Distinguished Annual Lecturer Maria Todorova (University of Illinois), will be joined by B. Venkat Mani (University of Wisconsin) and Rajani Sudan (Southern Methodist University), as invited speakers at the largest CLST event in three years that dovetails with Randall Halle's currently running Common Seminar. Over the two-day conference between the invited lectures, his seminar students will present papers upon which the speakers will comment.
This event is co-sponsored with the University of Pittsburgh’s Asian Studies Center, European Union Center of Excellence/European Studies Center, the Humanities Center, the departments of Communication, English, German, History, Slavic Languages & Literatures, and Sociology and the programs in Global Studies and Russian and East European Studies.
Cultural Dis/Union
APRIL 16 (all events on this day in Cathedral of Learning Room 1228)
2:00-3:15 PM Introductory Plenary Lecture. B. Venkat Mani, Associate Professor of German, University of Wisconsin: “A Pact with Books: Measuring the World with Literature”--A study of public-sphere construction of world literature in Germany, with a special focus on print culture and library histories.
Welcome and Speaker Introductions: Professor Ronald J. Zboray, Department of Communication and Director of the Graduate Program in Cultural Studies.
Audience Discussion: Led by Klaus W. Jonas Professor Randall Halle, Deparment of German.
3:15-3:30PM Refreshments
3:30-5:30PM Common Seminar Student Colloquium Session I: In\Outside (National) Culture
Professor Randall Halle Moderates.
Paper 1: Rae Di Cicco, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, "Erika in Amerika: Picturing the Lost Heimat and National Identifications Abroad.”
Paper 2: Natalie Ryabchikova, Film Studies Program, “Sergei Eisenstein Abroad: A Soviet Filmmaker as Private and Public Figure.”
Paper 3: Birney Young, Department of Communication, “L'etat C'est Nous.”
Paper 4: Kelly Trimble, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, “Global Performance, Eurovision, and Russian Pop Music.”
Professor B. Venkat Mani, University of Wisconsin, comments.
5:30-6:00PM Refreshments
6:00-8:00PM Common Seminar Student Colloquium Session II: Subject of\to Culture
Professor Halle Moderates.
Paper 5: Henry Skerritt, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, "Aesthetics, Politics & Subjecthood in Paddy Bedford's Massacre Paintings."
Paper 6: Nicole Coffineau, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, “Portraits of the Risorgimento.”
Paper 7: Nicole Scalissi, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, "Manicured Residue: The Archives, Representation, and False Totality in Contemporary American Art."
Paper 8: Lee Martin, Department of Music, "Lambert, Hendricks and Ross' Vernacular Ventriloquism of Vocalese: Intersections of Language and Sound."
Paper 9: Donica O’Malley, Department of Communication, "Are You a Secret Redhead?: An Analysis of Publicity and Public Response Surrounding the MC1R DNA Test."
Professor Rajani Sudan, Southern Methodist University, comments
APRIL 17
9:00-10:30AM Common Seminar Student Colloquium Session III: The Possibilities of Negative Culture (Cathedral of Learning Room 602)
Professor Halle Moderates.
Paper 10: Anna Reiter, Department of German, “Cynicism in Contemporary German and French Literature.”
Paper 11: Olga Mukhortova, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, “Death World in Renata Litvinova's films.”
Paper 12: William R. Upchurch, Department of Communication, “Dissensus Online: Equality, Rhetoric, and Political Memes."
Professor Maria Todorova, University of Illinois, comments.
10:30-11AM Coffee Break (Cathedral of Learning Sixth Floor Alcove).
11AM-12:30PM Common Seminar Student Colloquium Session IV: Culture Industry (Cathedral of Learning Room 602).
Professor Halle Moderates.
Paper 13: John Taylor, Department of English, "Rodney Dangerfield, Ronald Reagan, and the Myth of Revolutionary Capitalism."
Paper 14: Manuela Durstin, Department of German, “Creative Industries and the Question of Independent Media Production.”
Paper 15: Rachel Wilkinson, Department of English, "'The Giving Business?': An Exploration of Corporate Philanthropy.
Professor Maria Todorova, University of Illinois, comments.
12:30-1:45PM Midconference Plenary Lecture (Cathedral of Learning Room 501). Rajani Sudan, Associate Professor of English, Southern Methodist University: “Mud, Mortar, and Empire”--An argument for the nonEuropean origins of the so-called European Enlightenment.
Welcome: Ronald J. Zboray, Professor of Communication and Director of the Graduate Program for Cultural Studies
Speaker Introduction: Todd W. Reeser, Professor of French, Director of the Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Program
Audience Discussion: Led by Courtney Weikle-Mills, Assistant Professor, Department of English.
1:45-3:15PM Common Seminar Student Colloquium Session V: Cultural Conflict: Cultural Union (Cathedral of Learning Room 602)
Professor Halle moderates.
Paper 16: Emily Stewart, Department of Religious Studies, "So That the World Might Believe: Protestants, Media, and Mission in the Context of Globalization, 1950-2000."
Paper 17: Ray Kanemoto, Department of Sociology, "Protest as a Cultural Resource: A Cultural Response to Globalization."
Paper 18: Jeff Klein, Department of Music, “Uncivil War: The People’s War in Nepal and the Political Conflicts After Peace.”
Professor B. Venkat Mani, University of Wisconsin, comments.
3:15-3:30PM Coffee Break (Cathedral of Learning Sixth Floor).
3:30-5PM Common Seminar Student Colloquium Session VI: The Place of Culture (Cathedral of Learning Room 602).
Paper 19: Trevor Wilson, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, "The Land Empire: Visions of Alterity in the Philosophy of Neo-Eurasianist Russia."
Paper 20: Kiun Hwang, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, “Immobile mobility: The Moscow Metro from Utopia to Dystopia”
Paper 21: Ellina Sattarova, Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures, “Reconfiguration of Identities on The Edge of Heaven and in the House of Fools.”
Professor Rajani Sudan, Southern Methodist University, Comments.
5:00-5:30 Reception (Cathedral of Learning Fifth Floor Alcove).
5:30PM-7:30 PM Annual Distinguished Lecture (Cathedral of Learning Room 501). Maria Todorova, Professor of History, University of Illinois: “Weak Nationalism”--An original piece of research asking, Is there weak nationalism and is it a useful category?
Welcome: Ronald J. Zboray, Professor of Communication and Director of the Graduate Program for Cultural Studies
Session Introductions: Professor Halle
Introduction of Distinguished Guest Lecturer: Rajani Sudan, Associate Professor of English, Southern Methodist University
Response 1: Venkat Mani, Associate Professor of German, University of Wisconsin
Response 2: Robert M. Hayden, Professor of Anthropology, Law, and Public and International Affairs, and Director of the Program in Russian and East European Studies
Audience Discussion: Led by Nancy Condee, Professor of Slavic Languages and Literatures and Director of Global Studies
Closing Remarks: Professor Zboray
Location and Address
16 April events (lecture and student presentations), Cathedral of Learning Room 1228
17 April events
· student presentations in Cathedral of Learning Room 501
· lectures in the Humanities Center, Cathedral of Learning Room 602
Directions and Parking Information
From Pittsburgh International Airport (From the West)
· Take I-279 toward Pittsburgh. Pass through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, stay to the right, and bear right at the first ramp over the bridge onto I-376
· Exit I-376 at the Oakland/Forbes Avenue Exit (2A)
· Merge onto Forbes Avenue toward Oakland
· Continue on Forbes Avenue and make a left onto Bigelow Boulevard.
From the Pennsylvania Turnpike (From the East)
· Take the Pittsburgh/Monroeville Exit (Exit 57). Follow I-376 toward Pittsburgh
· Take the Oakland Exit (3B). Proceed up the hill through the first traffic light
· Continue on Bates Street where you can reach Forbes Avenue by turning left on ANY of the following roads off of Bates: (in order of which you would drive by) McKee Place, Semple Street, Atwood Street, or S. Bouquet Street
· Continue on road of your choice until you reach the intersection with Forbes Avenue
· Continue on Forbes Avenue and make a left onto Bigelow Boulevard.
From the North
· Take I-79 South to I-279 South to I-579 (Veterans Bridge – Exit 8A)
· Follow Signs to Oakland/376 East onto the Boulevard of the Allies exit.
· Follow the Boulevard of the Allies, staying in the left lane. After the Monroeville split, look for an immediate right onto the Forbes Avenue exit.
· Continue on Forbes Avenue and make a left onto Bigelow Boulevard.
From the South
· Take I-79 North to I-279 North towards Pittsburgh
· Pass through the Fort Pitt Tunnel, stay to the right, and bear right at the first ramp over the bridge onto I-376
· Exit I-376 at the Oakland/Forbes Avenue Exit (2A)
· Merge onto Forbes Avenue toward Oakland
· Continue on Forbes Avenue and make a left onto Bigelow Boulevard.
Parking
There is metered parking available on all four sides of the Cathedral of Learning. The nearest parking garage is the Soldiers and Sailors Garage, located at Fifth Avenue and Bigelow Boulevard. Please note that there is no area for permanent bus parking, although large groups may disembark a bus on Bigelow Boulevard to enter the building. Buses would need to secure parking elsewhere in Oakland.