NEWS & EVENTS
Publications and thoughtful commentary showcase the incredible work that comes out of our small liberal arts classrooms, studios and labs.
News & Events
Salons
THE FINE ART OF CONVERSATION WITH DU'S ESTEEMED FACULTY
The practice of "Salon-going" dates back to the 17th century when many of the intellectual leaders of the day congregated in private homes to discuss the latest thinking and artistic developments. These early Salons were also said to be breeding grounds for social movements and revolutions because they attracted political activists promoting social agitation and reform.
Today's University of Denver Salons are just as stimulating, albeit less explosive.
About 20 people meet in a private home with an esteemed DU faculty member to learn and exchange ideas.
Lively discussion fills the air, time flies, and you'll leave feeling energized, enriched and connected in a truly human way.
Wine and light appetizers are provided. All Salon events are hosted at private residences. The host's address is shared upon registration.
Persons with disabilities should call 303-871-2425. Registration is open for the 2012/2013 season. Register online, or call 303-871-2425.
Hansel and Gretel: The Grandeur of Wagner, the Magic of Grimm
Facilitator: Steve Seifert, executive director of the Newman Center for the Performing Arts
Host: Hon. Robert Fullerton and Beverlee Henry
Sessions: Thursday, October 25, 2012, at 7 p.m. & Thursday, November 1, 2012, at 7:30 p.m. (optional attendance at Hansel & Gretel)
From the lurid Grimm fairy tale, Engelbert Humperdinck (no, not that one! the German composer) fashioned an instantly popular opera. Two lost and hungry children find enough courage and wit to defeat the evil witch. Their journey is set to music drawing on German folk tunes but reaching exultant Wagnerian heights. This opera is fun for kids but very meaningful to adults who both remember their childhoods and now know through experience the anguish, joy and fear of being parents.
Seifert is the former executive director of Opera Colorado and current executive director of the Newman Center, home to nearly 500 annual public events serving more than 125,000 audience members each year.
Polarized Politics: How Did We Get Here?
PLEASE NOTE, THIS SALON IS SOLD OUT.
Facilitator: Peter Hanson, assistant professor of political science
Host: Mr. and Mrs. Al Cook and Dr. and Mrs. W. Gerald Rainer
Session: Wednesday, November 14, 2012, at 7 p.m.
Democrats and Republicans seem unable to agree on anything these days. Why have the parties grown so far apart? We'll examine a sweeping arc of history from the end of the Civil War through today to answer that question, emphasizing the breakup of the New Deal Democratic coalition that dominated politics in the 20th century. The coalition was an odd mix of liberal northern Democrats and deeply conservative, segregationist southern Democrats. Their alliance ensured that both parties were ideologically mixed and helped to create bipartisan coalitions in Congress, and its breakup in the wake of the civil rights movement set in motion a chain of events that has led to the "sorting" of liberals into the Democratic party and conservatives into the Republican party.
Hanson received his PhD from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010 and his AB from Harvard University in 1995. From 1996 - 2002, he served on the staff of Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD).
Men of God, Men of Nature: A Site-Specific Exhibition at the Denver Art Museum
Facilitator: Laleh Mehran, associate professor and graduate director of emergent digital practices
Host: Mr. and Mrs. Joe and Julie Anderies and DU ART!
Sessions: Friday, January 11, 2013 at 6 p.m. (optional attendance at Denver Art Museum) & Wednesday, January 16, 2013, at 7 p.m.
Mehran's art installations are seductive, if occasionally unnerving, invitations to think about politics, religion and science — and the profound connections that bind them. At this salon, experience Mehran's most recent installation, a site-specific work designed with the unique architecture of the Denver Art Museum's Daniel Libeskind-designed building in mind.
Men of God, Men of Nature is an installation that adds another element to an already complex nexus of politics, religion and science — the religious and highly politicized Kaaba. For the optional first night, enjoy a tour of the installation with the artist. The second night is a conversation with Mehran.
Mehran was born in Iran and relocated with her family to the U.S. at the start of the Iranian Islamic Revolution. She received her MFA from Carnegie Mellon University. Her work has been shown individually and as part of art collectives in the U.S. and internationally.
DU ART! supports DU's School of Art and Art History through student scholarships, educational opportunities and community enrichment.
The Wine Lover's Dilemma: Selecting Winter Reds
Facilitator: Victor Castellani, associate professor of languages and literatures
Host: Mr. and Mrs. Jim and Sue Waters
Session: Tuesday, February 5, 2013, at 7 p.m.
Need help making your winter red wine selections? This is the salon for you. Hotter summers in both hemispheres give us more choices for the "bottled sunshine" in astonishing varieties with ever rising quality. The wines are finer and more accessible than a generation ago. Many contemporary red wines delightfully differ in style as compared to similarly priced whites.
We will compare wines — variety against variety, vintage against riper vintage, but also proud wineland against rival lands (Chile vs. Argentina, Italy vs. Spain, France vs. California). We will debate our perceptions and judgments, deciding whether or not reputation and value coincide today.
In addition to teaching classics/humanities, Castellani is chair of the department of languages and literatures. He researches ancient drama, with a special concentration in the ancient gods. Personally acquainted with today's "gods" of wine-making, Castellani enjoys a well-made Syrah from Sonoma almost as much as a well-realized scene from Sophocles. He received his PhD from Princeton University.
Parole Revocation in the Era of Mass Incarceration
Facilitator: Jeffrey Lin, assistant professor of sociology and criminology
Host: Mr. and Mrs. Charles and Emma Warren
Session: Tuesday, February 26, 2013, at 7 p.m.
The explosive growth of U.S. prison populations over the last 30 years — now known as 'mass incarceration' — has been driven by harsh sentences delivered to offenders by criminal courts. But the increasingly common practice of parole revocation has also contributed significantly to this phenomenon. Examine how the criminal justice system has been reoriented away from rehabilitation and toward punitive objectives. And debate how the function of parole has changed accordingly.
Prior to joining DU in fall 2008, Lin served as a postdoctoral scholar at the University of California, Irvine. His research interests include crime, punishment, community corrections, juvenile justice, organizational sociology and quantitative research methods. He received his PhD in sociology from New York University.
Evolving Extremism: Exploring Islamic Radicalism Today
Facilitator: Andrea Stanton, assistant professor of religious studies
Host: Mr. Andy Farr and Mr. Michael Knorr
Session: Wednesday, March 13, 2013, at 7 p.m.
How has Islamic radicalism evolved since the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011? Join the conversation to discuss one of the most sensitive and complex issues of our time. This salon will use video clips and website surveys to spark a lively and topical discussion based on research into the late al-Qaeda figure Anwar al-Awlaki and content on Islamic web forums. You'll discuss the locations of strongholds of Islamic extremism today and what danger they pose to Americans and others, both Muslim and non-Muslim. You will also examine what ideologies today's extremists use to convince passive as well as active supporters and how they communicate, fundraise and plan attacks.
Stanton teaches Islamic studies and is the author of the forthcoming This is Jerusalem Calling: Radio in Mandate Palestine. She received her PhD from Columbia University.
Nations for Sale: Re-Branding Former Communist Countries
Facilitator: Nadia Kaneva, assistant professor of media, film and journalism studies
Host: Mr. and Mrs. John and Missy Eliot
Session: Monday, April 1, 2013, at 7 p.m.
Central and Eastern European nations have sought to "re-brand" themselves after the collapse of communism. At this salon, see examples of several "nation branding" campaigns and discuss the difficulties of representing national identity. We'll explore some controversial implications of thinking about nations as brands, too. After the 1989 "velvet revolutions," former communist countries faced the urgent task of reinventing their image for domestic and foreign audiences. Enterprising Western marketing consultants argued that, in the age of global capitalism, national identities should be treated similarly to corporate brand identities. Discover how their claims attracted the attention and dollars of governments in the former communist world and evaluate the real impact of nation branding campaigns.
Kaneva's research explores the rise of promotional culture and consumerism in the former communist world. Prior to becoming an academic, Kaneva was an advertising professional in her native Bulgaria and in the U.S. She received her PhD from University of Colorado at Boulder.
Vaccine Decisions: Individualism, Altruism and the Meaning of Parents' Rights
Facilitator: Jennifer Reich, associate professor of sociology and criminology
Host: Mr. and Mrs. Bill and Joy Mathews
Session: Tuesday, April 16, 2013, at 7 p.m.
Immunizations against childhood illnesses are often touted as one of the greatest achievements of modern medicine. Compulsory immunization laws, passed in all 50 states, are credited with drastically reducing, and in many cases virtually eliminating, incidences of measles, mumps, rubella, polio, diphtheria, HIB, tetanus and whooping cough in the U.S. However, policies of compulsory vaccinations exist alongside state efforts to respect individual autonomy, familial privacy and parental authority. As such, almost every state has a mechanism that allows parents to opt out of required vaccinations for their children, for medical, religious or personal reasons.
Colorado has great flexibility and is among the highest utilization of exemptions to state-mandated childhood vaccines in the country. How do we understand declining consensus about vaccines? How do parents' concerns for their own children affect communities, and what responsibilities do we have for others?
Reich is the author of Fixing Families: Parents, Power and the Child Welfare System as well as more than 20 articles and book chapters on family, healthcare, reproductive politics, welfare and childhood. She received her PhD from University of California, Davis.
Revolutionary Medicine: America's Founders in Sickness and Health
Facilitator: Jeanne Abrams, professor of Judaic studies and Penrose Library
Host: Dr. Lynn and Mrs. Lisa Taussig
Session: Thursday, May 23, 2013, at 7 p.m.
Though still a work in progress, today's American public health initiatives have their roots in the work of America's founders. Living in an era when sickness was rampant and mortality rates were shockingly high, George and Martha Washington, Benjamin Franklin, John and Abigail Adams and Thomas Jefferson all suffered disproportionate levels of illness and loss, making them especially sensitive to health issues. This salon will focus a lens on their lives through this often overlooked theme. They exhibited surprisingly forward-thinking ideas about preventative medicine and medical treatment. We will discuss how they recognized early on that government had a compelling responsibility to ensure both the public's health and the health of individuals.
Abrams is a professor at Penrose Library and the Center for Judaic Studies. She is the author of four books, numerous articles and essays. She is currently at work on a book titled Revolutionary Medicine: America's Founders in Sickness and Health, forthcoming in 2014 from New York University Press. She received her PhD from University of Colorado at Boulder.