UW-L English Studies Blog

Two events with award-winning author James Loewen on Thursday, October 27, 2016

"LIES MY TEACHER TOLD ME"
Thursday, October 27

VALHALLA, UWL
CARTWRIGHT CENTER

KEYNOTE PRESENTATION
11 a.m.-12:25 p.m. | FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
PRESENTATION FOLLOWED BY Q&A

American history must be retold and reconfigured as a discipline at the K-12 level. Too many high school students grow up without knowing the real history of activist Helen Keller, the atrocities attributed to “hero” Christopher Columbus, and the horrific fall-out of the My Lai massacre. The premise of James Loewen’s American Book Award-winning work, Lies My Teacher Told Me, argues that we ignore such monumental events in American history at our collective peril.

WORKSHOP FOR EDUCATORS
2:15-3:40 p.m. | FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

James Loewen will facilitate an interactive workshop targeted for current and future educators that introduces pedagogical principles based on Loewen’s work on curriculum reform. Realizing that all of us have been, are, and will be educated by current and future educators, everyone is encouraged to attend and participate.

"SUNDOWN TOWNS"
5:30-8:30 p.m. | FREE and OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
La Crosse City Hall, Common Council Chambers
400 LA CROSSE STREET | FIRST FLOOR

Sundown towns were a form of segregation, in which a city in the U.S. was purposely all-white, excluding people of other races. James Loewen, author of Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of American Racism, will present his ongoing research and perspective on sundown towns in the United States and, specifically, in the Midwest. He will focus his attention and discussion on recent research conducted at UWL that indicates La Crosse should be included in the category of sundown towns, and will invite audience members — particularly those in positions of power in our community — to consider ways in which La Crosse can acknowledge and then work to change this crucial aspect of its history and character.

QUESTIONS? CONTACT THOMAS HARRIS AT 608.780.7153 OR [email protected]

Big Read of 'A Lesson Before Dying' coming to La Crosse

From The La Crosse Tribune

A grant from the National Endowment of the Arts will support a community-wide conversation about the Ernest J. Gaines novel “A Lesson Before Dying” during the coming school year.

The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse English Department received a $14,000 Big Read grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. It will be used to bring nationally recognized speakers to La Crosse and generate community-wide conversations around the book.

“We want it to be a community, grass-roots read,” said assistant professor Kate Parker, one of the grant’s co-authors. She hopes up to 3,000 area readers take part. 

Partners in the project include the La Crosse Public Library; libraries at UW-L, Viterbo University and Western Technical College; area schools; and several local businesses and nonprofit organizations.

UW-L is one of only 77 organizations nationwide that received grants totaling more than $1 million for Big Read projects running September 2016 June 2017. The goal of Big Reads, according to the NEH, is “to broaden our understanding of our world, our communities and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book.” 

Another grant co-author, assistant professor of English Bryan Kopp, expects the Big Read to build community. “Slowing down and reading a book is a great way to connect with one another,” he said. 

Community events planned for the Big Read include a kick-off event featuring Sister Helen Prejean, a social justice activist featured in the film “Dead Man Walking.” Other workshops and speaker presentations will be held this winter. Smaller groups will be encouraged to hold their own events while reading the book.

Parker, Kopp and the third grant co-writer, assistant professor of English Heidi Jones, worked with the public library to select the book from a list of 38 titles. “A Lesson Before Dying,” Gaines’ eighth novel, published in 1993, is a story about a young teacher pairing up with an uneducated young adult after he is wrongfully convicted of robbery and murder and sentenced to death in a small, fictional Cajun town.

“This is a book that invites us to think in unexpected ways about pressing social issues,” Parker said.

The faculty authors say there will be more formal and informal opportunities for students interested in promoting literacy — or just reading a good book — to become involved throughout the year. A full schedule of Big Read events will be announced in fall.

 

Inside Higher Ed: "'Houston, We Have a Narrative'"

The world of science has long been dogged with communication problems, like how to convince the world, for example, that humans really are changing the planet’s climate. Or that we really did evolve slowly over time rather than springing forth suddenly and fully formed. What’s missing, Randy Olson argues in his new book, Houston, We Have a Narrative (University of Chicago Press), is a nuanced understanding of narrative.  A deep-seated grasp of and appreciation for narrative, Olson writes, would give scientists the tools to not only argue more persuasively, but produce better work as well. 

Read More at: Inside Higher Ed

Forbes: "That 'Useless' Liberal Arts Degree Has Become Tech's Hottest Ticket"

Throughout the major U.S. tech hubs, whether Silicon Valley or Seattle, Boston or Austin, Tex., software companies are discovering that liberal arts thinking makes them stronger. 

Big tech employers are widening their hiring horizons beyond the STEM fields: science, technology, engineering and math. Larry Quinlan, Deloitte’s chief information officer, argues in favor of “STEAM,” in which the A stands for the arts. “It’s not enough to be technologically brilliant,” Quinlan says. “We need senior people who understand business processes, too.”

Read More: http://www.forbes.com/sites/georgeanders/2015/07/29/liberal-arts-degree-tech/

NPR: "A Top Medical School Revamps Requirements To Lure English Majors"

You can't tell by looking which students at Mount Sinai's school of medicine in New York City were traditional pre-meds as undergraduates and which weren't. And that's exactly the point.

Most of the class majored in biology or chemistry, crammed for the medical college admission test and got flawless grades and scores.

But a growing percentage came through a humanities-oriented program at Mount Sinai known as HuMed. As undergraduates, they majored in things like English or history or medieval studies. And though they got good grades, too, they didn't take the MCAT, because Mount Sinai guaranteed them admission after their sophomore year of college.

Adding students who are steeped in more than just science to the medical school mix is a serious strategy at Mount Sinai.

Dr. David Muller is Mount Sinai's dean for medical education. One wall of his cluttered office is a massive whiteboard covered with to-do tasks and memorable quotations. One quote reads: "Science is the foundation of an excellent medical education, but a well-rounded humanist is best suited to make the most of that education."

The HuMed program dates back to 1987, when Dr. Nathan Kase, who was dean of medical education at the time, wanted to do something about what had become known as pre-med syndrome. Schools across the country were worried that the striving for a straight-A report card and high test scores was actually producing sub-par doctors. Applicants — and, consequently, medical students — were too single-minded.

Kase, according to Muller, "really had a firm belief that you couldn't be a good doctor and a well-rounded doctor — relate to patients and communicate with them — unless you really had a good grounding in the liberal arts."

So Mount Sinai began accepting humanities majors from a handful of top-flight liberal arts schools after their second year of college. These students are expected to continue to follow their nonscientific interests for the remainder of their college careers.

Read the full story at: http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2015/05/27/407967899/a-top-medical-school-revamps-requirements-to-lure-english-majors

"Eyes Wide Open: This is Media" - Film Showing and Discussion, February 26, 3:30, 1400 Centennial Hall

Take a fresh look at our role in the media landscape as consumers and makers. “Eyes Wide Open:  This is Media” reveals the balancing act between being connected, responsible and private.

The Pivot Media short documentary and discussion will be held at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 26, in 1400 Centennial Hall. Refreshments will be served. Panelist include:

• Jim Jorstad, Academic Technology Services
• Seth McNitt, Communication Studies
• David Solie, Communications Studies and WXOW
• Robert Wilkie, English

 

 

2013 La Crosse Storytelling Festival - September 6-7

Wisconsin’s Only Storytelling Festival!

The La Crosse Storytelling Festival was first conceived in 2003 by two local attorneys, Keith Belzer and Ted Skemp. Through their efforts and backing, the first 3 Festivals took place at Pettibone Park in La Crosse. It was in these first years that groundwork was lain for all following Festivals: the Festival would be first and foremost a family event, the level of National talent would be of the highest caliber, the Festival would highlight professional local tellers, and the event would serve as a way to educate the general public about storytelling.

In 2006, the Bluff Country Tale Spinners storytelling guild took on the major responsibility for the La Crosse Storytelling Festival. And, as Wisconsin’s Only Storytelling Festival, it continues to meet the initial objectives.

Come and enjoy the magic of storytelling!

Schedule of Events

Meshing academic, business worlds gives students a preview of future career possibilities

Celia Groff and Kaitlindh Moubry remember age 22 well. Armed with degrees in English literature and classical humanities, respectively, they didn’t know the extent of their career possibilities.

The two came to a UW-La Crosse technical writing class to share the future they found in the not-so-familiar field of technical writing. Both work at Epic, a Verona-based company that develops and installs health care software. The company has grown significantly in the last 12 years and now employs nearly 120 technical writers.

“Being able to write well is not a common skill these days,” notes Groff. “We wanted to let students know Epic is a potential career path because we want to attract good colleagues.”

Epic employees visited English Professor Marie Moeller’s technical writing class twice during spring semester. They focused on project management, effective communication and the importance of working with and connecting to clients.

Full Story: http://news.uwlax.edu/writing-for-work/

Crossing the Tigris - November 1st, 4:00-6:00pm, Murphy Library Special Collections

November 1, 2012
Murphy Library Special Collections
4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Please join us to meet the artists and hear them read excerpts from their work, followed by a panel discussion of their creative process, collaboration and the provocative subject matter.

Summary:

Crossing the Tigris is a limited edition artist book created by the collaboration of Brian Borchardt, Caren Heft and Jeff Morin. Three letterpress books contained in a collage, handmade paper box houses stories from the Iraq war. The regional ephemera preserved in this collection fall into the realm of hildhood treasures. From the presses, "The inside of the container sets the stage for juvenile battle. These are the props for pretend war.” When confronted with the grittiness of war, do these ill-prepared soldiers simply break with reality? Are they taught that they are above the law? Neither the container nor the three books answer the questions posed above. This collaboration is intended to catalyze a conversation about the nature of change that allows potentially decent people to commit indecent acts.

2012 La Crosse Storytelling Festival - September 7th and 8th

The 2012 Festival will be held Friday, September 7th and Saturday, September 8th at the Myrick Park main shelter in La Crosse, Wisconsin.

• Featured Performers
• Schedule of Events
• Festival Sponsors
• Get Involved
• 2012 Steering Committee
• Location & Directions