kingdom. The students will share pictures of Birmingham and their research about life in the city.
“Creating Democracy and Civil Society in Tajikistan"
Presented by Visiting Leaders from Tajikistan
Thursday, October 23, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon) - A reception will follow this presentation until 2:00 p.m.
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
The Duluth area League of Women Voters is hosting five individuals from Tajikistan in October 2008. The visit of these emerging leaders is made possible through the Open World Program which enables participants to experience U.S. democracy, as well as the role of civil society and free enterprise in communities throughout the United States. Mukhibullo Dodojonov, Shokir Hakimov, Marifat Nazhmudinovna Khidiraliyeva, Timur Akhmedovich Nabiyev and Shuhrat Abdumutalibovich Shamsiev, from the government and non-profit sectors of the country, will discuss the process of democratization and civic engagement in Tajikistan and will reflect upon what they have learned in the United States. (A reception will follow this presentation)
“China: Perspective from an Insider"
Presented by Dr. Zhangyi Liu
Thursday, October 30, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Dr. Zhangyi Liu, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at UMD, was born in China and came to the United States in 1984 for his graduate education. Since 1992, he has established research collaborations with Chinese colleagues, which have led to many trips back to China. Dr. Liu also leads a Study in China program for UMD students. He has witnessed the dramatic changes China has been experiencing and in this presentation he will share his perspective on these changes.
"Guatemala, at the Crossroads of the Past and the Future"
Presented by Carlos Castillo
Thursday, November 6, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Carlos Castillo, an Instructor in the UMD Marketing Department, will be sharing with the audience some historical information about the country of Guatemala, including its Spanish and Indian American heritages and connecting this to today's cultural, political and economic situation in the country. The objective of this presentation is to show how today's Guatemala is the result of world political mishaps and the continuing challenges the nation faces as it deals with fierce competition from other developing countries. Mr. Castillo will also show pictures and offer cultural data for those interested in visiting the country.
"Researching Student Outcomes in Study Abroad"
Presented by Dr. Paula Pedersen
Thursday, November 13, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
In 2006-2007, Dr. Paula Pedersen, Assistant Professor of Psychology at UMD, served as a resident faculty member in the UMD Study in England Program. During that time she began working with students to assess the impact of their study abroad experience on their 'worldview' given the reality of cultural differences. Dr. Pedersen utilized the "Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI)" to measure how students feel and think about, and thus react to, cultural difference. The inventory is given before and after the students' year in England. Dr. Pedersen will provide the results of her research in this presentation.
“Glasgow: From Medieval to Post-Modern City”
Presented by Dr. William Henderson
Thursday, November 20, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Dr. William Henderson, Director of the Alworth Institute, discusses Glasgow, a city with a proud industrial past and with very strong North American connections. Like Duluth, it lost much of its heavy industry in the 1970s and 1980s. It has regenerated by rediscovering the strength of its urban landscape, the significance of its past and the depth of its cultural achievements. This presentation gives an overview of the city and its history as well as its regeneration through culture and the arts.
"Reflections of an Icelandic Author"
Presented by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Thursday, December 4, 2008 - 12:00 p.m. (noon)
UMD Fourth Floor Library Rotunda
Yrsa Sigurdardottir, a mystery and children's book author as well as a geothermal engineer, lives and works in Reykjavik, and is the technical manager of one of the largest hydro-construction projects in Europe. She is married with two children, and her books for children and teenagers have won prizes and great acclaim. Last Rituals, her first adult mystery novel and the first of a series featuring Thora Gudmundsdottir, has been a bestseller in Iceland has been recently translated into English. Her visit to the United States and Canada is sponsored by The Icelandic National League of North America.