Spring Hike w. Prof. Ralkowski and TRAiLS

The UHP took on Old Rag in Spring 2016, too!

It’s that time of year, folks! The air is crisp and warm, the cherry blossoms are pretty much all dead, and finals are right around the corner. Spring has sprung! Celebrate the last week of classes with the UHP’s annual Old Rag hike! Prof. Ralkowski and TRAiLS will be taking a limited number of UHPers on this advanced hike on Saturday, April 29th.
To reserve your seat on the bus, you MUST fill out the TRAiLS registration form and bring your $5 payment to the UHP front office.
We’ll meet at the Townhouse at 8:30 to head over to the Shenandoah National Park together. Lunch will be provided, but make sure to check the packing list and bring things like water and a backpack! We’ll get back to campus around 8 PM.

MAKE SURE TO SIGN UP TO SAVE YOUR SPOT!

GW Philosophy 2017 Thacher Lecture

The GW Philosophy Department invites you to join us for the 2017 Endowed Thacher Lecture:
Perceptual Consciousness as a Mental Activity
By Susanna Schellenberg
Professor of Philosophy at Rutgers University
Friday, April 21

​ at 4:00 PM
Duques Hall, Room 152
Title: 
Perceptual Consciousness as a Mental Activity
 
Abstract:
I argue that perceptual consciousness is the product of a mental activity. The mental activity in question is the activity of employing perceptual capacities, such as discriminatory, selective capacities. This is a radical view, but I hope to make it plausible. In arguing for this mental activist view, I reject orthodox views on which perceptual consciousness is analyzed in terms of (sensory awareness relations to) peculiar entities—be they phenomenal properties, external mind-independent properties, propositions, sense-data, qualia, or intentional objects.
 
Bio: 
Susanna Schellenberg is a philosopher specializing in epistemology, philosophy of mind, and philosophy of language. She is best known for her work on perceptual experience, evidence, capacities, mental content, and imagination. She is professor of philosophy at Rutgers University, where she holds a secondary appointment at the Rutgers Center for Cognitive Science. In 2016, Schellenberg was awarded the Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award of the Humboldt Foundation. Her work has been published in journals such as Noûs, The Journal of Philosophy, Mind, and Philosophy and Phenomenological Research.

Elliott Undergraduate Scholars Research Symposium

All members of the University Honors Program are cordially invited to this years Elliott Undergraduate Scholars Symposium on Wednesday, April 19th!
The Elliott School Undergraduate Scholars program is an enhanced independent research opportunity for outstanding Elliott School juniors and seniors. After months of research and writing, this year’s cohort will be presenting their work April 19th from 10:00am – 2:00pm in Lindner Family Commons. A number of Honors students will be presenting this year, and their names are bolded on the schedule below. We would love for any and all to attend, ask questions, and support them in their presentations!
10:05 am to 11:05 am
Political Participation, Identity, and Power in Asia
Phoebe Bui, Stephanie Gill, Yian Ke, Eun Kyung Na, Dyuti Saunik
Moderated by See-Won Byun, Graduate Student Mentor
11:15 to 11:55 am
Do We Matter? Leveraging Identities in Times of Conflict
Clare Platt, Kaly Moot, Lacy Myrman
Moderated by Luci Prosapio, Graduate Student Mentor
12:00 to 12:30 pm
Transnational Terror in the West
Helen Christy Powell, Seth Harrison
Moderated by Daniel Schwartz, Graduate Student Mentor
12:40 to 1:30 pm
Development, Investment, and the New Economy
Nicholas Johnson, Jiahui Lin (Joyce), Margaret O’Connor, Cindy Zhang
Moderated by Andrew Arveseth, Graduate Student Mentor

Intellectual Diversity in Academia Speaker Event

The UHP and the Politics and Values Program are cohosting Nicholas Quinn Rosenkranz of Georgetown Law for a talk titled “Why We Need Intellectual Diversity in Academia.” Prof. Rosenkranz is a leading scholar of constitutional issues, a fellow at the Cato Institute, and a contributor to the Heterodox Academy project.
The talk will be held on Thursday, April 6th from 5-6 PM in Ames Hall B101 on the Mount Vernon Campus. It will be followed by a light reception. All members of the GW community are welcome.

UHP Senior Night at Tonic

Calling all UHP Seniors! The time is almost upon us – the countdown to commencement is just around the corner! Join us to “Kickoff the Countdown” with a UHP Senior Night at Tonic on Friday, April 21st from 5-7 PM. Heavy hors d’oeuvre (yes, we had to copy and paste that from Google) and 2 drink tickets will be provided, so make sure to bring your IDs. Meet us on the 3rd floor for this private event with faculty, staff, and the rest of the Class of 2017 Honors crew for one more walk down memory lane! RSVP here.

Get ready to get fancy.

Can’t join us on the 21st? Save the date for the UHP Commencement Reception on Saturday, May 20th from 5-7PM. Details to follow!

Lunch with the Director

**Edit: this event has been moved from the Honors townhouse Club Room to District B118.**
 
Hey Honors students: got questions, concerns, or great ideas for the Honors Program?  Then sign up to have lunch with Maria Frawley, Executive Director of the University Honors Program.  We’ll bring the food, you bring your good ideas. Lunch will take place on Friday, March 24th at 12pm in District B118.
Seats are (very!) limited for this event, so sign up now to reserve your spot!

The Documentary Center at GW Presents: Sacred [Recommended Event]

The Documentary Center’s spring WHAT’S UP? DOCS! series asks the question: “What Do You Believe?” Join us for films and post-screening conversations that seek answers to these central human questions.
On Thursday April 13th, we examine the topic of “Faith” with Thoman Lennon’s stunning new documentary Sacred. This free screening will be followed by a discussion with several prominent D.C. religious leaders moderated by Sister Maureen Fiedler, creator and host of Interfaith Voices. Our post-screening panel features: Rabbi Gerry Serotta, Reverend Carol Flett and Imam Talib Shareef.
Film Synopsis
Shot by more than 40 filmmaking teams around the world, Sacred immerses the viewer in the daily use of faith and spiritual practice. At a time when religious hatreds dominated the world’s headlines, this film explores faith as primary human experience, and how people turn to ritual and prayer to navigate the milestones and crises of private life.
Academy Award-winning director, Thomas Lennon, commissioned or sourced footage from top independent filmmakers from more than 25 countries–and a wide range of religious traditions–each team contributing a single scene. The film, sweeping in its global reach, yet intensely intimate, is a tour de force that unifies these scenes into a single work, told without narration, without experts and, for long stretches, without words at all.
FOR MORE DETAILS AND TO RSVP, VISIT THE EVENTBRITE PAGE

Loeb Institute of Religious Freedom Lecture Series [Recommended Event]

“Before the First Amendment guaranteed freedom of religion in the U.S., President George Washington was an early advocate for religious minorities. President Washington’s legacy as a champion of religious freedom and the inclusion of all faiths will be sustained through the establishment of the Loeb Institute at GW.”
Timothy Keefer (former Chief Counsel for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; Washington & Lee Law)
6-7 PM, Monroe Hall 428 (Sigelman Seminar Room)
Yaakov Ariel (UNC-Chapel Hill)
12-1:30 PM, Monroe Hall 428 (Sigelman Seminar Room)
Andrew Sabl (Yale)
12-1:30 PM, Monroe Hall 428 (Sigelman Seminar Room)

These events are free and open to the public.

Food for Thought w/ Prof. Thompson

Come join the UHP and Professor Ayanna Thompson for  “The Challenges of Working on a Living Artist: Peter Sellars” on Friday, March 3rd at 12 PM in the UHP Club Room.
Ayanna Thompson will discuss the process of writing the first in-depth look at Peter Sellars, the avant-garde director whose Shakespeare productions have polarized communities and critics. Through extensive interviews and archival work, her book will take readers on a journey through experimental theatre and the tensions that arise between innovation and accessibility. An iconoclastic figure who inspires strong reactions both personally and professionally, Peter Sellars continues to amaze and confound. Ayanna’s talk will discuss the pleasures and challenges of working on a living artist.
Food for Thought is a chance for UHP faculty fellows to present their research and discuss it casually over lunch. The talk lasts about 20 minutes, with time for a causal question answer period.  Plus we provide the lunch!
Seats are limited, so secure your spot now and sign up! RSVP here: http://thompsonfft.youcanbook.me/