Friday, December 4, 2009

Today’s Response
Middle Tennessee State University

Comprehending the communication

Here’s a quick quiz: Why is Iraq an Arab culture but Iran isn’t? Who do Muslim women cover their hair—and some cover their face? What are “honor killings” and why do they occur? Why would the opening lines in the movie “The Departed” be particularly offensive to Arabs? These are just some of the questions to be covered in “Communication in the Middle East,” an exciting new course for the spring 2010 semester at MTSU. Led by Dr. Linda Gail Seward, associate professor of speech and theatre, students will explore the values, perceptions and communication patterns of cultures in the Middle East. This course counts for a film minor, Middle East minor, and communication studies minor.

Contact Seward at 615-904-8572.
lseward@mtsu.edu

Big issues, big challenges

Anna Kelma of Madisonville, an International Relations major with a focus on Latin America, and Joshua Fryer of Springfield, an International Relations major and Model U.N. head delegate, will attend a Millennium Development Leadership Program in Costa Rica in January 2010 at the Universidad por la Paz. The program provides participants with the skills and knowledge to start and lead projects related to achieving the Millennium Development Goals (ending hunger and poverty, providing universal education, ensuring gender equality, delivering child and maternal health, combating HIV and AIDS, building environmental sustainability, and creating global partnerships). Funding for this trip is provided by MTSU as part of the U.N. Academic Impact initiative.

Contact the Department of Political Science at 615-898-2708.

Hope is a stubborn thing.

Dr. Phil Oliver, philosophy, says students repeatedly say that, in their view, “Humans will never learn to cooperate with those of different background and ethnicity or to tolerate those with different religious or political views. As I said in class, ‘Let’s keep the books open on that.’ New research seems to indicate that we’re natively more sympathetic towards others than convention supposes. We have it in us, in germ, to be better people. … If we’re going to keep hope alive, we may have to trust ourselves more than my students’ reports indicate we should. Can we take it on faith, folks—and on accumulating evidence—that we can do better? Yes, we can.”

Contact Oliver at 615-898-2050.
poliver@mtsu.edu

TR EXTRA

PICTURE NOT-SO-PERFECT--On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a lower court order for the federal government to release photos of foreign detainees being tortured by American personnel. Sean Hannity and Fox News apologized for using footage of one rally to represent the size of a crowd at another rally. MSNBC’s Dylan Ratigan apologized for using a photoshopped picture of Sarah Palin on his program. A Chattanooga judge tries to decide whether to allow jurors in the trial of a torture slaying suspect to view gruesome pictures of the victims. (He eventually ruled that they could.) Chris Harris, professor of electronic media communication who has shot photos for Time, Newsweek and The New York Times, among other news-gathering entities, will discuss these issues and others pertaining to the ethical use of photographs on “MTSU on the Record” with host Gina Logue at 8 a.m. this Sunday, Dec. 6, on WMOT-FM (89.5 and wmot.org). Contact Logue at 615-898-5081 or WMOT-FM at 615-898-2800.

GOOD EVENING, STARSHINE--MTSU’s Department of Physics and Astronomy will host its final Star Party of the year at 6:30 p.m. today, Dec. 4, in Room 102 of the Wiser-Patten Science Building. Jeff Gritton, an MTSU instructor who teaches “Observing the Universe,” will discuss “Binary Stars: Strange Star Dances.” The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will be followed by outdoor telescope viewing, weather permitting. Parking is free behind the Wiser-Patten building after 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Handicap parking requires a state permit. Contact Dr. Eric Klumpe at 615-898-2483 or Dr. Chuck Higgins at 615-898-5946.

THE RED AND GREEN BADGE OF COURAGE--In October 2006, Lee Ann Newton, executive aide for MTSU’s Tennessee Mathematics, Science and Technology Education Center (TMSTEC), learned that a friend’s son had lost both legs in an IED (improvised explosive device) explosion in Iraq. His tragedy and those of other wounded soldiers prompted Newton to launch Operation Christmas Care. She has placed a drop box in the hallway on the first floor of the Fairview Building, 820 Fairview Ave. in Murfreesboro, where members of the campus community can drop off holiday greetings for injured military personnel, and she is encouraging others on campus to collect cards in their buildings. Newton writes, “E-mails are nice, but a colorful card or letter with a heartfelt message of support and encouragement can beam from their walls until they leave (the hospital).” To ensure timely delivery, Newton says she will send the last batch of cards on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact Newton at 615-904-8573 or lnewton@mtsu.edu.

IMPULSE ART--The final Bachelor of Fine Arts Senior Candidates Exhibition for the fall semester is on display through Thursday, Dec. 10, at MTSU’s Todd Art Gallery in Room 224 of the Todd Building. Titled “follow {y}our impulse,” it is described as a show “designed around impulse and creativity.” The participants write, “Creative thought, uncurbed passion and refined talent are necessary for success, and we incorporate those ideals into our work daily. We believe as designers we tend to design off our own impulses as well as those we perceive from our audience and clients.” Todd Art Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, closing only on state and university holidays. Contact Eric Snyder, gallery director, at 615-898-5653 or esnyder@mtsu.edu.

CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS--The first annual Department of Accounting CPE (Continuing Professional Education) Day at MTSU will be held Thursday, Dec. 10, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. in the State Farm Lecture Hall of the Business and Aerospace Building. Seminars during the conference include presentations on Ponzi schemes and fraud, international financial reporting standards, accounting and financial reporting, auditing and taxation. Participants can earn up to eight hours of CPE credit. The cost is $150, which includes all seminars, materials and lunch. Due to limited seating, participants should register early. Visit http://www.mtsu.edu/accounting or call the MTSU Department of Accounting at 615-898-5306.

SAY IT TO THE SECRETARY—“Student Voices on Education: A National Town Hall Meeting with Arne Duncan” has been rescheduled for 1 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 15, live on the Education Resource Channel@Middle Tennessee. Duncan, U.S. Secretary of Education, will serve as moderator for the broadcast, which will air live in Murfreesboro on Comcast Channel 9. The program is part of the monthly “Education News Parents Can Use” series that airs evenings on ERC@MT during the K-12 school year. Gail Fedak, director for Instructional Media Resources at MTSU, says the program’s town hall-focused format will allow for call-in and e-mail questions. In turn, schools in Rutherford County that normally receive the university’s K-12 programming on ERC@MT, as well as interested community members, may tune in to participate in the live discussion. Contact Fedak at 615-898-2740 or gfedak@mtsu.edu.

BOOK IT!--The University Writing Center at MTSU is joining forces with Project Help and Murfreesboro City Schools Outreach during the holiday season to encourage children’s literacy. In its team effort to promote the cause, UWC staff will accept new and gently used children’s books now through Wednesday, Dec. 9, as well as money donations, which will go toward the purchase of youth titles. Meagan McManus, a peer mentor and UWC writing assistant, says members of the UWC staff will attend Project Help’s fall semester celebration on Thursday, Dec. 17, to share some of the donated books with the lab’s children. Donations are accepted in Room 325 of Peck Hall from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m.-3 p.m. Fridays, and 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturdays. For more information, contact the UWC at 615-904-8237 or e-mail McManus at mcm2r@mtsu.edu.

HAIL THE HEROES!--MTSU’s Black History Month Committee is accepting nominations for unsung heroes to be honored at the annual Unity Luncheon, which is slated for Feb. 3, 2010. Nominees must be individuals who have made outstanding contributions to their community, are age 60 or older and have lived in the Middle Tennessee area for 25 years or more. The deadline for submitting nominations is Friday, Dec. 11. To nominate a person worthy of this great traditional honor, go to http://www.mtsu.edu/aahm/nominations/shtml and fill in the online questionnaire. For more information, contact Valerie Avent, assistant director of the Office of Intercultural and Diversity Affairs at 615-898-2718 or vavent@mtsu.edu.

I’LL GRANT YOU THAT.--The MTSU President’s Commission on the Status of Women is offering three grants of $1,800 each to faculty members who want to integrate the experiences and perspectives of women into the curriculum. The grants are intended for use in the summer of 2010. The 2009 winners include Dr. Gretchen Webber, sociology, for her new undergraduate course “Gender, Work and Family in the 21st Century; Dr. Meredith Huey Dye, sociology, for her special topics course “Women in Prison;” and Dr. Tricia Farwell, journalism, for her “Advertising and Social Media” course. The deadline for faculty to submit applications for the 2010 grants is Tuesday, Jan. 19. For more information, contact Dr. Samantha Cantrell at 615-494-8751 or scantrel@mtsu.edu.

PICTURES OF YOU, PICTURES OF ME--A different take on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina is on display in Stan Strembicki’s exhibit “Memory Loss/Lost Library” in the Baldwin Photographic Gallery in the Learning Resources Center at MTSU. Strembicki has been photographing the streets, people and events of New Orleans since 1984. Returning after Katrina, he was drawn to photograph not the ubiquitous crushed homes or overturned cars, but the subtler tragedy of washed-away personal ephemera in the debris of the Lower Ninth Ward. “Memory Loss/Lost Library” will be on display until Wednesday, Dec. 9. Exhibitions are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Tom Jimison at 615-898-2085 or tjimison@mtsu.edu.