Friday, October 28th

Dostoevsky:  Madman or Mystic—Dostoevsky’s Importance in Nineteenth Century Russian Literature

A lecture by Richard Brown, faculty member in English (Normandale Community College)

Friday, October 28th

12-12:50 in room C1016

Abstract: Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky is arguably one of the most influential writers of his era in Russian literature.  The Nineteenth Century in Russian literature is reflective of a period of great social, economic, and political upheaval in Russia during that historical time.  Dostoevsky’s writing presents a complex and dynamic depiction of that turbulent period in many of its facets, bringing a deep thoughtful examination of the philosophy, sociology, psychology, and spirituality evident in that period of chaos and pre-revolutionary change in Russia.  In many ways, Dostoevsky is examining in his writing a definition of what it is to be Russian in those contexts.  His novel The Brothers Karamazov is an excellent example of how those themes are presented and developed, and is a fine representation of Dostoevsky’s genius.

Speaker Bio: Having taught English composition and literature at Normandale Community College since 2000 (a second career, by the way), Richard Brown has had a fascination with European literature throughout his academic career, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels.  Russian literature, particularly that of the Nineteenth Century, has been a special area of that interest.  Having read and studied Dostoevsky extensively throughout the years, and studied it in graduate school, it is the expression of that passion for Dostoevsky’s writing that has led to this presentation.

Anthony J. Nocella II: Anarchism and Higher Education

The Institute of Scholarly Inquiry (ISI) at Normandale Community College is pleased to announce its first colloquium of the 2011-2012 school year: 


Anarchism and Higher Education
A lecture by guest speaker Anthony J. Nocella II
Location: C1016*
Date and Time: Friday, October 14th, 12-12:50
(*Please note that all colloquia this academic year will be held in C1016.)

Trivia: Name this anarchist!

Bio: Anthony J. Nocella II is a Visiting Professor teaching critical urban education in the School of Education at Hamline University. Nocella has published more than ten books and twenty-five academic articles, co-founded more than fifteen active political organizations including the Anarchist Studies Initiative, the first anarchist academic center in the world. His interests include peace and conflict studies, critical criminology, and critical pedagogy.


Abstract: Although there are many expressions of anarchism, a basic definition poses it as a marco socio-political economic ideology rooted in a non-governmental direct democracy in which individuals live and participate in collaborative society free from domination and authoritarianism. Anarchism is founded in the belief that the individual can best determine how to live his/her life. Anthony J. Nocella II, an internationally recognized scholar for his work in the field of anarchist studies, will integrate material from his co-edited anthologies Contemporary Anarchist Studies: An IntroductoryAnthology of Anarchy in the Academy (Routledge, 2009) and TheAccumulation of Freedom: Writings on Anarchist Economics (forthcoming from AK Press, January 2011) to speak of the rise of anarchist studies within higher education, stressing the importance of continuing to view the academy as a site of radical contention against and challenge to dominant power structures such as capitalism, a plutocratic government, the military and the prison industrial complex.  


As always, colloquia offered through the ISI's educational lecture program are free of charge and open to the public.