April 3, 2015, Ask an Atheist--Evan Munn of the Secular Student Alliance

Ask an Atheist: Religion, Psychology, and Living without God

 

In this presentation, Normandale student Evan Munn of the Secular Student Alliance (SSA) will first discuss the psychological reasons people believe in a god or gods. He will talk about his own experiences with these mechanisms and use analogies to open people's minds to the idea that science is well on its way to explaining how religion can take hold in someone's mind. Evan, along with other SSA members, will then hold an “Ask an Atheist” session during which attendees can ask “no holds barred” questions about what it's like to be a non-believer.

March 27, 2015 True Confessions of a Picture Book Writer: Charlotte Sullivan

True Confessions of a Picture Book Writer:
Charlotte Sullivan

Charlotte Sullivan will discuss her creative process on her current picture book project, a biography of poet and rights activist Carl Sandburg. How does an artist use research to tell a good story? How does one find the heartbeat in a thousand facts? How does one convey a life story in a few hundred words? If you’ve every wondered how picture books are made or if you’re a creative writer yourself, be sure to stop by! (Bring a notebook…you might even do a little writing yourself!)

 

Charlotte Sullivan's picture book work has received a Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant, a Metro Regional Arts Council Next Step Fund Grant, an InterMedia Arts Beyond the Pure Fellowship Grant, and a Loft Literary Center Shabo Picture Book Award. She has hosted KFAI's Write On! Radio program and served as an educator for nearly two decades, specializing in children's literature and creative writing. She taught English at Normandale Community College from 2007-2014 and served as the Visiting Scholar in Children’s Literature in 2011-2012.

March 20, 2015 Professional Networking

 

 

On Friday, March 20th, Dan Creed, Faculty in Business/Hospitality Management, will present a colloquium on the following topic:

 

The Importance of Networking:  How to form a solid professional networking system and what to do to maintain that network.

 

March 6, 2015 National Parks: Natural Wonders--A Visual Tour of America's Treasures

 

National Parks:  Natural Wonders--A Visual Tour of America's Treasures

 

 

Richard E. Brown, Faculty in English

 

 

America's National Parks and National Monuments are the most numerous in the world.  They have been called by Ken Burns, the celebrated documentary videographer, America's Best Idea. They are a shining example of Democracy at its best.  The American People are the owners and stewards of these repositories of natural wonders so astonishing that they take one's breath away.  They bring something uniquely transcendent to each person who experiences them, and are a source of both wonderment and great tranquility.  This presentation is but a sampling of what the National Parks and National Monuments have to offer.