Extra Credit Opportunity: Kansas Poets

The Distinguished Visiting Writer Series at Pittsburg State University will host a reading featuring twelve Kansas poets at 7 p.m., on Dec. 8, in the Governor’s Room of PSU’s Overman Student Center. This reading is part of a twenty-city reading tour to commemorate the publication of Begin Again: 150 Kansas Poems. The reading is free and open to the public.

Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, Poet Laureate of Kansas, organized the book publication and the reading tour. The project, which celebrates the Kansas Sesquicentennial, began in April, National Poetry Month, with poets submitting work that related to Kansas. Mirriam-Goldberg says the collection represents a diverse group of poets and perspectives: “This book is a wonderful compilation of poetry across Kansas, bringing together over 90 poets from all over and beyond the state to share the beauty, mystery, surprises, quirks and stories of Kansas.”

Kansas has a rich history of regional writing which includes such notable poets as William Stafford, James Tate, Langston Hughes, and Gwendolyn Brooks. An unusual number of poets have connections to Pittsburg. In fact, according to Laura Washburn, director of creative writing at PSU, “The literary prowess of this region may be one of its best-kept secrets.” Of the 93 poets included in Begin Again, twelve of them have connections to Pittsburg and PSU. “Pittsburg has a lot to be proud of in this anthology,” Washburn said. Published poets who are included in the anthology but who will not be at the reading are Eric Dutton who was born in Pittsburg and received his master’s from PSU, and Pamela Yenser who also received her master’s at PSU.

Reading Thursday are Laura Lee Washburn, Iris Wilkinson, Lorraine Achey, Roland Sodowsky, Stephen Meats, Daniele Cunningham, Olive L. Sullivan, Rick Nichols, Al Ortolani, Max Yoho, Melissa Fite, Allison Berry, and Ronda Miller.

This will be the fourth event in the annual Distinguished Visiting Writer series, which brings nationally acclaimed authors, poets and writers to PSU. The DVW is sponsored by the English department and the Student Fee Council. Information about the Kansas 150 tour is available at the Poet Laureate’s website http://150kansaspoems.wordpress.com/.

Extra Credit Opportunity: PSU Winds & SEK Symphony

The PSU Wind Ensemble and SEK Symphony will be presenting a Holiday Concert this Sunday, December 4th at 2:00pm at the Pittsburg Memorial Auditorium.  The concert is free and open to the public.  The Wind Ensemble will perform standard band literature during the first half of the program, and then they will be joined by the SEK Symphony strings to present holiday music, complete with an audience sing-a-long!!!  Warm apple cider and cookies will be provided in the lobby following the concert.

Extra Credit Opportunity: December PSU jazz concert

Here is your official invitation to the December PSU jazz concert. It is at 7:30 PM on December 1 at Memorial Auditorium (503 N. Pine in Pittsburg). This is a free concert and features two of our PSU colleagues, Mrs. Stella Hastings and Dr. Russell Jones. The concert has something for everyone form jazz standards to classic pieces like Secret Love, Georgia, and Tea for Two. There are works from the Basie, Kenton, and Les Hooper libraries and even a new work from the British rock band Radiohead. We hope to see you there.

Final Exam Take-home Essays Posted

The questions for the take-home final essays may be found here, or through the course schedule. Remember that the essays are only one part of the final: the third test will also be given during the final exam week as an in-class exam; same as the first two, but your time limit will be 2 hours instead of 50 minutes. The pre-test study assignment, one multiple choice question per study term, is due by email no later than Midnight, the 8th of December, before the review session on Friday the 9th.

From the First Year Office

The remaining workshop in the Academic Success Workshop Series will focus on Test Prep and Preparing for Finals.

–>Countdown to Finals: Develop a Plan to Finish the Semester Strong
Wednesday, November 30th, 3-4pm in Russ Hall 409
Thursday, December 1st, 2-3pm in Russ Hall 409

–> Tutoring resources: http://www.pittstate.edu/office/exploratory-studies/tutoring.dot

–> The Writing Center Offers free writing consultations for students, faculty, and staff at any stage of the writing process for any writing project. Open Monday through Thursday, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Axe Library, until December 8th. Schedule appointments and ask questions online at http://www.pittstate.edu/office/writing_center/ .

Feudalism

“A subject peasantry; widespread use of the service tenement (i.e. the fief) instead of a salary, which was out of the question; the supremacy of a class of specialized warriors; ties of obedience and protection which bind man to man and, within the warrior class, assume the distinctive form called vassalage; fragmentation of authority-leading inevitably to disorder; and, in the midst of all this, the survival of other forms of association, family and State, of which the latter, during the second feudal age, was to acquire renewed strength.” — Marc Bloch, La Societe’ feodale. cited in Brown, “Tyranny of a Construct”

“a body of institutions creating and regulating the obligations of obedience and service-mainly military service-on the part of a free man (the vassal) towards another free man (the lord), and the obligations of protection and maintenance on the part of the lord with regard to his vassal. The obligation of maintenance had usually as one of its effects the grant by the lord to his vassal of a unit of real property known as a fief.” — F.L. Ganshof, Feudalism, cited in Brown, “Tyranny of a Construct”

“in political terms, feudalism is marked by a fragmentation of political authority, private possession of public rights, and a ruling class composed (at least originally) of military leaders and their followers.” — Joseph Strayer, “The Tokugawa Period and Japanese Feudalism,” cited in Brown, “Tyranny of a Construct”

feudalism The social organization created by exchanging grants of land or fiefs in return for formal oaths of allegience and promises of loyal service; typical of Zhou dynasty and European Middle Ages; greater lord provided protection and aid to lesser lords in return for military service.” (Stearns, et al., G-5)

“On the whole, European feudalism inhibited the development of strong central states, but it also gradually reduced purely local warfare. … kings could use feudalism to build their own power.” (Stearns, et al., 334)

 

Extra Credit Opportunity: Ceramic Artist Lecture/Exhibit

Ceramic artist Paul Morris will display his sculptural potter in an exhibit titled “Sustaining Persistence” in the Harry Krug Gallery November 8 – December 8, 2011.
Morris’ work is an interesting connection between the human body, how the body exists in nature and how nature in turn affects the body. He writes, “My ewers have a strong sculptural figurative presence and serve to explore issues of durability regarding our personal and collective embodiment of the world.”
He will deliver a public lecture in Room 103 Porter Hall @ 2:00 pm on Tuesday November 8 followed by a reception. The lecture and reception are free and everyone is invited!