Finals are over and three long months of downtime loom ahead. You know what that means, right? The return of reading for fun! A UHPer recently asked the faculty for some recommended summer reading, and they were eager to oblige. So if you’re looking for a book to keep you company as you come down from finals, take a look at these suggestions:
Maria Frawley. “I’d like to recommend George Eliot’s Middlemarch, the novel Virginia Woolf famously declared to be ‘one of the few English novels written for grown-up people.’ It’s a door-stopper of a novel (800 some pages!) that needs to be enjoyed over several months, and it’s the best study I’ve ever encountered of the hows and whys we fail to live up to our ideals.”
Bethany Cobb Kung: “Oops, I can’t pick just a single book! I’d recommend Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life by William Deresiewicz. Many parts of this book frustrated or infuriated me — many other parts I wholeheartedly agreed with. AND/OR Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey Kluger A little history, a little science, and a little human interest, too!”
Mark Ralkowski: “This is the book I’d like to recommend: At the Existentialist Cafe: Freedom, Being, and Apricot Cocktails with Jean Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, Martin Heidegger, Maurice Merleau-Ponty and others, by Sarah Bakewell.It’s a great mix of philosophy and biography, and it provides a lot of the backstory to the rise of phenomenology and existentialism in the 20th century.“
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grid Creppell: “I recommend Jesmyn Ward, Salvage the Bones. This 2011 National Book Award Winner tells the story of a poor family living in southern Mississippi waiting and preparing for Hurricane Katrina. I found the writing mythic and at the same time of the most intimate concreteness – showing how dreams and passions of real individuals tangle with the inescapable hardness of the past, and yet they achieve a measure of salvation in this forgotten rural landscape.”
Joseph Trullinger: “I would recommend an essay by Mary Midgley, “Trying Out One’s New Sword.” Midgley explores the purported ancient Japanese custom of allowing samurais to kill peasants to “try out” the sharpness of a new sword. In particular, it’s a great essay about whether and how we can judge the practices of other cultures, and by implication, our own. It’s one of the most insightful pieces I’ve ever read about cultural relativism, and the presuppositions that go into it.”
William Winstead: “I recommend Robert Kuttner, Can Democracy Survive Global Capitalism? (Norton, 2018). The best account yet of the origins of the global outrage directed at the neoliberal juggernaut undermining the future prospects of young and old alike—essential for anyone who wants to make sense of the current scene.”
Eyal Aviv: “I recommend A Tale for the Time Being: A Novel by Ruth Ozeki. Ozeki, an author and a Zen priest, tells a gripping story about three women: a Canadian-Japanese writer, a troubled Japanese teenage girl and her grandmother, an elderly Zen nun.The story moves between the three characters and connects them with a network shrouded with mystery that is rooted in the Zen philosophy of Eihei Dōgen. This is a remarkable story that will both touch you and invite you into a meditation about time, space and the intricacies of human relationship. “
Theo Christov: “I recommend No Name in the Street, by James Baldwin. This book weaves in and out of the Algerian war of independence, the tyranny of Francisco Franco, the 1963 March on Washington, and the murder of Martin Luther King, Jr, revealing the legacy of the past in the US and how to cope with such a legacy in the present.”
Tag: AY1718
New Honors Course Added!
The UHP is excited to be adding a new Self & Society offering for this fall, “Human Rights: Here, There, and Everywhere” with Prof. Maria Restrepo. See details below!
Human Rights: Here, There, and Everywhere
Professor Maria Restrepo
HONR 2047:10 – 3 Credits
CRN: 27984
T 10:00-12:30 PM
Fulfills: CCAS Social Science; GWSB: Non-Business Elective/Unrestricted Elective; SEAS: Social Science
Course Description: The subject of Human Rights (HR) arguably lays bare the entire premise of liberal education itself. The issue of HR exposes us to the world outside our own circle of experience; and also requires us to make judgments, assessments, and interpretations of uncertain situations, often in settings where there are no clear penalties for wrong decisions or rewards for right ones. Certainly the claim of an expert that “Most students of Western developed countries have the luxury of forgetting about Human Rights” does not hold so true in today’s internet-enabled and interconnected society. This class grapples with these issues. It will teach you fresh skills to think critically about this important topic — whether it concerns ongoing situations ‘here, there or everywhere’.
2018 Research Showcase Recap
This year’s Honors Research Showcase featured presentations from eleven intellectually omnivorous UHPers. Check out their project titles below.
Benjamin Englander: Rooting for the Home Team: Sports, Politics, and the Rhetoric of Identification
Eliza Goren: The Undergraduate Female Experience: It’s a Man’s World
Elizabeth Hasier: The Streets We Share: A Photographic Study in Transience and Defining Community
Hannah Corn: An Analysis of Chinese Internal Migration to Beijing
Jacqueline Dyer: Mass Spectrometry Imaging of Netrual Lipid Species by Laser Desorption Ionization from Silicon Nanopost Arrays and MALDI
Jacquelyn Veatch: Understanding the City’s Role in Climate Action
Kara Zielinski: Amylin Aggregation Kinetics
Margaret Steiner: HIV-1 Transmission Clusters and Drug Resistance in Washington, D.C.
Quinn Divens: Through Her Eyes: Baya Mahieddine and the Female Form in French Algeria
Rohan Patil: A Multimodal Solution to Workplace Violence in the Hospital
Youmna Sirgi: Understanding Outbound Student Mobility in Lebanon’s Sectarian Environment
Thanks to all who came to show your support! And to our presenters, who did a fantastic job.
Questions or ideas for future UHP research-related events? Please email benfaulkner@gwu.edu.
#HonorsProblems: Sorry to Burst Your (GW) Bubble
The following blog post was written by peer advisor Allie, a CCAS junior studying economics and math. Allie is abroad this semester and writing from London with love!
Hiya! I’m currently studying abroad in the lovely city of London and having a wonderful time (if you are considering going abroad, I highly recommend it). Whenever I am talking to friends back home and they ask me how I’m liking London, I always answer that London is a great city filled with so much to do and I am constantly taking advantage of new opportunities.
I knew I only had a couple months here so I’ve been making sure to try as much as I can and really see what the city has to offer me. I am constantly looking for new things to do—whether it’s getting recommendations from friends or even the friendly salesperson or waiter, searching online for unique things to do (yes, secretldn.com has become my most visited sight), or searching social media for those trendy places. Now I do this in DC as well, but here’s the difference, this semester, I’ve actually been going to these places.
My freshman year a friend of mine who was a senior told me “I did more cool DC things my freshman year than all other years combined.” Obviously, I assumed that I would be different and that I would always push myself to leave Foggy Bottom, but I haven’t. I got so caught up with my GW life that sometimes I forgot to go live my DC life. So, I am challenging you—whatever year you are or if you are a professor or whoever, go out and do something cool in DC.
Below is a list of my usual excuses as to why I should stay in Foggy Bottom and here’s the advice that I wish I had given myself.
“It’s final season, I have to work”– 1. Study breaks are important so let your next study break be something cool in DC. 2. Why not try studying in a cool new place? A trendy café? A museum? 3. You need to eat so how about you go to a cool restaurant rather than something in your comfort zone.
“It’s too expensive” – 1. There’s a bunch of free stuff in DC. 2. Set yourself a budget. I did this and originally thought it would be limiting, but instead its led me to take advantage of more opportunities because I was comfortable staying within the budget I set.
“None of my friends are around”– Go by yourself. I was always worried that people would judge me for doing something alone, but in reality no one cares and being by yourself can be really nice.
“That’s out of my comfort zone. I don’t want to do it”– Sometimes it is fun to try something different. Even if you don’t like it, it may make for a funny memory and you never know, maybe you’ll love it.
So please go out and explore, I know I plan to once I’m back.
P.S-If you have any DC or London recommendations, let me know (not sure if you could tell but I like finding new things to do)
Apply to Be an Enosinian Scholar
The Enosinian Scholars Program is accepting applications for the 2018-2019 school year!
Each year, this program welcomes a select group of rising seniors to conduct student-driven research in a variety of academic areas. Students apply at the end of their junior year to begin the program their senior year. If you’re interested, please check out the program description as well as the application form.
If you have additional questions, please contact Professor William Winstead at stimmung@gwu.edu. Applications are due Friday, 6/1.
Spring 2018 Extended Study Hours
FINALS ARE AROUND THE CORNER
Need a place to study? Come by the Townhouse for extended study hours in the Club Room! We’ll have assorted snacks and coffee (aka “the essentials”) and an overall studying environment that can’t be beat!
Check out the full schedule below:
Thursday, May 3, 9AM-10PMFriday, May 4* 9AM-10PM (Townhouse closed for Student Faculty Dinner 4:45-7:15)
Saturday, May 5 12PM-10PM
Sunday, May 6 12PM-10PMMonday, May 7 9AM-10PM
Tuesday, May 8* 9AM-10PM
Wednesday, May 9 9AM-10PM
Thursday, May 10 9AM-10PM
Friday, May 11* 9AM-10PM
Saturday, May 12 12PM-5PM
Sunday, May 13 12PM-5PM
Monday, May 14 9AM-10PM
Tuesday, May 15 9AM-10PM
*The Club Room may be unavailable during certain times on these days, but the basement will be open.
Institute for Humane Studies Summer Opportunities
The Institute for Humane Studies is hosting two summer seminars that may be of interest to UHPers! If you are interested in pursuing any of these opportunities, please contact Prof. Christov (christov@gwu.edu) for a recommendation.
- The Foundations of Liberty (June 23–29)—for undergraduates interested in learning more about classical liberalism
- The Frontiers of Liberty (July 14–20)—for advanced undergraduates studying classical liberal ideas with interest in pursuing a PhD
Applications are due May 15th.
IHS is also hiring summer interns!
June 4–August 10, 2018 | Arlington, VA
The Savas Family Fund Internship Program is an opportunity for interns to engage with philosophical ideas, advance professional skills, and learn more about our classical liberal tradition.
Please reach out to Sharifa Ahmed at SAhmed@ihs.gmu.edu if you are interested in applying for a paid internship.
Spring 2018 Student-Faculty Dinner!
The end of the semester is rapidly approaching- papers, exams, presentations- yikes! Fortunately, for us UHPers, semester’s end also marks the arrival of the always-anticipated Student Faculty Dinner. Join us on Friday, May 4th from 5pm to 7pm at Chalin’s Chinese to gorge on Crab Rangoons and other delectable treats.
Tickets are on sale now at the UHP Townhouse and are only $5. You must purchase your tickets by Thursday, May 3rd at noon. That’s cheaper than Chipotle, even without the guac. For less than the cost of a subpar “burrito,” you can enjoy mountains of Chinese food and stimulating conversation with your favorite students, faculty and staff of the UHP. It’s really a win-win situation. We’ll see you there!
Honors Cords, Grad Reception, and the Senior Survey
If you’re graduating, have we got the survey for you! When you complete it, you can pick up your gold honor cord to wear at graduation. You can also pick up your 5 tickets for the UHP Graduating Seniors reception between 5/7 and 5/16. I’m not saying we’re holding your cords and tickets hostage, but I’m also not not saying it.
Here’s what you need to know:
First, complete the senior survey. You can do this online starting today. The survey is anonymous so that you can feel free to be honest, but we need to confirm that you’ve completed the survey. To do this, we will collect your childhood street name and high school mascot (think like a security question), which will be used to verify that you completed the survey.
Next, come pick up your golden cord and graduating senior reception tickets at the Foggy Bottom office staring Monday, May 7th. You can continue to pick up your materials any time during regular business hours (9AM-5PM) after that up until the Wednesday before graduation. We’ll check to make sure you’ve already completed the Senior Survey by asking your to confirm your childhood street name and high school mascot.
Finally, attend the UHP Graduating seniors reception. We’ll be in the City View Room at 1957 E Street from 5-7pm on Saturday, May 19th, 2018. Please note the reception will feature a cash bar and you will be able to pick up one drink ticket per guest when you check in at the reception. Graduates can also take part in the annual UHP tradition of signing our senior poster.
Note: CCAS students attending the Undergraduate Degree Programs Celebration #2 at 3:30 will have plenty of time to celebrate at both events!
We look forward to seeing you and your guests at the reception!
Spring 2018 Research Showcase
Honors Research Showcase
You are invited to celebrate the research of your UHP peers at the University Honors Program Research Showcase!
Enjoy brief presentations and ask questions Friday, April 27th from 1pm-3pm in the Club Room of the Honors Townhouse. Let your fellow UHPers know how proud we are of their dedication and willingness to take intellectual omnivorous risks!
Please let Ben know ASAP if you’d like to present! (benfaulkner@gwu.edu.)
