Fall 2002 Schedule |
Spring 2003 Schedule |
This talk hopes to cross curricular boundaries and engage anyone with interests in politics, religion, geography, drama, semantics, and taxonomies broadly defined. I will present short scenes (in translation) from a tragedy by Sophocles as a medium for examining a topic relevant beyond the classical world.
The ancient Greeks were peculiarly conscious of the role that boundaries play in shaping human existence. This shop talk presents my research into the construction of boundaries within Sophocles’ Electra, a play that stages the return of the exiled Orestes to avenge egregious transgressions of socially demarcated limits. The rival attempts by characters within the play to define space, time and meaning are to be understood within the wider context of their struggle for power. However, the play refuses to validate the prescriptive efforts of any character. The dramatic irony that is a hallmark of Sophocles’ stagecraft invites the audience to participate in the play’s subversion of the attempts by Clytemnestra, Aegisthus, and Orestes to define what’s what and to construct the play along their own lines.
The most profound dimension of the "conversion" I experienced, living and working in El Salvador in the '80s, was epistemological. Those years changed the way I knew things. I became convicted that there is no escaping the matter of "how to live with what you know"--a matter that is at its heart not instrumental but moral. Drawing on the work of Martin Luther and secular feminist philosophers, and in frank appreciation of the value of lived experience as a theological and intellectual resource, I am interested in describing the movement from knowing to doing.
Linnea Wren and Travis Nygard are participants in the Proyecto Arqueologico Yo'okop at Yo'okop in Quintana Roo, Mexico. Throughout the colonial period, Quintana Roo functioned as a refuge for Maya populations resistant to European dominance. The Maya today, as in the past, guard their cultural heritage. Archaeological projects have only recently been undertaken in Quintana Roo. Participants in these projects are revealing the presence of cities with occupation periods of over 2,000 years and with sophisticated systems of ecological adaptability. Archaeologists are also seeking ways to organize field projects that respect the contemporary Maya systems of local governance. Linnea and Travis will present their research on the carved monuments and inscriptions at the site of Yo'okop, They will demonstrate the importance of a permanent water supply to the iconography of rulership and will propose a relationship between the site layout and cosmological beliefs. In addition, Linnea and Travis will discuss the daily and ethical implications of conducting field research in rural Mexico.
An issue of interest both to cognitive scientists and language specialists is the organization of memory that subserves language. One enduring question asks whether bilingual speakers have one memory system (i.e. lexicon) that "stores" all words known to the speaker, or whether they have a separate lexicon for each language. I'll present data from several experiments that test predictions of these "Single-Store" and "Dual-Store" models and, time permitting, discuss a computer simulation of the process of word recognition for bilinguals.
In this talk we will explore how Google and other search engines rank the results of a web search so that the web sites you are (probably) most interested in are at the top of the list. We will discuss several different ranking methods that are based primarily upon the interconnections between the web pages of interest. We will conclude by showing that there is a simple mathematical idea unifying these different algorithms.
The talk examines two detective stories from early 20th century Argentina, concentrating on the conjunction of detective fiction's popularity with the formation of modern urban space at a pivotal moment in Argentina's history.
My talk will review the acrimonious marriage of Britain's Prince of Wales (later George IV) and Princess Caroline and how their divorce significantly altered courtroom argumentation in the United Kingdom and the United States. Caroline's advocate, Henry Brougham, crafted a doctrine of zealous advocacy that continues to justify ethically questionable legal argumentation. The extent of this ethical problem, and possible remedies, also will be considered.
The presentation will examine the drug trade in Colombia and policy attempts to eradicate it since the late 1970s. In recent decades, Colombia has been a major refiner and exporter of cocaine. Colombia's role as a coca cultivating country has increased throughout the period. In the 1990s, significant opium poppy cultivation, and heroin refining and export appeared. Drug policy has undergone changes throughout the period. In recent years, Colombian drug control efforts have shifted their emphasis from prosecuting drug traffickers and breaking up their organizations to eliminating drug cultivation, focused more on military solutions than in the past, and become a progressively greater priority for the United States' hemispheric policy. Last, the talk will trace the impact of counternarcotics policy on Colombian drug trafficking and cultivation, suggesting what lessons from past experiences can be applied to the current situation.
One dilemma facing countries experiencing economic liberalization is how small businesses can access credit as their role grows in the economy. This talk examines what sources of external capital are currently available to Vietnamese small businesses, and what needs to be done to more fully develop a formal credit market for small businesses there. Presently, Vietnam's banking sector is dominated by state owned banks which are reluctant to lend to small businesses. Since 1988, the government has allowed privately owned businesses to legally exist, and small businesses have been an increasingly larger part of the economy. To continue to grow, these businesses must have adequate sources of capital which will only occur if certain barriers are overcome.
Although domestic violence is as old as human relationships, it is only since the 70's that it has been recognized in the literature as a health concern. Since then, numerous studies have documented the multi-complex nature of this issue that disproportionately affects women. Beyond the acute and chronic physical impact of the violence, survivors suffer from depression, hopelessness, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. A very limited number of intervention studies are recorded in the literature. INSIGHT is a nurse-facilitated group interaction program specifically designed for women. Based on feminist critical theory, INSIGHT stimulates awareness coupled with affirmation as a means of promoting action. This shop talk will share the results of a study that tested the effectiveness of INSIGHT as an interaction with rural, women survivors of domestic violence.
Faculty Shop Talks provide a serious (though not solemn) forum for the presentation of original research and artistic creation by Gustavus faculty. The meetings are generally Friday afternoons at 4:30 and last no more than an hour, though some may come earlier or stay a bit later. The audience is limited to Gustavus faculty and their guests. The actual presentation should be no more than 30 minutes. The model should be a "conference" paper adapted to a non-specialist academic audience. Shop Talks aim to speak both to departmental colleagues and those in completely different disciplines. Wine, soft drinks, and snacks are provided.
The Shop Talk organizing committee (Paul Saulnier) would like to solicit abstracts for the Shop Talk series. These 20-30 minute presentations allow Gustavus scholars to share their research/art and enthusiasm. A title, brief abstract (electronic format), and A/V requirements should be sent to Paul (psaul@gustavus.edu). If the current Shop Talk schedule does not have any vacancies do not hesitate to contact Paul to reserve a future date.