September 4, 2007
TO:
Members of the University Community
FROM:
Helmut Smith, Director
Mona Frederick, Executive Director
RE:
Fall Semester 2007 Warren Center Programs
The Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities promotes interdisciplinary research
and study in the humanities and social sciences and, when appropriate, the natural sciences.
Members of the Vanderbilt community representing a wide variety of specializations take part in
the Center’s programs, which are designed to intensify and increase interdisciplinary discussion
of academic, social, and cultural issues.
We are always interested in expanding our list of programs. If you have suggestions for
additional seminars that would be appropriate to the work of the Warren Center, please contact
the Center at 343-6060 or rpw.center@vanderbilt.edu.
Fall Semester Warren Center Programs
Fellows Programs
2007-2008 Fellows Program, “Black Europe, or Diasporic Research in/on Europe” codirected 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), 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.
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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.
Special Events
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.
Visiting Speakers
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 cosponsored 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.
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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 cosponsored by the Ancient and Medieval Studies Seminar of the Warren Center and the Frist
Center for Visual Arts.
Warren Center Seminars
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., Stefanie 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
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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 14th 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 the dimensions of
our expressive lives – including art, entertainment, media, 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, creative
and expressive impulses of our country with an eye to pulling out larger trends and issues to
which both scholars and citizens should pay attention. 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-medicolegal 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.
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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. For more information, conact Lynn Lentz at lynn.lentz@vanderbilt.edu.
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.,
participants’ 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 readingbased 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 26th, 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 13th,
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:
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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 25th
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.
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