Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities fellows program

2007-2008 Fellows Program, "Black Europe, or Diasporic Research in/on Europe" co-directed by Tracy Sharpley-Whiting (African American and Diaspora Studies/French) and Lucius T. Outlaw, Jr. (African American and Diaspora Studies/philosophy). Participants in the program are Devin Fergus (history), Kathryn Gines (African American and Diaspora Studies/philosophy), Catherine Molineux (history), Ifeoma Nwankwo (English), Moses Ochonu (history), and Hortense Spillers (English). The 2007-2008 William S. Vaughn Visiting Fellow is Tina M. Campt (Women's Studies/German, Duke University). Among their activities this fall, the Fellows will meet with scholar Edward Ahearn on September 19th (please see visiting speakers listing below), and poet Dorothea Smartt on September 25th to discuss "What is Black British Literature?"

2007-2008 Robert Penn Warren Graduate Student Fellows. Seven graduate students are participating in the Warren Center's second Dissertation Completion Fellowship Program. They are Michael Callaghan (anthropology), Josh Epstein (English), Megan Moran (history), George Sanders (sociology), Nicole Seymour (English), David Solodkow (Spanish and Portuguese), and Heather Talley (sociology). In the spring semester, they will each present a public lecture about their research. Josh Epstein holds the George J. Graham, Jr. Fellowship, and George Sanders is the American Studies Fellow.

2008-2009 Fellows Program, "New Directions in Trauma Studies" co-directed by Monica J. Casper (Women's and Gender Studies/sociology) and Vivien Green Fryd (history of art). Further information about this opportunity will be distributed shortly.

Harry C. Howard Jr. Lecture. Charles S. Maier , Leverett Saltonstall Professor of History at Harvard University, will present this year's Harry C. Howard Jr. Lecture at 4:10 p.m. on Monday, October 29th (location to be announced). His lecture is entitled, "The Space of Nations: Territory and History Before Globalzation." Maier, a renowned scholar of European social and intellectual history, is the author most recently of Among Empires: American Ascendancy and its Predecessors (2006), and has written or edited books on communism, the Holocaust, national identity, political economy , the politics of inflation, the Marshall Plan, and other themes. Together with William Kirby and Sugata Bose, Maier is collaborating on a global history of the twentieth century, and he is writing a history of modern territoriality. He has been the recipient of several distinguished fellowships, including those from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Humanities, and is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He served as director of the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies from 1994-2001, and again in autumn 2006. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1991.

Between Word and Image Symposium. On October 25th and 26th , the Warren Center will sponsor a two-day campus symposium organized by its 2006-2007 "Between Word and Image" Fellows and designed to coincide with a Vanderbilt Fine Arts Gallery exhibition co-curated by the Warren Center Fellows and the gallery's director, Joseph Mella. The exhibition, "More Than One: New Contemporary Prints and Multiples from the Vanderbilt University Fine Arts Collection," on view from October 4 - December 7, will showcase the gallery's recent acquisitions in the permanent collection, and highlight those which reflect the relation between word and image, a question the seminar group spent the year exploring. The concurrent symposium will feature a keynote address by Arthur C. Danto , Johnsonian Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at Columbia University and art critic for The Nation , at 4:10 p.m. on October 25th , entitled " Before and After: Two Decades After the Sistine Chapel Controversy." The keynote lecture will be held in 103 Wilson Hall , with a reception immediately following in the Fine Arts Gallery. On the following day, October 26th at 12:00 p.m. , David Morgan , Phyllis and Richard Duesenberg Professor in Christianity and the Arts at Valparaiso University, will give a talk entitled, "The Authorized Version: The Power of Word and Image in Text, Utterance, and Display" in 123 Buttrick Hall. In addition, the Fellows commissioned local artist Erika Johnson to create an original installation to be included in the exhibition. Following the Fine Arts Gallery show, Johnson's art work will be on permanent display at the Warren Center.

Edward Ahearn , (Comparative Literature and French, Brown University) will give a lecture on Wednesday, September 19th at 4:10 p.m. The talk, entitled "Sex, Race and the City," is co-sponsored by the 2007-2008 Fellows of the Warren Center and the W. T. Bandy Center for Baudelaire and Modern French Studies in honor of the 150th anniversary of the publication of Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du mal ( Flowers of Evil ). The lecture will take place at the Bandy Center, with a reception to follow.

Susan Schulten (history, University of Denver) will present her paper "The Cartography of Slavery and the Authority of Statistics" on Thursday, September 20th at 4:10 p.m. in the conference room of the Warren Center. Her talk will be the first in the American Studies Working Paper Series.

Claudia Brown (art history, Arizona State University) will give a talk at the Frist Center for Visual Arts entitled "Beauty and Expression: Ming and Qing Paintings in the Roy and Marilyn Papp Collection" to highlight works of art on exhibit there. The lecture is open to the public, and will be held on Wednesday, October 3rd , at the Frist from 12 - 1:30 p.m. This event is co-sponsored by the Ancient and Medieval Studies Seminar of the Warren Center and the Frist Center for Visual Arts.

All seminars meet in the Warren Center conference room unless otherwise noted.

American Studies Working Paper Series. This group welcomes all faculty and graduate students interested in American Studies to meet to discuss participants' work-in-progress. All topics that touch on American Studies issues are welcome. The format of the series is as follows: papers are circulated before the meeting; speakers give a short introduction to their paper followed by two formal comments (one from a participant inside the discipline and one from outside the discipline); then the rest of the group joins in with additional comments. The goal of the group is to create interdisciplinary dialogue and to provide an opportunity for the American Studies community to learn about the research of its members. For the first meeting of the semester, September 20th from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. , Susan Schulten (history, University of Denver) will present her lecture, "The Cartography of Slavery and the Authority of Statistics." On November 1st from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. , Stephanie Lindquist (political science and law), will present a paper. If you have a paper you would like the group to consider, are interested in being one of our reviewers, or have any questions, please contact the seminar coordinator, Teresa Goddu (American Studies), teresa.a.goddu@vanderbilt.edu.

Ancient and Medieval Studies Seminar. The purpose of the group is to foster interdisciplinary study of the time periods embraced in its title, which means not only history but language and literature, chiefly, though not exclusively, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. The main focus will be on faculty and graduate student research. On October 2nd at 12:00 p.m., the group will hear visiting speaker Claudia Brown, (art history, Arizona State University) give a talk entitled, "Song Dynasty Topographical Paintings and their Legacy in the Qing Period." The following day Prof. Brown is scheduled to give a public lecture, co-sponsored by the Warren Center, at the Frist Center for Visual Arts entitled, "Beauty and Expression: Ming and Qing Paintings in the Roy and Marilyn Papp Collection" to highlight works of art on exhibit there (see Visiting Speaker listing above). If you would like to be added to the seminar mailing list, e-mail Sarah Nobles at sarah.h.nobles@vanderbilt.edu. Seminar coordinators: Bill Caferro (history), william.p.caferro@vanderbilt.edu ;Tracy Miller (history of art), tracy.g.miller@vanderbilt.edu.

Circum-Atlantic Studies Group. Now in its fifth year, this group meets monthly and will read and treat works-in-progress authored by participants or other significant work in the field. Our focus is on scholarship that is interdisciplinary in nature, and focuses on at least two of the following regions-Africa, Europe, Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, and North America-and treats some aspect of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonialism, and/or postcolonialism. Meetings are from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. on the following Wednesdays:

September 26th , October 17th , November 14th. Ifeoma Nwankwo (English) will present her paper, "Economies of Exotic Desire: Reciprocal Representations in U.S. African American and Afro-Caribbean Popular Culture 1990-2000," at the November 14 th meeting. Others interested in presenting a paper should contact the seminar coordinator. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, e-mail Sarah Nobles at sarah.nobles@vanderbilt.edu. Seminar coordinator: Jane Landers (history) jane.landers@vanderbilt.edu.

Culture Workshop. This interdisciplinary workshop is designed to explore thedimensions of our expressive lives--including art, entertainment, media,and heritage. Investigating the dynamics of both new and oldcultural forms and artistic movements, participants will payparticular attention to the processes by which culture is producedand consumed both within and across different contexts.Participants will attempt to take a fresh look at the artistic, creative and expressive impulses of our country with an eye to pulling out largertrends and issues to which both scholars and citizens should payattention. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, e-mail Sarah Nobles at sarah.nobles@vanderbilt.edu. Seminar coordinator: Richard Lloyd (sociology), r.d.lloyd@vanderbilt.edu.

Disability Studies Reading Group. This reading group is designed to explore the emerging, interdisciplinary field of disability studies. Disability studies focuses on the ways socio-medico-legal discourses and practices construct bodies as disabled. The field is simultaneously a political project emphasizing social justice and collective action and an intellectual endeavor addressing questions about subject formation, power, bodies, subjugated knowledges, and normalization. The group will meet from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month: September 5th , October 3rd , November 7th , and December 5th. To join the mailing list, contact the seminar coordinators: Heather L. Talley (sociology), heather.l.talley@vanderbilt.edu ; Stacy Clifford (political science), stacy.a.clifford@vanderbilt.edu.

Food Politics Reading and Working Group. This working group aims to begin an interdisciplinary conversation about the political (as well as spiritual, ecological, cultural, and nutritional) dimensions of global/local foodways, agricultural practices, and consumption habits. The seminar plans to meet four times this fall, addressing a broad range of topics: the history of organic agriculture, the ethics of food consumption, urban farming and agricultural literacy, and the politics of health and nutrition as they pertain to the food industry. Each meeting will include discussion of selected readings as well as discussion of actionable responses, with the goal of developing a group project focused on food, social justice, and sustainability. The seminar will meet from 5:00 - 7:00 p.m. on the following Mondays: September 10th , October 1st , and November 26th ; and from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. on Friday, October 26th. Seminar coordinators: Darcy Freedman (Program in Community Research and Action) darcy.a.freedman@vanderbilt.edu ; John Morrell (English), john.j.morrell@vanderbilt.edu.

Intellectual Life of the Commons. A series of dinner conversations, including fine food and drink at the Warren Center, for faculty members interested in the development of intellectual possibilities for faculty and undergraduates in The Commons. The series is being organized by Frank Wcislo and the newly appointed Faculty Heads of House of The Commons. If you are interested in joining, e-mail christina.m.bailey@vanderbilt.edu or frank.wcislo@vanderbilt.edu.

Medicine, Health, and Society Seminar. This interdisciplinary seminar meets monthly to discuss common concerns and hear talks by members and visiting speakers. Meeting dates and times to be announced. Seminar coordinator: Arleen Tuchman (history), arleen.m.tuchman@vanderbilt.edu.

Metaphysics and Its Applications. Metaphysics, the inquiry into the nature of reality in its most general aspects, is properly connected not only with philosophy but also with religion, science, and art. Moreover, metaphysics is properly applicable to such practical concerns as ethics, politics, and soteriology. At the first meeting, Thursday, September 27th at 4:00 p.m. , people's interests and availability will be assessed in order to make plans for the remainder of the term. For more information, contact the seminar coordinator, Kenneth Faber (philosophy), kenneth.faber@vanderbilt.edu

Nineteenth Century Seminar. This group focuses upon the history, art, literature, and culture of the long nineteenth century (ca. 1760-1914). While the focus has been traditionally on Britain, the group's perspective is widening to encompass the transatlantic nineteenth century. The group meets three to four times per semester. Each meeting consists of a presentation of a work by a visiting scholar, Vanderbilt faculty member, or graduate student, followed by a discussion of that work with the author. Graduate students and faculty are encouraged to attend. Meetings will be held from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. on the following dates: Friday, September 21st ; Friday, October 19th , and Thursday, November 29th. Seminar coordinators: Yeo Ju Choi (English), yeoju.choi@vanderbilt.edu ; Elizabeth Meadows (English), elizabeth.s.meadows@vanderbilt.edu.

Queer Theory Graduate Student Reading Group. This seminar for graduate students meets to discuss emergent issues in queer theory and its intersections with theories of gender, race, class, sexuality, and history. Depending on participant interests, meetings alternate between reading-based discussions and workshop formats. During workshops, seminar participants volunteer their work for feedback from the larger group; discussions work to explore the ways in which current issues within the scope of queer theory are developing across disciplinary boundaries. The group will meet from 12:00 - 2:00 p.m. on the following Fridays: September 28th , October 25th , and once again in November. Seminar coordinators: Rebecca Chapman (English) rebecca.r.chapman@vanderbilt.edu ; Sarah Kersh (English) sarah.e.kersh@vanderbilt.edu.

Reclaiming Citizenship. This interdisciplinary group is designed to explore theories of citizenship that will be translated into a useable pedagogical framework. The group will ask, as scholars and teachers, what it means to be an active citizen both locally and globally. Discussions of these theoretical concerns will be used to construct syllabi for use by group members. Meetings are from 11:30 - 1:30 p.m. on the following Thursdays: September 13 th , October 25th , November 15th. Seminar coordinators: Derrick Spires (English) derrick.r.spires@vanderbilt.edu ; Sarah Passino Muller (English) sarah.m.passino@vanderbilt.edu.

Vanderbilt Group for Early Modern Cultural Studies. This is a forum for faculty and graduate students with an interest in literature, history, music, art, and culture from 1400-1800. The group meets monthly to discuss ongoing research by a faculty member, recent publications in the field, or the work of a visiting scholar. Graduate students are particularly encouraged to attend and contribute. The group will meet from 4:10 - 5:30 p.m. on the following Mondays: September 10th , October 8th , November 12th , December 10th. If you would like to be added to the mailing list, please e-mail Sarah Nobles at sarah.h.nobles@vanderbilt.edu. Seminar coordinator: Leah Marcus (English) leah.s.marcus@vanderbilt.edu.

Women's and Gender Studies Seminar. This seminar will highlight work being done on campus in the area of women's and gender studies. The first meeting of the semester will be a presentation from Richard McGregor (religious studies) entitled, "Islamic Studies at Vanderbilt: the Promise and Perils of an Area Study" on September 19th from 11:30 - 1:15 p.m. It will be followed by a talk by Melissa Snarr (ethics, Divinity School) on October 24th from 11:30 - 1:15 p.m. entitled "Complex Coalitions: Feminist and Religious Activists in the U.S. Living Wage Movement." This fall the group will also co-sponsor a luncheon with the Global Feminisms Collaborative for filmmaker Kum Kum Bhavnani , director of "The Shape of Water" on Thursday, October 25 th from 11:00 - 1:00 p.m. in the Women's and Gender Studies office, 220 Garland Hall. Seminar coordinator: Shubhra Sharma (Women's and Gender Studies), shubhra.sharma@vanderbilt.edu.

Women in Academe Series. This series includes workshops and discussion sessions on topics related to gender and the academy. Examples of past sessions are: Motherhood in the Academy, Life on the Tenure Track, and building relationships with your advisors. This semester, meetings will be held on the following Fridays from 12:10 - 1:30 p.m. : October 5th , November 2nd, November 30th. Series coordinators: Stacy Nunnally (Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center), stacy.nunnally@vanderbilt.edu ; Kim Petrie (Biomedical Research Education & Training), kim.petrie@vanderbilt.edu.

2007/2008 Fellows Program, "Black Europe, or Diasporic Research in/on Europe"

Special Events
Harry C. Howard Jr. Lecture. Helen Vendler , the A. Kingsley Porter University Professor at Harvard University, have a lecture entitled The Yeatsian Sequence: 'Nineteen Hundred and Nineteen' and 'Blood and the Moon .'

2005/2006 Fellows Program, "Pre-modern Others: Race and Sexuality"
Williams S. Vaughn Visiting Fellow : Jean Feerick (English, Brown University).

Fellows' Guest Speakers : Geraldine Heng (English and Director of Medieval Studies Program, University of Texas at Austin); Elizabeth Spiller (English, Texas Christian University); Sahar Amer (Asian Studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Also, the Fellows Program held a one-day conference on Monday, April 3 rd . Visiting speakers were David Nirenberg (history, Johns Hopkins University) and Roland Greene (English and comparative literature, Stanford University).

Art of Dreaming
On Friday, March 24 th, the Warren Center hosted a reception and dinner for participants in the "Art of Dreaming" conference that was co-directed by VU faculty members Barbara Hahn and Meike Werner.

Jennifer Finney Boylan
On Thursday, September 29 th at 4:10 pm, the Warren Center co-hosted with the Women's and Gender Studies Program a lecture by visiting speaker Jennifer Finney Boylan (English, Colby College). Professor Boylan is the author of the novels The Constellations , The Planets , and Getting In as well as a collection of short stories. Her talk was in honor of her latest book, entitled She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders .

Marina Brownlee
Marina Brownlee (the Robert Schirmer Professor of Spanish and Professor of Comparative Literature at Princeton University) gave a talk entitled " The Object in Question--Torquemada and the Epistemology of Wonder" Friday, February 17, at 4:10 p.m. in 311 Furman Hall. Her recent books include The Cultural Labyrinth of María de Zayas (2000), and The Severed Word: Ovid´s ´Heroides´ and the ´Novela Sentimental´ (1990) .

Ed Colker
Noted print-maker, publisher of handmade books in the tradition of the French livre du peintre, and former provost of both the Pratt Institute and Cooper Union, Ed Colker presented a lecture entitled "Modern Arts of the Book" on January 16 at 4:10 p.m. in 114 Furman Hall. During a two-year Guggenheim stay in France, he visited and apprenticed with several of the printers of literary/art books. His lecture was sponsored by the Warren Center, the W.T. Bandy Center for Baudelaire and Modern French Studies, and several other departments and programs. On January 17 th at 12 noon, the Warren Center hosted an informal lunchtime talk with Colker.

Mark Galanter (see podcast)
Mark Galanter (John and Rylla Bosshard Professor of Law and Professor of South Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and LSE Centennial Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science) presented a lecture entitled "Lowering the Bar: Lawyer Jokes and Legal Culture" on February 21, 2006, at 3:00 p.m. in the Moore Room of the Vanderbilt Law School. Galanter's volume Lowering the Bar: Lawyer Jokes and Legal Culture (University of Wisconsin Press, 2005), is an exploration into lawyer jokes, which have become increasingly popular in the United States during the last twenty years. The lecture was co-sponsored by the Warren Center and the Vanderbilt University Law School.

Norman L. and Roselea J. Goldberg Lecture Series
The Warren Center hosted an interdisciplinary lunch meeting on March 24th for the Department of Art and Art History lecture series. Richard Neer, Associate Professor of Art History at the Unviersity of Chicago, gave the spring semester talk.

Paul Freedman (Chester D. Tripp Professor of History at Yale University) delivered this year's Harry C. Howard Jr. Lecture on Monday, February 13 th at 4:10 p.m. in 126 Wilson Hall. His lecture was entitled "The Allure of Spices in the Middle Ages." Freedman's books include Images of the Medieval Peasant (Stanford University Press, 1999), The Origins of Peasant Servitude in Medieval Catalonia (Cambridge University Press, 1991), and The Diocese of Vic: Tradition and Regeneration in Medieval Catalonia (Rutgers University Press, 1983). He also co-edited, with Caroline Walker Bynum, Last Things: Death and Apocalypse in the Middle Ages (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000). From 1979-1997, Freedman taught at Vanderbilt. He was a Fellow at the Warren Center in 1991/92, and served as Warren Center director from 1993 through 1997.

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Regional Education Summit: Exploring the Future of Holocaust Education
In conjunction with the National Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., the Warren Center hosted a workshop April 5 th -7 th for teachers and scholars across the Southeast region.

Susan Neiman
The Warren Center co-sponsored the Philosophy Department's annual Berry Lecture on Monday evening April 10 th given by Susan Neiman. Neiman is the director of the Einstein Forum and has previously taught philosophy at Yale University and Tel Aviv University. She is the author of Slow Fire: Jewish Notes from Berlin ; The Unity of Reason: Rereading Kant ; Evil in Modern Thought; and Fremde sehen anders: Zur Lage der Bundesrepublik . Her visit was cosponsored by the Warren Center and the Vanderbilt Center for Ethics. She met with a faculty seminar at the Warren Center during her campus visit.

Carole Pateman (political science, UCLA) and Charles Mills (philosophy, University of Illinois, Chicago) presented a lecture at 4:15 p.m. September 23, 2005 in the Moore Room of the VU Law School. Pateman, author of The Sexual Contract , and Mills, author of The Racial Contract , were scheduled to give a joint presentation entitled "Contract and Domination: A Collaborative Debate on Social Contract Theory" but Pateman was unable to attend due to illness. After a reading of her paper by Brooke Ackerly (political science) she was, however, able to answer questions via speaker phone. Pateman's major research has covered three broad areas: democratic theory, theories of original contracts, and feminist political theory. Mills' main research interests are in radical and oppositional political theory, particularly around issues of class, gender, and race. Together they are working on a book tentatively titled "Contract and Domination." This program was an outgrowth of the Diversity Reading Group, one of the Warren Center's 2004/2005 seminars. Additional support was provided by Human and Organizational Development in Peabody College, the Philosophy Department, the Political Science Department, the Program in African American and Diaspora Studies, the Women's and Gender Studies Program, and the Vanderbilt Law School.

"Settlers, Creoles, and the Re-Enactment of History"
The Warren Center co-sponsored a conference, the third in a series, devoted to the topic of re-enactment history. The conference, organized by Jonathan Lamb (English) focused on how settler and Creole cultures affirm the fact and right of settlement by means of historical re-enactments that either alter metropolitan history to suit Creole history or celebrate foundational moments of settlement itself. The program took place November, 11-12, 2005. Nineteen speakers representing sixteen universities made presentations at the conference.

Craig E. Colten (see podcast), Carl. O. Sauer Professor of Geography at Louisiana State University, gave a talk entitled "Race and Relief in New Orleans: A Hazardous Topography" on January 26, 2006 in the Moore Room at the Vanderbilt Law School. His talk focused on both the impact of New Orleans's environmental and social legacies on the human costs of Katrina and the quality of the local and national response. Professor Colten is the author of An Unnatural Metropolis: Wresting New Orleans from Nature (Louisiana State University Press, 2005). His other publications include Transforming New Orleans and Its Environs , The American Environment , The Road to Love Canal , and Louisiana Geography . The lecture is cosponsored by the Warren Center and the Vanderbilt Institute for Public Policy Studies as part of an annual series that highlights work in the humanities or social sciences that has a direct effect on public policy.

American and Southern Studies Friday Lunch Bunch
Faculty with an interest in American Studies gathered monthly to lunch, enjoy each other's company, and hear a presentation on work-in-progress by a member of the group. Presentations ranged across the spectrum of American and Southern Studies. Seminar coordinator: Dale Cockrell (Director, American and Southern Studies Program).

Ancient and Medieval Studies Seminar
The purpose of the group was to foster interdisciplinary study of the time periods embraced in its title, which means not only history but language and literature, chiefly, though not exclusively, Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. The main focus was on faculty and graduate student research. Seminar coordinators: Bill Caferro (history) and Tom McGinn (classical studies).

Guest Speakers : On March 16 th Tom Kuehn (history, Clemson University) gave a lecture entitled "Social and Legal Capital Vendetta: A Fifteenth Century Florentine Feud in and out of Court" while on March 22 nd Merry Wiesner-Hanks (history, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee) gave a public lecture entitled "Lustful Luther: Male Libido in the Writings of the Reformation." Afterwards, the Warren Center hosted a reception.

Black Europe/Black European Studies Reading Group
The reading group was committed to exploring intellectually Black Europe as an emerging field of study on the European continent and in Great Britain, as well as the particularities of the Black European experience. The seminar held brown bag luncheon meetings on Wednesday, October 19, and November 16.

Guest Speaker : Sabine Broeck (American Studies, University of Bremen, Germany) gave a talk entitled "Slavery and the Making of Modern Europe," 4:10 p.m., Wednesday, November 16. Broeck is a founding Member of the Collegium for African American Research in Europe (CAAR) and the author of White Amnesia - Black Memory? American Women's Writing and History (Lang, Frankfurt/New York 1999).

Other speakers included Kathryn Gines (African American & Diaspora Studies) on February 8 th , "Sartre, Wright, and Fanon: Paris and the 'Black Atlantic"; Anastasia Curwood (African American & Diaspora Studies) on March 22 nd , "Jean Toomer's Trans-Atlantic Gender Journey: An African-American's Search for Modern Masculinity in France and the United States"; and Catherine Molineux (history) on April 6 th with "Britain's Rebel Slave: Images of Mungo from the Age of Revolution."

Circum-Atlantic Studies Group
Now in it fifth year, this group met monthly and read and treated works-in-progress authored by participants. Participants' scholarship should be interdisciplinary in nature, focus on at least two of the following regions-Africa, Europe, Latin and Central America, the Caribbean, and North America-and treat some aspect of the trans-Atlantic slave trade, colonialism, and/or postcolonialism. Seminar coordinators: Sean Goudie (English) and Jane Landers (history)

Guest Speakers : On December 5 th , Kristin Silva Gruesz (English, University of California, Santa Cruz), gave a public lecture while on March 15 th Kris Lane (history, College of William and Mary) gave a lecture entitled "Romancing the Stone: Atlantic Emerald Markets and the Mines of Colonial Muzo, Colombia."

Culture Seminar This interdisciplinary workshop was designed to explore the dimensions of our expressive lives--including art, entertainment, and heritage. Investigating the dynamics of both new and old cultural forms and artistic movements, participants will pay particular attention to the processes by which culture is produced and consumed both within and across different contexts. Participants will attempt to take a fresh look at the artistic and creative impulses of our country with an eye to pulling out larger trends and issues to which both scholars and citizens should pay attention. Seminar coordinator: Steven Tepper (Curb Center and sociology).

Diabetes Work GroupThe diabetes working group consisted of scholars across the disciplines whose research involves the social aspects of diabetes. Seminar coordinator: Arleen Tuchman.

Language Matters How are language, identity, and conceptual development linked? What can child language acquisition tell us about theories of the mind? What cognitive and sociocultural dynamics are involved in adult second language acquisition? With participating faculty who work in psychology, philosophy, anthropology, sociology, and modern foreign languages, the Language Matters group explored issues related to language and cognition. The seminar met from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. on the following dates: January 27 th , February 10 th , and April 21 st . Seminar coordinators: Meg Saylor (psychology and human development) and Susan Berk-Seligson (Spanish and Latin American Studies).

Guest Speakers : Barbara Johnstone (Professor of Rhetoric and Linguistics, Carnegie Mellon University) met with the seminar and gave a public lecture on March 30 th at 2:45 p.m. in 123 Buttrick Hall entitled "Speaking 'Pittsburghese:' How Globalization Collapses Regional Linguistic Distinctions and Creates Regional Dialects." On Monday, April 10 th , Barbara Vance (French and linguistics, Indiana University), a specialist in syntax and historical French, gave a lecture entitled "Topics and Subjects in Old French and Modern French: Using the Present to Explain the Past and vice versa." The Warren Center also hosted a lunchtime talk for Vance.

Leadership and Citizenship
This monthly seminar initiated a conversation exploring the feasibility of establishing a 15-credit-hour academic minor in Leadership and Citizenship. Given the interconnectedness of our world, and the local, national, and international leadership opportunities increasingly available to our students, this minor might serve as a link between classes exploring themes of leadership and citizenship, global religions and politics, ethics, service, health, and competency in world cultures. Seminar Coordinator: Mark Dalhouse ( Office of Active Citizenship and Service)

Medicine, Health, and Society Workshop/Planning Group
This interdisciplinary seminar met monthly to discuss common concerns and hear talks by members and visiting speakers.

Guest Speakers: On Wednesday, September 7, Kenneth Wallston (psychology) gave a talk entitled "Hocus-pocus, The Focus Isn't Strictly on Locus: One Man's Odyssey with Studying Perceived Control and Health."

The Medicine, Health, and Society fall lecture was delivered on Thursday, September 15 by Robert Kane, M.D. , (Minnesota Chair in Long-Term Care and Aging, University of Minnesota School of Public Health) and his sister Joan West , authors of It Shouldn't Be This Way: the Failure of Long-term Care . The book tells the story of their mother's experience after she suffered a debilitating stroke. After speaking in Light Hall, the group met at the Warren Center for a fuller discussion of the issues they raised in their book and lecture. A reception and book signing followed at the Vanderbilt University Bookstore.

Isaac Prilleltensky (human and organizational Development) gave a lecture on Wednesday, October 12, entitled "Time for a Change: Shifting the Paradigm in Health and Human Services through Action Research." Laura Carpenter (sociology) spoke on Wednesday, November 9 with a lecture entitled "The Politics of Infant Male Circumcision" while Sten Vermund (director of the Vanderbilt Institute for Global Health) spoke on Wednesday, November 30 th . His talk was entitled "Complexities in Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Africa."

Carol Etherington (School of Nursing) spoke on January 18 th , 1:10 - 2:30 p.m. Her talk was entitled "The Delivery of Humanitarian Aid: Realities, Risks, and Responsibilities." Steven Miles (Center for Bioethics and Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota Medical School), presented the talk "The Legacy of Abu Ghraib for Military Medicine" on February 2 nd , 1:10 - 2:30 p.m. A buffet supper was held on February 15 th , 6:00 - 7:30 p.m., for a talk by Sydney Halpern (sociology, ) "Lesser Harms: The Morality of Risk in Medical Research." On March 15 th , 1:10 - 2:30 p.m., Jon Lehman (Owen School, Vanderbilt), spoke on "The Changing Health Care Market and its Implications for Management Education" while on April 19 th , 1:10 - 2:30 p.m., Lida Anestidou (Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, Vanderbilt), presented a talk entitled "The Ethics of Animal Experimentation."

Nineteenth Century Seminar
This group focused upon the history, art, literature, and culture of the long nineteenth century (ca. 1760-1914). Meetings occurred on a more-or-less monthly basis during the academic year to consider current scholarship by group members and others. Meetings were scheduled from 12:30-2:00 p.m. on the following dates: February 17 th and March 3 rd . Seminar coordinators: Natalie Champ and Lauren Wood.

Queer Theory/Gender Theory Graduate Student Reading Group
This seminar, for graduate students, met to discuss emergent issues in queer theory and gender theory. The focus of the discussions was the ways in which current issues are developing across disciplinary boundaries. Meetings took place from 1-3 p.m. on the following dates: September 2, October 7, November 18, and December 2 and 12:00-2:00 pm on February 3 rd , March 17 th , and April 21 st . Seminar coordinators: Rebecca Chapman and Donald Jellerson.

Vanderbilt Group for Early Modern Cultural Studies
This was an interdisciplinary forum for faculty and graduate students with an interest in literature, history, music, art, and culture from 1400-1800. The group met monthly to discuss ongoing research by a faculty member, recent publications in the field, or the work of a visiting scholar. Graduate students are particularly encouraged to attend and contribute. Seminar coordinator: Leah Marcus (English).

Women's and Gender Studies Seminar
This seminar highlighted work being done on campus in the area of women's and gender studies.

Guest Speakers: Dana Nelson (Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English) on October 6 th at 4:10 pm with a talk entitled "Why Presidentialism is Bad for US Democracy" and Lynn Clarke (communication studies) on November 17 th at 4:10 pm with "Towards the Recovery of Affect in Deliberative Politics: The Body in Marriage Controversy and An Occasion for Rhetorical Theory."

Mellon Foundation Summer Seminar
Jonathan Lamb (English and Mellon Chair of Humanities) will direct a summer seminar during the month of May 2006. The seminar is part of a grant he received from the Mellon Foundation.

National Endowment for the Humanities Summer Seminar
During the months of June and July of 2006, the Warren Center will host an NEH Summer Seminar directed by David Wasserstein (history and Jewish Studies).

Tina Campt
The Warren Center co-sponsored a public lecture by Tina Campt (Interim Director, Program in Women's Studies, Duke University) on Thursday, March 30 th entitled "Pictures of 'Us'?--Race, Gender and the Historical Image."

Steve Dowden
On February 23 rd Steve Dowden (German, Brandeis University) gave a lunchtime lecture entitled "Compassion as Ethical Problem for Literature."

Dr. James Gardner
Associate Director for Curatorial Affairs at the Smithsonian, Dr. James Gardner gave a public lecture on March 27 th . His talk, entitled "A Mirror of America? Revisioning the Nation's History Museum," was sponsored by the History Department with co-sponsorship provided by the Warren Center, the American/Southern Studies Department, and the Office of Active Citizenship & Service.

Sander Gilman
On February 10 th , the Warren Center hosted a lunchtime lecture by Sander Gilman entitled "Collaboration, the Economy, and the Future of the Humanities."

Martin Luther King, Jr Observance
The Warren Center was a co-sponsor of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Lecture Series. The featured speaker, The Reverend James Lawson, spoke on Tuesday, January 17 th in Benton Chapel, Divinity School with a talk entitled "Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?" The event was a joint presentation as part of the MLK lecture series.

Political Feeling
The Warren Center hosted this all-day seminar on February 24 th. Dana Nelson (English) was director of the seminar.

Sandra Steingraber
Sandra Steingraber (Distinguished Visiting Scholar, Ithaca College) gave a public lecture on April 20 th at the historic Belcourt Theatre. Sponsored by the Women's and Gender Studies Program and co-sponsored by the Warren Center as well as several other departments, her talk was entitled "Contamination Without Consent: How Chemicals in Air, Food, and Water Violate Human Rights."

Frank Trommel
In honor of the dedication of the Max Kade Center for European and German Studies, the Warren Center co-sponsored a public lecture by Frank Trommel (German, University of Pennsylvania and former Director of the Humanities Program at the American Institute for Contemporary Studies). His talk, given on April 19 th , was entitled "How to Cross the Atlantic in the 21 st Century: Thoughts about European and German Studies."

2003/04 Fellows Program "Medicine, Health, and Society"
2004 Graduate Student Summer Fellows Program

Lectures, Conferences, and Special Events

2002/2003 Fellows Program: "Gender, Sexuality, & Cultural Politics"
2003 Inaugural Summer Graduate Student Fellows Program

Lectures, Conferences, and Special Events

Fellows Programs