May, 2002 Volume 12, Number 3
May, 2002 Volume 12, Number 3
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--Stan Kajs Chesapeake College Greetings to all my faculty colleagues in the Maryland Community Colleges! The twelfth annual AFACCT conference held at the Harford Community College on January 10 and 11, 2002, was highly successful. The guest and peer presentations were informative and enlightening; the food was particularly delicious; and the weather was very cooperative. Approximately 295 faculty and staff registered for this year’s conference. A special thanks goes to Avery Ward, the staff, and administration of Harford CC for hosting the conference, to the AFACCT representatives who planned and worked the conference, and to all of you who attended. Plan to join us next year at Chesapeake College for the thirteenth annual conference on January 9 and 10. The theme of the conference is "Unity and Diversity." Soon your representative will be distributing copies of the AFACCT Call for Proposals. Consider submitting a proposal and presenting at AFACCT Conference 2003. Also, check our website for updates on the conference plans and activities. Our website address is http://www.aacc.cc.md.us/afacct/ Note: AFACCT's new Web address is: http://www.afacct.csmd.edu In the fall, the AFACCT Board will experience a change in officers and representatives. Joan Demko and I have submitted our resignations as officers on the Board. At the March meeting, the Board elected Cathy Sewell from Chesapeake College to be the new coordinator; Suzanne Spoor from Anne Arundel Community College, the secretary; and Paul Jozik from Hagerstown Community College, the treasurer. Marilyn Pugh will continue as assistant coordinator. Joan Demko and Sue Lloyd from Wor-Wic Community College and Bruce Bird from Anne Arundel Community College have resigned their positions as representatives and will be replaced by faculty from their respective colleges. I appreciate the opportunity of having served as the coordinator of
AFACCT for the past five years. The experience has been challenging and
rewarding, and I will miss my colleagues on the Board. I thank the members
of the Board, the other faculty, and the administrators of Maryland’s community
colleges for their help and support in making AFACCT a unique and outstanding
professional development organization.
Program Showcase . . . . .
ARISTOTLE AND A WORLD OF WONDER At Prince George’s Community College Imagine this: You and a dozen of your faculty colleagues are being paid by the National Endowment of the Humanities to study the works and influence of Aristotle. Now envision this: Under the guidance of internationally recognized scholars, you spend a series of Friday mornings discussing human values, the good life, natural science, and the rhetorical and poetic arts. Visualize this scene: Led by Dr. Alasdair MacInytre, distinguished professor of philosophy at Notre Dame University and author of After Virtue, you discuss justice as a virtue in a diverse society. Welcome to Aristotle and a World of Wonder, an NEH-funded faculty seminar at Prince George’s Community College. It all began in 2001 when the college’s Humanities Resource Center and the Scholarship Across the Curriculum Program joined forces to support and strengthen faculty scholarship. After considering several topics of study that cut across many academic disciplines, an NEH grant proposal was submitted focusing on Aristotle’s works, their impact on Western thought, and their relevance in a multicultural society. Why Aristotle? As Mortimer J. Adler has written, "whereas Plato raised almost all the questions that everyone should face; Aristotle raised them too, and, in addition, gave us clearer answers to them. Plato taught Aristotle how to think philosophically, but Aristotle learned the lesson so well that he is the better teacher for all of us." The grant is bringing the following nationally recognized Aristotelian scholars to interact and discuss Aristotle with fifteen Prince George’s Community College faculty members: Metaphysics: Dr. Alfonso Gomez Lobo, Georgetown University Ethics: Dr. Nancy Sherman, Georgetown University Politics: Dr. Alasdair MacIntyre, Notre Dame University Aristotle and Wonder in the Middle Ages: Dr. Katharine Park, Harvard University Nature: Dr. James Lennox, University of Pittsburgh Poetics: Dr. Gregory Nagy, Harvard UniversityRhetoric: Dr. Thomas Farrell, Northwestern University Seminar participants and invited scholars are scheduled to discuss a wide variety of critical questions:
For more information about Aristotle and the World of Wonder,
contact the project co-directors: Dr. Alicia Juarrero, professor of Philosophy
or professor Christopher Hunt, associate professor of Physical Science.
Dr. Isa N. Engleberg, professor of Communication Studies and director of
the college’s Humanities Resource Center serves as project administrator.
Pedagogical Postings . . . . THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN DIVERSITY THROUGH FILM Combine an English teacher who created a course for the study of film with a history teacher who enjoys twentieth century subjects. Add to that a college strategic plan that combines a cross-disciplinary approach with a commitment to diversity education, and what may be the result? At Cecil Community College in North East, Maryland, the end product is a new course entitled "The History of American Diversity Through Film." It has created interest among students and the community by combining two disciplines to examine a topic that is receiving increased attention. Dr. Paul Haspel, Professor of English, and Fred McDonald, Associate Professor of History, combined their efforts to co-teach the evening class for the Spring semester 2002, catching the attention of the local press. Labeled HST 252, the course examines the subject of diversity in the American experience through historical and cinematic perspectives. The rationale for the class is easy to describe. Cultural diversity is a major factor that has made the United States a great nation. Motion pictures are an important and influential medium through which cultural values are recorded and transmitted. To examine films dealing with the subject of diversity provides a unique opportunity for learning about both American cultural identity and cinematic technique. The viewpoints of five groups – African Americans, Hispanic Americans, European immigrants, Native Americans, and Asian Americans – are explored through the screening of films that focus on each of these groups, and trough discussion of the historical, social, and intellectual background against which the films are set. The course is taught through a mix of lecture and discussion, with emphasis on the latter. In designing the course curriculum, Haspel and McDonald sought outcomes that would allow students to understand the common characteristics of different cultures while also developing an appreciation of how communities change to accommodate different ideas and beliefs. Issues involving the rights, roles, and status of the different groups are examined in the discussions, with attention to how the individual’s culture, group, and institutions shape personal identity. Finally, after watching the selected films, students analyze how film directors use cinematography, editing, sound design, and the performances of actors and actresses to convey their views. Six films were selected to use a s backdrop for discussion of the five groups being studied. For the Native American unit, Smoke Signals was used as the opening film. Far and Away was viewed as a backdrop for European immigrant experience. The African American experience was divided between two films – one for the South, the other for the North. Eve’s Bayou and Do the Right Thing were the films chosen for the class to view. Like Water for Chocolate, in the original Spanish, examined the Hispanic culture, while The Joy Luck Club completed the class work by examining Asian Americans. Both faculty members are present for the class, which meets each Thursday night for three hours over fourteen weeks. Textbook readings, largely of primary sources, are completed prior to class. For the first part of the class McDonald discusses the historical background of the group with students. This discussion provides the framework relating to the film’s techniques and views with the historical context. The middle of the class is an analysis of the film, led by Haspel, discusses which cinematic techniques are the focus but historical context is included. Usually two weeks are set aside for each film and for the related discussion. Interest has been high, with the class filling at 25 students. The class was offered both for credit and through the continuing education division of Cecil Community College; thus, an interesting mix of students is present. Some students have enrolled in order to transfer the credit to other institutions so as to meet diversity education requirements. The cross-curricular nature of the course has allowed a collaboration of departments and expertise, producing more interest in other cross-curricular combinations among the staff. Most importantly, an oppo9rtunity for students to study the subject of diversity in an interesting and informal setting was created. For more information e-mail: Kudos . . . . . . . Peter Winebrenner of Anne Arundel Community College was awarded a Dintinguised Service Award by the Baltimore chapter of the American Institute of Architects. The AIA bestows this award annually in recognition of service above and beyond the standard membership activities. Peter was recognized for his activities in the Design Awards program which annually recognizes and celebrates the best building designs in and around the Baltimore area. He has been involved with the Committee since 1997 and has served as its chair for the past three years. The committee organizes the awards program, including call-for-entrees, jury selection and award ceremony planning and coordination. Cheryl Collins of Prince George's Community college received the 2002 Individual Artist Award for solo theatrical performance from the Maryland States Arts Council. The award was for her acting performance in "The Big Bang", a one-act play Cheryl performed with the Black Women Playwright Group of Washington, D.C. A talented actress, Cheryl has received this award two other times; in 1996 for her performance in the African Continuum Theatre's production of Hecuba" and in 2000 for her one-woman show "Sheros." Cheryl is the director of the Metropolitan Ebony Theatre Company which she started in Kansas City in 1988 and brought with her to Prince George's Community College when she began teaching at the college. Mary T. Lane of the AACC English Department has "Metaphors as Feedback" published in Classroom Notes Plus in April 2002. David Wiley of AACC developed a marketing project with Northwestern Mutual that will be published in Fall 2002 in the Journal of Northwestern, Creative Living. David Hilton of AACC wrote a book of poetry entitled Smoke of My Own Breath, published by Garlic Press (St. Louis). Van Jordan of PGCC wrote a book of poetry called Rise which has been published by Tia Chucha Press, an imprint of Northwestern University Press. Abbey Bardi of PGCC wrote The Book of Fred which has been
published by Washington Square Press/Simon & Schuster.
Prince George's Community College is the winner of a 2002 Hesburgh Award Certificate of Excellence, an award sponsored by TIAA-CREF which recognizes innovative undergraduate faculty development programs. The award was given for the college's Book Bridge Project, developed by Mary Brown and discussed in Communitas in a previous issue. As a professional development program, the Book Bridge Project helps faculty and students gain an enhanced understanding and appreciation for the college's multicultural environment. It uses literature as a means to foster a greater understanding of others' views and perspectives on local and contemporary issues and to bridge the communication gaps that often exist in a diverse community. This year's book selection is "Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother," by James McBride. The book discusses Jewish and Christian faiths, African American and Jewish cultures, education, immigration and incest. Sherman Silverman of Prince George's Community College was awarded
the Distinguished Scholarship Award by the Pennsylvania Geographic Society.
AFACCT CONFERENCE 2002
Door prize contributors The Association of Faculties for Advancement of Community College Teaching (AFACCT) recognizes the following community units and sincerely thanks them for the kind and generous contributions made by them towards the "Door Prize" event of the conference held this year in Harford Community College, Maryland. This event added a very enjoyable dimension to the annual AFACCT conference 2002: The Weinberg Center for the Arts, Frederick, Harford Community College Book Store, Harford Community college Amoss Theater Frederic Community College Book Store The Science and Aviation department of Frederick Community College Christian Light Book Store, 1446 West Patrick Street, Frederick Spectra Auto Service, service of excellence, 324 East Street, Frederick Hobbytown USA, Frederick Shopping Center Chesapeake College John Hagan’s Tavern, 5018 Old National Pike, Braddock Heights, Frederick Prentice Hall Publishers AFACCT takes this opportunity to thank the above contributors to for their continued support for the association and encourages all Maryland College faculty to support the contributors by patronizing their establishments. Submitted by: The Door Prize Coordinators for the AFACCT Conference Dr. Susan Lloyd |
| AFACCT Communitas
Published at Prince George's Community College
Editor: Marilyn Pugh Articles may be submitted as an e-mail attachment in
Phone: 301-322-0477 |
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Please send any corrections, comments, or suggestions on the Web version to Richard J. Siciliano at: richs@csmd.edu. |
