April 18, 2014

"Monstrous Tendencies: Of Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Who" 

Jen Miller, Patrick O'Donnell, and Lynette Reini-Grandell, Faculty in English

Fans of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes were pleasantly shocked when long-time Doctor Who writer and producer Steven Moffat began also writing for Sherlock, a 21^st century version of Sherlock Holmes starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman.  Moffat has been famously quoted as saying, “The Doctor is the angel who aspires to be human and Sherlock is the human who aspires to be an evil god.”  But is Moffat’s assessment correct?  Are Sherlock and the Doctor really that different?  And why do they both need sidekicks?  

JEN MILLER earned her Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota.  Before coming to Normandale in 2010, Jen taught at Valparaiso University, University of St. Thomas, St. Catherine’s University, and the University of Minnesota.  She teaches freshman composition, developmental writing, and a variety of literature classes.  In her spare time, she likes camping, watching Doctor Who and Sherlock, and trying to use her writing strategies to organize her life.

LYNETTE REINI-GRANDELL has been an English professor at Normandale since 2003.  She holds a B.A. from Carleton College and an M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Minnesota. She teaches honors classes as well as a course on Sherlock Holmes and the Victorian Age.  She is also the faculty advisor of the Creative Writing Club.  Her first collection of poetry, which includes material inspired by her Finnish heritage, is called Approaching the Gate and will be published in October 2014.

 

April 11, 2014

In Place: What Remains? The Loss of Family and Family Farm in Memoir 

Kari Fisher, Faculty in English

Kevin Fenton and Jo McDougall came from fairly different backgrounds.  Fenton, a local writer whose day job is in advertising, currently lives in St. Paul, but grew up as the youngest child in Southeastern Minnesota. Fenton’s close-knit family struggled to pay the mortgage and make ends meet.  McDougall, a celebrated poet, is the older of two daughters who lived a relatively privileged life on a successful rice farm in Arkansas.  Both writers have written stunning memoirs that look without sentimentality or schmaltz at their upbringing on a family farm. Fenton’s Leaving Rollingstone: A Memoir and McDougall’s Daddy’s Money: A Memoir of Farm and Family examine what it means to lose a parent and a family farm.

Kari Fisher was drawn to both of these books while completing her low-residency MFA program in creative writing.  Her parents had built their retirement home on her great grandparents’ farm site.  As she worked on her creative thesis, she became obsessed with her mother’s stories of the family: from a patriarch who supposedly changed his name and left Germany charged with stealing the king’s eel to his son who lived nearby but didn’t speak to the father for more than forty years.  This presentation will feature readings, reflections, and research from these memoirs as well as discussing how our families and the places we’ve had to leave behind influence where we’re going.

Biographical Statement:

Kari Fisher teaches English at Normandale Community College. Although a native Minnesota, she’s lived in five other states and has quit counting her moves.  She and her family celebrate their fifth anniversary at their current home April 11. She’ll complete her MFA from Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, Washington) in Creative Writing this summer.

March 28, 2014 "Law and Politics"

On Friday, March 28, 2014, Kurt Burch, Faculty in Political Science, and the Politics and Law Club will present a colloquium on the club's activities and accomplishments this year.

The Politics and Law Club will present on update on the civil war in Syria.  Presented in the style of a political background briefing, the talk will address the causes, current situation, parties involved, levels of violence and human rights violations, as well as political, economic, legal, and humanitarian implications.  

March 21, 2014 "Those Little Cultural Differences That Mean A Lot."

Friday, March 21, 2014, Dan Creed, Faculty in Business/Hospitality Management, will be presenting a colloquium on the following topic: "Those Little Cultural Differences That Mean A Lot."

In an ever more diverse and multi-cultural business world, understanding the subtleties of other cultures is an absolute necessity. That kind of cultural literacy is essential, and can mean the difference between success and failure in a global economy.   

March 7, 2014 "A Pathway to Academic Success"

A Pathway to Academic Success

Michelle Wood-Kustanowitz is an undergraduate in the interdisciplinary program Environmental Sciences, Policy and Management at the College of Food, Agricultural, and Natural Resources Sciences at the University of Minnesota. As part of her program track, Policy, Planning, Law and Society, she recently completed a prospective analysis of conservation design policy for the City of Minnetonka.

As a part-time student at Normandale Community College from 2009-2011, Michelle availed herself of several opportunities for enriching her community college experience. She assisted Dr. Brian Wolff as both peer educator and research assistant, ultimately co-authoring a paper that will be published later this year in Journal of Online Learning and Teaching. Under the supervision of Dr. Joseph McCulloch, Michelle also completed an independent case study in methods of teaching environmental biology. She was inducted into the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society and was awarded a Certificate of Excellence by the Biology Department.

Michelle will give a short presentation summarizing her student experience at Normandale. Following the presentation, the audience is invited to discuss the significance of increased student interaction with faculty and of expanded educational opportunities.

February 21, 2014 The Battle of the Books

The Battle of the Books

Tom Maltman, moderator, and, in order of books below, Kim Socha, Amy Fladeboe, and Kris Bigalk (all English faculty) will present the candidates for the Normandale Common book for 2014-2015.  They will argue the merits of each, and will give information helpful in the selection process.

 

            Jonathan Safran Foer, Eating Animals
Upon the birth of his first child, novelist Jonathan Safran Foer decided to research, up close and personal, the production of the food his son would be expected to eat as part of the Standard American Diet. Eating Animals documents those experiences in profound and moving ways that will enlighten readers as they learn the truth about food production in the United States and what goes on behind the scenes to get nonhumans from farm to table.

 

            Matt Rusmussen, Black Aperture

Winner of the Walt Whitman Award and finalist for The National Book Award, Black Aperture is Matt Rasmussen's debut collection of poetry. With poems rooted in Northern Minnesota, Rasmussen reflects on the real tragedy of his brother's suicide. Through speculation, facts, dreams, and jokes, the collection explores the complicated process of mourning in a way that somehow balances pain and relief. 

 

            Cheryl Strayed, Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail
A memoir about a young woman’s journey through the grief of her mother’s death, and self-destructive behaviors—including heroin addiction.  She decides to hike from the Mojave Desert, through California and Oregon, to Washington state, in hopes of finding peace with herself.  Along the way, she discovers that she knows nothing about hiking, gets into some dicey situations, but learns how to rely on herself, trust others, and become the writer she always wanted to be.  The book has been made into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon and is scheduled for release in 2014.

 

February 7, 2014 “Intersectional Social Justice: From the Shoes on Your Feet to the Food You Eat”

This engaging talk from nationally respected scholar-activist Anthony J. Nocella II, Ph.D. explains why all social justice issues—such as racial, environmental, animal, disability, youth, queer, and women’s justice—are interconnected and why we cannot merely read and write about them. Rather, we must organize and resist in the streets in radical, creative, and transformative ways. This conversation will begin with theory and end with explaining how the audience can pragmatically address their own privilege, domination, and oppressive behaviors on a daily basis.

 

Bio: Anthony J. Nocella II, Ph.D., an intersectional scholar and community organizer. Dr. Nocella has published more than fifty scholarly articles or book chapters; co-founded the fields of eco-ability and critical animal studies; co-founded and directs the Institute for Critical Animal Studies; edits the Peace Studies Journal; and has published more than fifteen books including Earth, Animal and Disability Liberation: The Rise of the Eco-ability Movement (2012), The Global Industrial Complex: Systems of Domination (2011), and The End of Prisons: Reflections from the Decarceration Movement (2013). In 2009, he, along with incarcerated youth in New York, founded Save the Kids, a leading national grass-roots organization working to dismantle the school to prison pipeline. His areas of interest include social justice education, disability studies, Hip Hop, transformative justice, and peace and conflict studies. His Web site is www.anthonynocella.org.

December 6, 2013

The Artistry of Poetry:  Two Poets Read and Discuss Their Published Works

 Presented by Gretchen Marquette and Betsy Brown, Faculty in English

 

November 22, 2013

Title: “Animal Liberation: The Failure of Religion, The Promise of Atheism”

 

Based on her upcoming book Animal Liberation and Atheism: Remaking the Procrustean Bed (Freethought House, 2014), Kim Socha, Ph.D., will explore how the very concept of religion is inherently antithetical to the destruction of hierarchy necessary to free nonhumans from the human perception that other species are ours to use as we please. In contrast, animal liberation issues are best addressed through secular perspectives.

 

Book Web page: http://www.freethoughthouse.com/animal-liberation-and-atheism.html

November 1, 2013.

Louis Jenkins, Minnesota prose poet - guest lecturer - reading from 'Tin Flag.'

Louis Jenkins, a distinguished Minnesota author, is one of the masters of the prose poem. His work was recently presented at the Guthrie Theater in an adaptation by Mark Rylance as a play aptly termed ‘Nice Fish.’

November 1, 2013.

 

October 25, 2013

Applying Sociology: An Academician Works with Two Service Organizations

Scott Magnuson-Martinson, Faculty in Sociology

This presentation is based on activities during his third (and final) sabbatical. It may serve as a basis for others who might want to explore similar opportunities outside of academia. Whether the aforementioned is an objective or not, this colloquium should provide some illumination of what one can expect in similar situations.

October 11, 2013

Modernism as a Cultural Movement : presented by Richard E. Brown (Faculty in English).

Modernism was a cultural movement of wide scope and diversity.  It arose during the late 19^th century and evolved through much of the 20^th before being deconstructed by Postmodernism.  Modernism was expressed in many of the arts: Visual Art, Architecture, Music, and Literature.  It responded to many scientific, philosophical, and aesthetic influences that were emergent at that time.  It changed everything in an effort to “make it new.”  That tectonic shift in the aesthetic landscape had formative and lasting effects on the contemporary world—a treasured legacy in this Postmodern 21^st century.

 

May 3, 2013

The Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s: presented by Kari Fisher (faculty in English) and Normandale students.

 What we know of the Civil Rights Movement is all too often solely defined by a few events and key people.  1963 is no exception.  Framed by the inauguration of Alabama Governor George Wallace and the assassination of John F. Kennedy; the year is also remembered for the March on Washington, Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech and the murder of four “little girls” in Birmingham. During this presentation, we’ll examine how some of the lesser known stories, events, and people of  1963 created such a transformative year and how this time still shapes and inspires us.

Inspired by correspondence with Civil Rights veterans including Hunter Gray, Kari Fisher applied and was accepted for a 2011 National Endowment for the Humanities Landmarks in Democracy Seminar: “From Freedom Summer to the Memphis Sanitation Strike” with the Fannie Lou Hamer Institute.  Kari and several students will share writing, photos, and stories of what they’ve learned about this transformative year.

May 3, 2013. [Note: this concluded the 2012-2013 Colloquium Series.]

April 19, 2013

SAAM Issues and Collaborative Publication Project: presented by Kurt Burch (faculty in Political Science) and Normandale students.

This colloquium directly and indirectly addresses issues related to Sexual Assault Awareness Month, the Boston Marathon bombings and subsequent manhunt, and activism. 

Students in Intro to World Politics will present research.  One topic is “Women’s Rights, Women’s Inequalities”.  The students will explore physical and institutional forms of violence against women around the world. 

A second topic asks “Which countries are best?”  This group compiled data on countries according to varied criteria, including security, crime rates, and protections of civil liberties. 

Both groups will field your questions.  Feel free to ask them to apply their insights to contemporary or current concerns. 

April 19th, 2013.

April 5, 2013

Tibet's Culture, History and Current Struggle: presented by Shenphen Sangpo (Zompo Sheuphen) and Lisa Tu (Normandale students).

Tibet has a rich cultural history that is under extreme duress as a result of its having been annexed by The People's Republic of China.  That threat to an ancient culture has been in many ways virtually unknown to people in America.  Normandale students Zompo Sheuphen and Lisa Tu will give us an introduction to Tibetan culture and history to better enlighten us on the current tragedy that is Tibet.









Friday, April 5, 2013.

March 22, 2013

Sir Tyrone Guthrie: His personality as expressed in his productions of Hamlet and Six Characters in Search of an Author: presented by Patrick O'Donnell (faculty in English).

Learn how Sir Tyrone Guthrie (1900-1971) found elements of his own personality and history as an Anglo-Irish Bohemian Protestant theatre director in his productions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Pirandello’s Six Characters in Search of an Author.

March 22, 2013.

March 1, 2013

Legalizing Marijuana: Reasons and Obstacles: presented by Kim Socha (faculty in English) and Kurtis Hanna (Minnesota NORML).

The controversy over the legalization of marijuana has been ongoing for decades.  Kurtis Hanna, an advocate for marijuana legalization and the head of Minnesota NORML (National Organization for Reform of Marijuana Laws) will present the points of argumentation in the continuing battle.

March 1, 2013.

February 15, 2013

West Meets East: Hermann Hesse's Unique Place in World Literature: presented by Richard E. Brown, Faculty in English.

Hermann Hesse's unique fusion of Western and Eastern culture and tradition is exceptional in the landscape of world literature. It creates a synergy of culture, melding Western and Eastern philosophy, psychology, and theology in a way that challenges us as readers, and provides intricate possibilities for the understanding of the modern and contemporary world.













February 15, 2013.

The Battle of the Books: Finalists for the Normandale Common Book 2013-2014 Panel: Anna Gajdel, Robert Frame, and Thomas Maltman.

The Battle of the Books: Finalists for the Normandale Common Book 2013-2014 Panel: Anna Gajdel, Robert Frame, and Thomas Maltman.

February 1, 2013.

November 16, 2012

Magical Realism in World Literature: presented by Richard E. Brown (Faculty in English).

Magical realism is a style of writing that is worldwide and multi-cultural in nature. It is often satirical and ironic, and may have bold socio-political subtexts.  It often interweaves ancient indigenous mythology into its tales. While it is often identified with South and Central American authors, it is by no means limited in its worldwide and highly varied cultural scope.  Many diverse authors cast a magical realism net.

November 16, 2012.

November 9, 2012

Crossing the Global Divide Together: Education, Jobs, and Politics in the New Century: A Panel consisting of Joe Opatz, Ryan Winkler, and Laurie  Hollinger - moderated by Patrick O'Donnell.

Title:

“Crossing the Global Divide Together:  Education, Jobs, and Politics in the New Century.  A Panel Discussion with Joe Opatz, Ryan Winkler, and Laurie Hollinger in Room C1095 on 11/9 from 12:00-1:00.”

Description:

Join Joe Opatz,  Rep. Ryan Winkler, and Laurie Hollinger for an exciting panel discussion of That Used to Be Us, this year’s Common Book at Normandale.  Throughout the academic year we are gathering around the theme of “Is America in Decline?”

Today’s panelists will discuss trends in education, jobs in the Global IT era, and overcoming political gridlock. After a short presentation by each panelist, the panel will take questions from the audience.

Friday, November 9, 2012.

November 2, 2012

Stories: A Panel consisting of August Berkshire, Kim Socha, and Stephanie Zvan, Authors; and Anthology editor, Bill Lehto.

Three authors from the new book Atheist Voices of Minnesota: An Anthology of Personal Stories will be discussing a common question that nonbelievers/religious skeptics face: How do you develop a moral code of conduct without belief in a higher power?

August Berkshire, Kim Socha, and Stephanie Zvan will share their personal stories in response to this question. Please join this presentation and dialogue that we hope will usher in a new cultural perception of atheism, showing that morality can indeed exist even without the premise of a God or the promise of reward. Anthology editor Bill Lehto will provide a brief introduction to the talk.

Friday, November 2, 2012.

October 26, 2013

Revenge of the Flies! Anuran Disease Research at Normandale presented by: Brian Wolff (faculty in Biology) and Eric Wurm (Normandale student.)

Abstract:  

In the second year of amphibian research at Normandale, the research team continues to track the fungal anuran disease chytridiomycosis in order to determine the distribution and infection rate of the disease. During the course of their field work, the team finds a strange case of parasitism seemingly unrecorded in the scientific and natural history literature. Everyone knows that frogs eat flies.  But can the tables be turned? Join us for a short presentation on scientific research at Normandale, and find out who's eating who in Minnesota's ponds and forests.  

Presenters:

Eric Wurm is currently attending Normandale Community College with plans to transfer to the University of Minnesota's Institute of Technology to pursue a degree and career in genetics and synthetic biology.  Eric's natural environment is the laboratory, and he is an avid keeper of tropical fish.  

Brian Wolff earned his M.S. in Environmental Biology at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, and his Ph.D. in Conservation Biology at the University of Minnesota. He has been teaching biology, environmental biology, and ecology courses since 1994.

 

Friday October 26, 2012.

October 12, 2012

Backstairs at the Minnesota Governor's Residence presented by: Dan Creed (Faculty in Business).

"Backstairs at the Minnesota Governor's Residence."  I will share insights into the kinds of events that were hosted during the Ventura administration, the guests who came, the unusual experiences, the moving experiences, and the overall excitement of the what the job entailed.  
Friday, October 12, 2012.