For Faculty: Symposia / Forums / Speakers

HHC hosted several symposia and lectures this year in connection with major exhibitions: "From Slavery to Freedom: The Formation of African-American and American Identity" addressed themes of historical struggle and emancipation arising from a trio of exhibitions.

Professor Israel Burshatin (Spanish/Comparative Literature) convened a colloquium focusing on "Jake in Transition," a photo essay by Philadelphia-based, internationally-acclaimed photographer Clarissa Sligh that chronicles a female-to-male transition.  Held against the backdrop of three thought-provoking Sligh exhibitions on campus, the roundtable discussion explored the role of photography in the construction of genders; the affinities and differences between racial and sexual passing; and the convergence of performance, image, and narrative in the fashioning of gendered and racialized bodies.

"Shakespeare and the Blending Mind"–the annual Mellon Fellows Symposium, led this year by Michael Booth–gathered cognitive scientists, philosophers of language, Shakespeare scholars, and theater practitioners to explore the mutually illuminating relationship between Shakespearean poetics and contemporary theories of mind.

Other forums supported by HHC included "Outsourcing Philosophy," a colloquium considering philosophical labor performed outside the field's traditional disciplinary boundaries, organized by Philosophy Professor Jerry Miller in partnership with the Greater Philadelphia Philosophy Consortium; "Legacies of Civil War & Revolution, Greece, Guatemala, Turkey," a conference arranged by Anita Isaacs (Political Science) and Alex Kitroeff (History) to confront histories of violence, memory, and (in)justice through comparative cultural analysis; and  "AcadeMIX Live!," a panel on international hip-hop that brought together for the first time in an academic setting hip-hop practitioners in a global perspective.  Led by Maria McMath (Anthropology, Peace and Conflict Studies) and a group of dedicated students, "AcadeMIX Live!" also featured master classes on deejaying and beatboxing, accompanied by a performance from contemporary bhangra pioneer DJ Rekha (NYU) and other artists.

Tri-Co Senior Religion Colloquium
Guest speaker Amy Hollywood sponsored by Humanities Center

 "Celebrating Philosophy in the Liberal Arts: a Symposium in Honor of Aryeh Kosman"
Professor Aryeh Kosman joined Haverford's faculty in 1962.  Since then he has instructed some 700 philosophy majors and thousands of other students interested in ancient philosophy, a subject about which he has written extensively.  The symposium, held in honor of the retiring Professor, featured Michael Bratman '67 (Stanford University), Felmon Davis '70 (Union College), and Martha Woodruff '86 (Middlebury College), all graduates of Haverford College, presenting thoughts on the role of philosophy in liberal arts education during the morning session (moderated by Jim Friedman '67)

In the afternoon, John Cooper (Princeton University),  Jim Lennox (University of Pittsburgh), and Charlotte Witt (University of New Hampshire) presented papers on the topic of ancient philosophy, moderated by Professor Steve Salkever (Bryn Mawr).

"Homer in Translation"
A symposium on approaches to translating Homer and to Homer in translation, on the 150th anniversary of the publication of F.W. Newman's version of the Iliad, one of the main objects of criticism in Matthew Arnold's influential "On Translating Homer."

Talks included: "Horsing around with Homer: The Literary Dynamic of (Re)translation in the Latin and English Traditions," Richard Armstrong, University of Houston; "Sounding Out Homer: Christopher Logue's Acoustic Homer," Emily Greenwood, University of St. Andrews; and "From Miniature to Monsterist: Cross-Genre Translations of Homer,"Lorna Hardwick, The Open University.  The symposium also featured a roundtable discussion on teaching  and learning Homer in translation, as well as   readings from the Iliad and Odyssey by Stanley Lombardo, professor of Classics at the University of Kansas known for his translations of the Iliad, the Odyssey, and the Aeneid.  On the Thursday preceding the symposium, faculty and students presented an all-day reading of Homer's Odyssey starting at 8:30 a.m. in the Sunken Lounge, Haverford Dining Center. This event lasted over twelve hours!

Alumni Residencies
The Center hosted two alumni visits:
For Professor Maud McInerney's English course on the epic, Professor Brian Rose '78 (Archaeology, University of Pennsylvania) gave a lecture entitled "Assessing the Evidence for the Trojan War: Recent Archaeological Discoveries." He then went to dinner with faculty and students.

John Morse '73, President and Publisher of Merriam-Webster Incorporated, met with Haverford Journal leaders and other interested students over dinner and had a roundtable discussion about the world of nonfiction publishing.

Films:
The Center presented three documentary film screenings in 2005-06 and brought the filmmakers to campus for talks, class sessions, and other gatherings.

Indian filmmaker Priti Chandriani screened and discussed her film "Rani Hindustani" (Indian Queen), a 24-minute short film about a woman who rebelled against many social traditions. The screening was in conjunction with the Student Seminar, "I Love My Culture, but Where is My Feminism?"

Documentary Filmmaker Albert Maysles visited to screen his landmark non-fiction feature film "Salesman" (1968), a portrait of four door-to-door Bible salesmen from Boston. Albert Maysles' other films include "Gimme Shelter" (1970) and "Grey Gardens" (1976). This screening was scheduled in conjunction with the "Material Religion" Symposium and was organized by filmmaker and consultant Julia D'Amico.

Internationally renowned filmmaker and author Robert Gardner visited to screen his film "Forest of Bliss" (1985), a cinematic essay on the ancient city of Benares, India. Gardner's other films include "Dead Birds" (1964) and "Rivers of Sand" (1974).  Robert Gardner was the Director of the Film Study Center at Harvard University (1957-1997) and is also an author. This screening was coordinated with the Anthropology Department and was organized by filmmaker and consultant Julia D'Amico.  Documentary filmmaker visits were sponsored by the Leaves of Grass Fund.

Lecture Series in conjunction with the McGill Library Exhibit, "Franklin & Friends":

David Seaman, Director of the Digital Library Federation
David Fox, Director of the University of Pennsylvania Reading Project
David Waldstreicher, Temple University Professor and Historian

Material Religion in America Symposium:

May 3 and 4 - presented by Religion Professor Ken Koltun-Fromm as culmination of a new class, "Material Religion in America," featured evening student poster sessions with symposium speakers and Tri-Co students and faculty, and a day-long  symposium.
Speakers:
Ken Koltun-Fromm, Haverford Religion Department
Stephen Marini, Professor of American Religion and Ethics, Wellesley College,
John Lardas, Haverford Religion Department
Colleen McDannell, Department of History, University of Utah
Darin Hayton, Haverford History Department
Alex Kitroeff, Haverford History Department
Tim Chandler, College of Fine and Professional Arts, Kent State University

Albert Maysles' screening of "Salesman" and the "Picturing Faith" Exhibit were presented in conjunction with this symposium.

Public Forums
Film Series: The Wild World of Cinema, Thursdays at 8 p.m., Chase 105
Faculty Sponsor: David Sedley, Associate Professor of French
Films selected by faculty to represent serious and important work in World Cinema

January 27: "Fist of Fury," introduced by Paul Smith (History)
About the film: Directed by Wei Hoi, Hong Kong, 1972.
A 1970s kung fu classic with revenge, mystery, melodrama, and martial arts

February 10: "The Seedling," introduced by Rajeswari Mohan (English)
About the film: Directed by Shyam, Benegal, India, 1973.
A landmark film about illicit love in the caste system featuring Shabama Azmi, who "burst onto the Indian film scene with her smoldering performance"

February 24: "Alexander Nevsky," introduced by Linda Gerstein (History)
About the film: Directed by Sergei Eisenstein, Soviet Union, 1938.
A masterpiece of Stalinist propaganda, with a score by Sergei Prokovief, with battle-scene violence that has inspired generations of film artists from Laurence Olivier to Steven Speilberg

March 24: "The Spook Who Sat by the Door," introduced by Jerry Miller
(Philosophy)
About the film: Directed by Ivan Dixon, USA, 1973.
An explosive cult classic about a new American Revolution triggered by a "token black" CIA operative in order to establish a separatist black nation

April 7: "Amacord," introduced by Bruce Partridge (Physics)
About the film: Directed by Federico Fellini, Italy, 1974
A surrealist satire of the 1903s Italy of Fellin's youth. A carnival of fascist politics, mental illness, bodily function, and a
diminutive nun

April 21: "The American Astronaut," introduced by John Lardas (Religion)
About the film: Directed by Cory McAbee, USA, 2001
A spaghetti western musical set in outer space that is also the sequel to Fritz Lang's classic film "Metropolis"

2004-05 Seminar Speakers:

November 11, 4:30 p.m.
The Rt. Rev. Charles E. Bennison, Jr., Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania: "Theological Considerations of the Blessing of Same-Sex Unions," for "Topography of the Family: On Ideology, Science, Religion, and the Politics of Conjugal, Filial and Gendered Life" Student Seminar

March 21, 4:30 p.m.
John Hollander, Sterling Professor of English (Emeritus) at Yale University, for "What are Poets and Polynomials For?" Student Seminar