[InFocus] In Focus

[su-infocus at southwestern.edu]

 IN FOCUS: January 25, 2008
 
* TOP NEWS *
	  	*CALENDAR*
2008 WRITERS VOICE SPEAKER ANNOUNCED 	  	*CAMPUS CALENDAR *

To view upcoming events at Southwestern by day, week or month, click 
here <http://www.southwestern.edu/sucalendar/main.php>.

Iranian writer, scholar and social activist Azar Nafisi will be the 2008 
speaker for the Writers Voice series sponsored by the A. Frank Smith, 
Jr. Library at Southwestern. The 2008 Writers Voice lecture has been set 
for Nov. 11, 2008, in the Alma Thomas Theater.

Nafisi is best known as the author of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir 
in Books, which spent two years on the New York Times Best Seller List. 
The book details how Nafisi met privately with a group of her women 
students to discuss works of literature against the back drop of Tehran 
in the mid-1990s. Nafisi was ousted from her teaching position at the 
Tehran University in 1995 for refusing to wear the mandatory Islamic veil.

Today, Nafisi is a visiting fellow at Johns Hopkins University in 
Washington, D.C., and teaches courses on the relation between culture 
and politics. She also is director of the SAIS Dialogue Project at the 
Foreign Policy Institute of the University's School of Advanced 
International Studies.

"Azar Nafisi's writing is a wonderful example of the restorative impact 
that works of literature can have on our lives," said Lynne Brody, dean 
of library services. Brody said she is particularly excited about 
Nafisi's visit because it will offer an opportunity to open a dialogue 
about the role of Iran historically, politically and culturally through 
her work.

According to Brody, "Dr. Nafisi is by all accounts a brilliant and 
thought-provoking speaker and teacher on literature and politics, and we 
expect this to be an especially exciting and rewarding year for the 
Writer's Voice."

------------------------------------------------------------------------
SOUTHWESTERN JOINS NATIONWIDE TEACH-IN ON CLIMATE CHANGE JAN. 31
Southwestern will join more than 1,500 colleges and universities 
nationwide in a Jan. 31 "teach-in" about global warming.

The project, called "Focus The Nation," was organized by Eban Goldstein, 
a professor of economics at Lewis & Clark College in Oregon. Organizers 
claim the event is the largest teach-in in U.S. history, and will reach 
nearly 1 million youth.

"No other generation has ever had to face this kind of civilizational 
challenge," Goldstein says. "And we as educators would be failing if we 
did not prepare them with the tools to meet this challenge."

The teach-in will begin the night of Jan. 30 with a live webcast 
produced by the National Wildlife Federation and aired by the Earth Day 
Network. Panelists will include Stanford climate scientist Steve 
Schneider; Hunter Lovins, an environmental justice leader and CEO of 
Natural Capitalism; and Van Jones, executive director of the Ella Baker 
Center in Oakland, Calif.

The next day, Jan. 31, faculty members at participating universities 
will be asked to incorporate global warming into their lectures. Here 
are some examples of how faculty members at Southwestern will work the 
topic into their classes Jan. 30 and 31:

. Math Professor Tara Saenz will talk to her Intro to Statistics course 
about "good" and "bad" statistics relating to global warming.
. Biology Professor Ben Pierce will talk to students in his Genetics 
class about genetic and evolutionary responses of natural populations to 
climate change.
. Spanish Professor Carlos D'Oro will discuss the topic of climate 
change in Spanish to his students.
. German Professor Erika Berroth will talk to her classes about 
Germany's perspective on the environment.
. Theater Professor John Ore will talk to students in his Lighting 
Design class about LED lights.
. Religion Professor Katherine Baker will talk to her classes about what 
the Hebrew Bible says about "good stewardship of creation."

To read the rest of the story, go here 
<http://www.southwestern.edu/cgi-bin/newsroom/article.cgi?id=59>.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
WINTER ISSUE OF SOUTHWESTERN MAGAZINE ONLINE

The winter issue of Southwestern magazine is now available online at 
www.southwestern.edu/magazine. The issue features a variety of stories 
about Southwestern's current and past connections to China. Please share 
it with anyone who may not have received a printed copy of the magazine.

EVENTS
NEW YORK THEATRE TOUR MAR. 20-24

The Sarofim School of Fine Arts is offering a New York Theatre Tour 
March 20-24. The tour will feature theatre in New York City and includes 
the Tony award-winning musical, Spring Awakening. In addition, it will 
feature the musicals Sunday in the Park with George and South Pacific. 
For more information, contact Rick Roemer at 863-1548 or Allison Fannin 
at 863-1504 or go to the website here 
<http://www.southwestern.edu/academic/sfa-site/9newyorkprog.htm>.

MEDIA COVERAGE

. The/ Austin American-Statesman/ published a commentary piece by 
President Jake B. Schrum on NCAA Division III athletics. Read the piece 
here 
<http://www.statesman.com/opinion/content/editorial/stories/01/18/0118schrum_edit.html>. 


. The Austin American-Statesman ran a story about Biology Professor Max 
Taub's research on how rising CO2 levels could affect the protein 
content of major food crops. Read the story here 
<http://www.statesman.com/search/content/news/stories/local/01/21/0121protein.html>. 


. Max Taub also was interviewed about his research on a national radio 
show that aired on the Progressive Radio Network. He also was 
interviewed by radio station KPFT in Houston.

. Southwestern was mentioned in an article the/ San Antonio Express News 
/wrote about Bexar County students who go out of town for higher 
education. Read the article here 
<http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/education/stories/MYSA012208.01B.OUTLYINGSCHOOLS.29b822f.html>.

. Psychology Professor Fay Guaraci's research on caffeine and rats was 
mentioned recently in several media outlets, including MSNBC, /Men's 
Health/ and the /Dallas Morning News/. Read the/ Dallas Morning News/ 
mention here 
<http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/healthyliving/nutrition/stories/012208caffaddict.3563ade0.html>.

NOTABLES

*Joe Zavala*, assistant professor of Spanish, presented a paper titled, 
"A Nation without Citizens: Peru's Postcolonial Predicament" at the 
Chimalpahin 5th Conference on Colonial Remembering and Forgetfulness 
held in Mexico City. The paper evolved from his summer 2007 research in 
Peru that was funded by a Cullen grant. It is currently being developed 
into an article that will be submitted to a journal in fall 2008.

The January 2008 issue of the journal Teaching Sociology includes an 
article co-authored by *Edward L. Kain*, professor of sociology and 
University Scholar in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. The 
article is titled "Information Literacy: The Partnership of Sociology 
Faculty and Social Science Librarians." *Joan Parks*, head of reference 
services at the Smith Library Center, worked with Kain during the early 
stages of his involvement with the national committee of the American 
Library Association.

/Have a submission for "Notables"? Send it to infocus at southwestern.edu. /

-- 
Katy Boose
Editorial Coordinator
Southwestern University
1001 E. University Ave.
Georgetown, TX 78626
512-863-1487
boosek at southwestern.edu
www.southwestern.edu

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