Category: Community Life

The third Food for Thought of the semester will be Friday, 11/12 from 12-1PM. Join Professor Feigenbaum in the UHP Townhouse Club Room to discuss cultural imperialism and the role of American media over a UHP-provided lunch. To reserve your spot (and your lunch!) RSVP here by Monday 11/8. 

Title: “Cultural Imperialism and the Hollywood Business Model”

Description:

Over the course of the Twentieth Century American pop culture has influenced citizens around the world. This is especially true of films and television shows. There is an international demand for American products, which are lavishly produced and often universal in theme. American television shows are less universal, but they are less expensive to purchase because they are amortized over many markets.    Consequently, people around the world are becoming Americanized.

The result for the world overall is a loss of cultural diversity. This in turn, reduces opportunities for cross-cultural fertilization, which in the past encouraged new ideas and innovation in a wide variety of human activity. 

 The advent of digital streaming in the 21st Century, however, may be reversing the causal arrows.

“Indeed, What a Night” – My Lord, What a Night at Ford’s Theatre

Matthew DeBellis, Gabriel Lopez, Analys Barinaga

On Saturday, October 9th, Professor Christov hosted a “Professor on the Town” with his Justice sections. They went to see “My Lord, What a Night” at Ford’s Theatre, a play about the friendship between Albert Einstein and Marian Anderson—a famous singer who faced racial prejudices. It explored the similarities between the Civil Rights movements in the United States and rising anti-Semitic tensions across Europe.

The play allowed students to experience the intersection of philosophy and humor through light-hearted jokes and essential discussions. It also invited students to consider their studies of Thucydides and Plato by comparing the dangers of demagoguery and the importance of civil action.

We enjoyed watching the play at Ford’s Theatre; it dove into the injustices of the mid-1900s, how people would face racial and religious discrimination, and how people could turn away from silence to speak openly against them. Other than the plot, we truly enjoyed the four actors and actresses on stage, who kept the audience entertained with their quick quips and interpersonal relationships.

The second Food for Thought of the semester will be Friday, 10/15 from 12-1PM in the Club Room. Professor Mark Ralkowski and Eliza Wizner, a senior in the University Honors Program, will talk about their forthcoming book over catered lunch. Make sure to RSVP below by Monday 10/11 to reserve your seat and your lunch! Also, please bring your own water bottle and/or mug to help us avoid single-use waste!

Title: Dave Chappelle and Philosophy: When Keeping it Wrong Gets Real

Description: Dave Chappelle has been celebrated for his comedy about race in America, and he has been criticized for his jokes about marginalized people. In 2005, Time said that he was “without a doubt the hottest, edgiest and most talked about comedian today.” And in 2019, Salon asked, “what happened to Dave Chappelle?” while suggesting that in his older age he has become “cruel” and lost touch with today’s cultural values. In this Food for Thought talk, Professor Mark Ralkowski and Eliza Wizner, a senior in the University Honors Program, will talk about how they addressed these controversies and many other issues in a forthcoming book called Dave Chappelle and Philosophy: When Keeping it Wrong Gets Real.

Disagreement can be a difficult thing to navigate, especially in college, and especially in the UHP. That’s why Dr. Jordan West is going to run a workshop on how to do it respectfully and productively. Join us next Monday (10/4) at 6PM ET in District House B205 to be a part of the conversation! Both virtual and in-person attendance options will be provided, and pizza will be served in person. RSVP below to reserve your spot!

Honors Professor Restrepo recently published an article in the Georgetown Journal of International Affairs, Perverse Incentives: Extrajudicial Killings in Colombia. The article analyzes contributing factors to the recently unveiled phenomena of “falsos positivos” or “false positives,” in which poor, unemployed citizens in Colombia have gone missing and are later found dead at altered crime scenes, framing them as military insurgents killed in combat. Professor Restrepo’s engaging article analyzes how the political environment of Colombia exposed a “Public Force perverse culture in which citizens are seen as internal enemies.”