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Extra Credit Opportunities: Shakespeare and Philosophy October 22, 2009

Posted by jdresner in extra credit (F09).
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The PSU production of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will be at Memorial Auditorium Thursday through Saturday evenings at 8pm. Students with PSU ID can pick up tickets free at the PSU Ticket Office in the Student Center.

The PSU Philosophical Society Annual Speaker Series
·         Friday, November 13, 2009 4:00 pm
·         Grubbs Hall Room 107
·         “Liberalism and Religious Equality”
·         Speaker ­ Dr. Jon Mahoney
The PSU Philosophical Society will proudly present a talk given by Dr. Jon Mahoney entitled, “Liberalism and Religious Equality”.  The talk will take place on Friday, November 13, 2009 in Grubbs Hall Room 107 at 4:00 pm.  Dr. Mahoney is currently an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Kansas State University.  He earned his PhD from State University of New York ­ Binghamton.  He specializes in social and political philosophy, ethics, and philosophy of law.  He has published in numerous journals such as Law and Philosophy, Social Philosophy Today, and The Journal of Value Inquiry.  His work has also appeared in numerous collections such as The Legacy of John Rawls (Continuum, 2005), Law and Peace in Kant’s Philosophy (de Gruyter, 2008), and Pragmatic Politics and Pragmatist Culture (Cambridge, 2009).  Please contact James McBain (jmcbain-@pittstate.edu or 235-6039) for further information.
The PSU Philosophical Society Annual Speaker Series
·         Tuesday, November 17, 2009 3:30 pm
·         Russ Hall Room 409
·         “The Surprising Simple Secular Source of Morality”
·         Speaker ­ Dr. Scott Forschler
The PSU Philosophical Society will proudly present a talk given by Dr. Scott Forschler entitled “The Surprisingly Simple Secular Source of Morality” on Tuesday, November 17, 2009.  The talk will take place in Russ Hall 409 at 3:30 pm.  Dr. Forschler specializes in ethical theory.  He earned his PhD in philosophy from the University of Minnesota ­ Twin Cities and also earned MA in philosophy from Minnesota ­ Twin Cities, a MA in history from Butler University, a MLS from the University of Wisconsin ­ Madison, and a MA in English from Pittsburg State.  He has published articles in Utilitas and The Journal of Value Inquiry; and his book, The Logic of Morality, is forthcoming from Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.  Please contact James McBain (jmcbain-@pittstate.edu or 235-6039) for further information.

Extra Credit Opportunity: Darfur and Sudan Today October 5, 2009

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Tilford Lecture
Tuesday October 6, 3 pm
Balkans Room – OSC
Darfur, Sudan Today
Don’t miss a talk by Rev. Daniel Kuot, one of the ‘lost boys of Sudan,’ who’s village was attacked, his family killed and he was shot and fled to Ethiopia. Like many of the survivors of the genocide of Darfur, Daniel has immigrated to the United States after many years as a refugee in Ethiopia.
Today he spends all of his time working to help those who are still in Sudan. He is building a school in his village of Paloi. He has just started a micro-credit program to help farmers create enterprises to support their families. And he supports several orphans at a school in Kenya. Come and hear Daniel’s amazing story and hear what is happening in Sudan today.
Daniel will be speaking at 3:00 pm on Tuesday, October 6,  in the Balkans Room at the Overman Student Center. This talk is sponsored by the Tilford Group at PSU. For information about Daniel’s talk or other times to hear him contact Dan Ferguson, HHPR, ferguson@pittstate.edu or 235-4911.

Extra Credit Opportunity: SEK Symphony Benefit September 23, 2009

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This one costs real money, but includes some interesting American classical works.
The Southeast Kansas Symphony Orchestra is pleased to present its first concert of the 2009-2010 concert season.  ‘Symphony at Sunset’ is an outdoor benefit celebration for the orchestra will be held Sunday, September 27 at 6:00 p.m. at the West 20th St. Mined Land Wildlife Area (the old ‘Quail Farm’ on the way to the Humane Society).

Tickets for this benefit concert are $25.00 ­ enjoy music, poetry and nature while supporting the SEK Symphony!  Bring a folding/outdoor chair and wear comfortable shoes.  A beverage will be provided with your ticket purchase.

In case of rain, the concert will be moved to Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium.  Contact Stella Hastings at 235-4469 for questions.

Specific information regarding the concert can be found at www.seksymphony.org.

They’ve got a Dvorak concert scheduled for November, as well, and that one is free to PSU students with ID.

Extra Credit Opportunity: Hispanic Heritage Month Movie Week September 23, 2009

Posted by jdresner in extra credit (F09), hist 102 (Fall 2009).
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You only need to attend one to get extra credit, but you are welcome to attend more. All movies are in the Student Center; screenings begin at 7pm.

Miscellaneous announcements: Guest Lectures, Test, Fun September 22, 2009

Posted by jdresner in Napoleon, Schedule Change, administrative, extra credit (F09), grading, hist 102 (Spring 2009), homework, military, not homework, resources.
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We’ll have two guest lectures from PSU Grad student, military historian and WWII reenactor Dustin Strong: “Napoleon and his Wars” on October 9 and “WWII” on November 16. Mr. Strong’s lectures, like my own, are required, and I will expect to see his presentation reflected in your test answers and essays where appropriate. Mr. Strong has also announced two WWII reenactments open to the public as extra credit opportunities: Sept. 26-27 at Bristow Jones Memorial Airport (Bristow, OK) and Nov. 7 at Forest Park (Ottawa, KS). For the extra credit, include in your summary/reaction paper a description of the battle, and those of you doing WWII topics for your book review are strongly encouraged to talk to members of one of the units, as they are usually very well-informed on the equipment and history of the units they portray.

My apologies to the 2pm section for missing Monday: I have put the lecture outline online, so that anyone who missed class due to the weather or illness can review it. Those of you were there for the 11am class are welcome to look at it as well, obviously.

Regarding the Test on Monday, covering chapters 15 through 20, inclusive, and the lectures, the format will be very much like the pop quizzes: I will choose four or five (or six) terms from each chapter — the terms in the “Key Terms” lists, of course — to put on the test. From those, you will pick twelve (12) to answer: at least one from each of the six chapters, and the rest from any of the remaining terms. I will supply the test and paper; you bring something to write with and everything you can remember about the last month’s readings and lectures.

Finally, for fun, here’s pre-Revolutionary satires on French aristocratic hairstyles, including a recreation of the Battle of Bunker Hill [mildly adult content]. The one that made me laugh was the one with the hairdresser using a nautical navigational tool — the sextant — to arrange the hairstyle.

Extra Credit Opportunity: Meeting David Wilson September 15, 2009

Posted by jdresner in extra credit (F09), historiography, not homework.
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Don’t miss Meeting David Wilson on Monday, September 21, 2009 at 7:00 pm in the Crimson & Gold Ballroom, Overman Student Center. This presentation is FREE, and no ticket will be required.

David A. Wilson, as a 28 year-old African-American journalist, traveled deep into his family’s past to find the answers to America’s racial divide. His journey resulted in the feature length documentary “Meeting David Wilson”, which he wrote and co-directed. In researching his family’s ancestry, David learned of a plantation in North Carolina where his family was once enslaved, and subsequently discovered that the plantation is owned today by a 62-year-old white man—also named David Wilson—who is a direct descendant of his family’s slave Master. This discovery leads to a momentous encounter between these two men who share the same name, but whose ancestors were on the opposite sides of freedom. Later, through DNA testing, David is able to trace his African roots back to Ghana, West Africa, where he travels to visit the place where it all began.

On April 11, 2008, MSNBC premiered the documentary “Meeting David Wilson” which was hosted by Tiki Barber. The film aired nationally as part of a groundbreaking television event, which also included a live town-hall conversation on race moderated by Brian Williams of NBC’s Nightly News from the campus of Howard University.

In his interactive, multimedia lecture, David shows pivotal moments from the film, including his conversations with the white David Wilson, and initiates a discussion with audiences about the state of race relations today, how we got here— both literally and figuratively—and where we’re headed. While much of his presentation focuses on the racial dilemmas of today, David shows how the country’s history played a role in creating the problem, and more importantly, how it is in the interest of America’s future that we all play a part in the solution.

For more information, contact the Campus Activities Center at 4795 or visit David’s site at http://www.meetingdavidwilson.com/

Meeting David Wilson is being presented by the Performing Arts & Lecture Series (PALS) and the PSU Leadership Institute.

Extra Credit Opportunity: Romanticism Lecture September 10, 2009

Posted by jdresner in extra credit (F09), hist 102 (Fall 2009).
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On Thursday, October 8, at 8:00 p.m., in the Balkans Room of the Overman Student Center, Michael Martin, Lecturer in English and Co-Director of the Nancy Geshke Writing Center at Marygrove College, Detroit, Michican, will deliver the Victor J. Emmett, Jr., Memorial Lecture.

Mr. Martin’s lecture topic will be “The Mystical Body of Romanticism.” The lecture is free and open to the public.  A brief award ceremony and reception in the Heritage Room will follow the lecture.

Mr. Martin is the winner of the Sixteenth Annual Emmett Award for the best article on a literary topic published in The Midwest Quarterly in 2009.

The Emmett Memorial Award and Lecture are sponsored by the Emmett family, The Midwest Quarterly, and the English Department of Pittsburg State.  The award is given in memory of the late Dr. Victor J. Emmett, Jr., who, before his death in 1990, was for twenty-three years a Professor of English at Pittsburg State, where he served at various times as Chairperson of the English Department, Acting Dean of Graduate Studies, and Editor-in-Chief of The Midwest Quarterly.

Extra Credit Opportunities: Poetry and Lectures September 10, 2009

Posted by jdresner in extra credit (F09), hist 102 (Fall 2009).
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From Axe Library:

On October 1st, 2009, the Friends of Axe Library are very proud to present a reading by three poets who grew up on Osage St. in Girard, KS.  Their book, entitled Three from Osage Street, is a collaboration which resulted from their chance meeting at Girard High School’s 50th anniversary reunion for the class of ‘56.  There, Thomas Lisenbee, Kay Z. Myers  and Brett Waller  found out that they all shared second careers as poets, and they also shared a favorite subject: growing up in Girard, KS.  So, if you want to hear poems about tadpoles, skinny dipping, the best bread in the world, fishing trips with Dad, a town that could have been a stunt double for Pleasantville and campin’ out, then join us on Thursday, October 1st at 7 PM in the Special Collections Department of Axe Library.  Refreshments will be served.  Contact Jane Victor (235-4886; victor@pittstate.edu ) or Bob Walter (235-4886; bwalter@pittstate.edu) for further information.

On October 8th, 2009 at 7PM , the Friends of Axe Library will be very proud to present the 12th annual Gene DeGruson Memorial Lecture,  Cowboy Heaven… Carson Robison and His Influence on Modern Country and Western Music. The lecture will take place in the Special Collections Department of Axe Library.  Refreshments will be served.  Our lecturer will be John Kendrick, a recent graduate of PSU (May, 2009) with a Master of Arts in Communication and an expert on the life and career of Carson Robison (1890-1957).  Robison, a native of Southeast Kansas was a talented singer, songwriter (more than 280 titles), disc jockey,  and guitarist  as well as master of other talents too numerous to mention. He was an influence on such entertainers as Gene Autrey, Gene Austin and Will Rogers and  one of the pioneers in developing modern county music as we know it.  Our performer is Alva McNeely, Board Member of the Marmaton Chapter, Kansas Old Time Fiddlers and Pickers and a talented musician on the guitar, fiddle and mandolin.  Contact Jane Victor (235-4886; victor@pittstate.edu ) or Bob Walter (235-4886; bwalter@pittstate.edu) for further information.

As always, you earn extra credit by attending the event and write a short summary-reaction paper for me.

Extra Credit Opportunity: A Midsummer Night’s Dream September 3, 2009

Posted by jdresner in extra credit (F09), hist 102 (Fall 2009), not homework.
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The Pitt State Theater Department will be putting on a production of Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” — one of his most popular comedies. The show will be October 24-26th: keep an eye out for announcements about ticket availability.

To get extra credit, all you have to do is attend the event and write a short (2 pages max) summary and reaction paper before the end of the semester. It’s that easy.