Thursday, June 19, 2008

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Preserving the past

Dr. Michael Tomlan, historic preservationist and a pioneering scholar on planbook architects of the 19th century, will present “Why Historians and Preservationists Avoid Religion,” a free and open lecture, at 6 p.m. Thursday, June 26, in Parish Hall at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 315 E. Main St. An associate professor of history and director of the graduate program in historic preservation planning program at Cornell University, Tomlan began a monthlong visit to the MTSU campus June 1, where he’s teaching a summer seminar. He is an historic preservation expert in building conservation technology, documentation methods for preservation and the history of the preservation movement. Just prior to his June 26 talk, the Center for Historic Preservation at MTSU will sponsor a public reception for Tomlan at 4:30 p.m. at The Heritage Center, 225. W. College St.

Contact the MTSU Department of History at 615-898-2536.

Standing tall

Dr. Bob Glenn, MTSU’s outgoing Vice President for Student Affairs, cites Abraham Lincoln as a model of the kind of values to which students should aspire. “One of the reasons why he was so great is because he understood the need for integrity, and he built himself and his career around that,” Glenn told the campus chapter of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars earlier this year. He said although Lincoln was thought to be unschooled in politics, he outdid several more able politicians to become president. Even then, the men who helped install him thought they could manipulate him. But Lincoln turned the tables on them and made the men who had fought him part of his cabinet. “He put the needs of the country above his personal beliefs, his feelings, the fact that these men had insulted him publicly in many cases,” Glenn said.

Contact Glenn at 615-898-2440.
rglenn@mtsu.edu

Progress report

Is the success of U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) in becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee due in part to the discontent among African-Americans today? A Pew Research Center poll finds that African-Americans are more dissatisfied with their progress now than at any time in the past 20 years. Dr. Jacqui Wade, social work, says, “African-Americans know all too well that the practices of institutional and cultural racism go way back and remain alive and well in America, despite some of the incremental changes that have been made to help eliminate, or at least alleviate these social ills.” (Incidentally, a Canadian company that had agreed to produce a stuffed sock puppet that looks like a monkey and is named after Barack Obama has pulled out of its deal with the Utah couple that created the puppet. After apologizing, the couple said they would try to find another company to produce the item.)

Contact Wade at 615-898-2477.
jewade@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

“ENGLAND SWINGS LIKE A PENDULUM DO.”—ROGER MILLER--The Fab Four, miniskirts and go-go boots, the “mods” versus the “rockers”—If you’re looking for a fun and informative course to take this summer, MTSU is offering British Popular Culture from 10:10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday July 7-August 7. This English course, taught by Dr. Jill Hague, will look at the development of popular culture in the United Kingdom after World War II, focusing on innovations in music, film and drama. Students will examine the cultural, historical and political contexts of the 1950s, the phenomenon of “Swinging London” and the Beatles in the 1960s and the rise of punk culture in the 1970s. Contact Hague at 615-904-8123 or ahague@mtsu.edu.

THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT--You can spend part of your summer examining the fascinating Native American history and prehistory of the Southwest and get geography or history credit for it at MTSU! The class is titled “Geography of Native Americans” and will be conducted for the 15th consecutive year by Dr. Doug Heffington, professor of historical geography and director of the Global Studies Program. “The class focuses on the examination of the human/land relationships between the native peoples of New Mexico and their natural environment,” Heffington says. “Most of our base camp is in the small colonial village of Truchas, which dates to the mid-1700s with its blend of Genizaro, Mestizo and Hispano cultures. The trip/course starts July 21st and takes about nine days to complete.” The cost is approximately $400 per student and includes transportation, two meals a day, lodging and entry fees. Contact Heffington at 615-898-5978 or jheffing@mtsu.edu.

ALMA MATER MATTERS-- MTSU’s Alumni Summer College, a two-and-a-half-day event full of fun, fellowship and presentations on local topics, is slated for June 25-27. Faculty, staff and other experts who are slated to speak include Dr. Lisa Pruitt, director of the Gore Center, on “A Century of Service: The History of MTSU”; Dr. Rhonda Hoffman, associate professor of equine science, will introduce attendees to the latest research and technology in the horse world; and alumni Gloria Christy (’71) and Bill Shacklett (’73) will discuss the technical world of photo restoration. Also on tap are a trip to the Grand Ole Opry, dinner at Caney Fork Fish Camp and a scavenger hunt. Contact Rhonda Wright at 1-800-533-6878 or rwright@mtsu.edu.

ROLL OVER, JUNIOR!--Everything a human being is concerned with is based on learning and theory. That’s what makes the Learning Theories class being taught by Dr. Donald Kendrick through Thursday, July 3, at MTSU so fascinating. Kendrick, a psychology professor, says, “For example, students will gain insights and learn specific techniques to train their pets to do fun and funny things. These training techniques also generalize to raising children, the effectiveness and ineffectiveness of punishment, accepted practices on permitting young children to sleep with Mom (and Dad), the nature of the mother-infant bond, breaking bad habits and acquiring new ones, and how to get your roommate to have more respect for your things!” Contact Kendrick at 615-898-2706 or psyskip@mtsu.edu.

DAD, TAKE THE LAMPSHADE OFF YOUR HEAD WHILE THE CAMERA’S ROLLING!--Working with perhaps the most technology-savvy generation of young adults ever, Dr. Lorne McWatters, history, will teach a class titled “Genealogy and Documentary Film: Doing Your Own Family History in Film” to undergraduates for the first time at MTSU this fall. “The fall class will have 15 students, and each student will make a film about 10 minutes long on either some aspect of his/her family (genealogy) or some aspect of the history of MTSU,” McWatters says. “In speaking to students about the class, I found the undergraduates to be very enthusiastic, much more so than the graduate students, in general.” Contact McWatters at 615-898-5805 or dmcwatte@mtsu.edu.

CHINESE MATH-CHECKERS--MTSU and Northwest Normal University in Lanzhou, People’s Republic of China, will co-host a workshop on mathematics and science education on MTSU’s campus the week of June 22-27. Participation is by invitation only and will include 125 scholars, 50 confirmed from 20 universities in China and 75 confirmed from 40 universities in the United States. The week’s activities will begin Sunday, June 22, with a dinner event during which U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon will deliver the opening address. “The purpose of the workshop is to provide an opportunity for researchers from the United States and China to meet, discuss and identify common priorities that promote collaborative research,” says Dr. Diane Miller, the event’s organizing committee co-chair. Contact Miller at 615-898-2881 or dmiller@mtsu.edu.

DOES A KID SIT IN THE WOODS?--The MTSU Campus Recreation Center’s Adventure Camp for young people ages 14 to 17 is set for June 23-27 at a cost of $175 per camper. Students will learn and develop skills they can use to explore the great outdoors with an introduction to canoeing, a day hike, kayaking the Hiwassee River overnight and rafting the Ocoee River. Campers are responsible for their own food, and a healthy lunch is recommended. Organizers say a water bottle is a must. Participants may register at the Campus Rec office from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or by mail. Registration is accepted on a first-come, first-served basis, and a $25 nonrefundable deposit for each session must accompany the registration, but it will be applied to the total cost of the camp. For more details, visit http://www.mtsu.edu/~camprec, or call 615-898-2104.