WESeminars
WESeminars provide opportunities to revisit the classroom and experience firsthand the academic excellence that is the essence of Wesleyan, with presentations by scholars, pundits, and other experts in their fields. Programs run approximately 60 minutes, followed by audience Q&A. Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis, and because of the state fire code, the University is unable to offer standing room space on the floors or aisles of venues.
A complete schedule of all of the Weekend’s events can be found on the Schedule page.
Events
Friday, November 1, 2019
2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
WESEMINAR Wesleyan Abroad: Everything Your Student Might Forget to Mention
Join the Office of Study Abroad staff and students to discuss what families need to know about study abroad for Wesleyan students. Topics will include affordability and financial aid, sites and kinds of programs, credit transfer, health and safety, and the benefits of spending a semester or year studying in another country. Please come with questions.
Presenters: Emily Gorlewski, Ed.D., Associate Director, Office of Study Abroad at the Fries Center for Global Studies; Eddie Chapman ’20, Philosophy major; Grant Hill ’20, Italian Studies and Neuroscience and Behavior major.
Hansel Lecture Hall (Room 001), Public Affairs Center (PAC) (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Wesleyan Abroad: Everything Your Student Might Forget to Mention
Join the Office of Study Abroad staff and students to discuss what families need to know about study abroad for Wesleyan students. Topics will include affordability and financial aid, sites and kinds of programs, credit transfer, health and safety, and the benefits of spending a semester or year studying in another country. Please come with questions.
Presenters: Emily Gorlewski, Ed.D., Associate Director, Office of Study Abroad at the Fries Center for Global Studies; Eddie Chapman ’20, Philosophy major; Grant Hill ’20, Italian Studies and Neuroscience and Behavior major.
Hansel Lecture Hall (Room 001), Public Affairs Center (PAC) (Show in Map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR Inspired by Primary Sources
Join Suzy Taraba ’77, MALS ’10, Director of Special Collections & Archives, and Amanda Nelson, University Archivist, for a look at several students’ creative projects, research papers, and senior theses that began with encounters with primary sources in Special Collections & Archives. From medieval manuscripts to Shakespeare to local history to contemporary artists’ books, the rich collections in SC&A have inspired generations of students. Learn about some of this work and how your students can discover exciting sources that will spark their imaginations and lead to intellectually and creatively fulfilling projects at Wesleyan. Limited to 20.
Davison Rare Book Room, Special Collections & Archives, Olin Memorial Library (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Inspired by Primary Sources
Join Suzy Taraba ’77, MALS ’10, Director of Special Collections & Archives, and Amanda Nelson, University Archivist, for a look at several students’ creative projects, research papers, and senior theses that began with encounters with primary sources in Special Collections & Archives. From medieval manuscripts to Shakespeare to local history to contemporary artists’ books, the rich collections in SC&A have inspired generations of students. Learn about some of this work and how your students can discover exciting sources that will spark their imaginations and lead to intellectually and creatively fulfilling projects at Wesleyan. Limited to 20.
Davison Rare Book Room, Special Collections & Archives, Olin Memorial Library (Show in Map)
4:00 PM to 5:00 PM
WESEMINAR Celebrating Seniors: Research Excellence at Wesleyan and Abroad
Members of the Class of 2020 share their summer and fall projects, representing a cross-section of student research and creativity. Students will share their work and discuss the process that guided their explorations.
Moderator: David Phillips, Dean for the Class of 2020
Student Presenters:
Carina Bolaños Lewen: The Social Implications of Robotic Technologies in E-commerce Logistics Work.
Mohamed Hammami: The Political Economy of Capitalist Networks in Tunisia
Isaac Klimasmith: Evolutionary Relationships between Bacteria in Soil-Based Microcosms
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Celebrating Seniors: Research Excellence at Wesleyan and Abroad
Members of the Class of 2020 share their summer and fall projects, representing a cross-section of student research and creativity. Students will share their work and discuss the process that guided their explorations.
Moderator: David Phillips, Dean for the Class of 2020
Student Presenters:
Carina Bolaños Lewen: The Social Implications of Robotic Technologies in E-commerce Logistics Work.
Mohamed Hammami: The Political Economy of Capitalist Networks in Tunisia
Isaac Klimasmith: Evolutionary Relationships between Bacteria in Soil-Based Microcosms
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)
4:30 PM to 5:30 PM
WESEMINAR Citizen Outlaw: One Man’s Journey from Gang Leader to Peacekeeper
Charles Barber, Writer in Residence in the College of Letters, will read from his new book, Citizen Outlaw: One Man’s Journey from Gang Leader to Peacekeeper (HarperCollins), a dramatic account of the life of William Juneboy Outlaw. William Outlaw will also appear and take questions.
Presenter: Charles Barber is a Writer in Residence at Wesleyan University and a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Yale.
Russell House (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Citizen Outlaw: One Man’s Journey from Gang Leader to Peacekeeper
Charles Barber, Writer in Residence in the College of Letters, will read from his new book, Citizen Outlaw: One Man’s Journey from Gang Leader to Peacekeeper (HarperCollins), a dramatic account of the life of William Juneboy Outlaw. William Outlaw will also appear and take questions.
Presenter: Charles Barber is a Writer in Residence at Wesleyan University and a Lecturer in Psychiatry at Yale.
Russell House (Show in Map)
5:30 PM to 6:30 PM
WESEMINAR Alumni in Real Estate & Finance Panel
Join us for an open forum discussion with Wesleyan alumni on their careers in the real estate industry
Presenters: Ryan Meier ’14, Acquisitions Associate at Starwood Capital Group; Matt Winn ’92, Managing Member at Winn Winn Consulting and Vice Chair of the Alumni Association; Michael Zazzaro ’13, Senior Associate at AION Partners.
Room 112, Boger Hall (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Alumni in Real Estate & Finance Panel
Join us for an open forum discussion with Wesleyan alumni on their careers in the real estate industry
Presenters: Ryan Meier ’14, Acquisitions Associate at Starwood Capital Group; Matt Winn ’92, Managing Member at Winn Winn Consulting and Vice Chair of the Alumni Association; Michael Zazzaro ’13, Senior Associate at AION Partners.
Room 112, Boger Hall (Show in Map)
7:00 PM to 8:00 PM
WESEMINAR From the Corner of the Oval
WESEMINAR From the Corner of the Oval
The Wesleyan R.J. Julia bookstore is delighted to welcome Beck Dorey-Stein ’08. In 2012, Beck was just scraping by in DC when a posting on Craigslist landed her, improbably, in the Oval Office as one of Barack Obama's stenographers. The ultimate DC outsider, she joined the elite team who accompanied the president wherever he went, recorder and mic in hand. On whirlwind trips across time zones, Beck forged friendships with a tight group of fellow travelers--young men and women who, like her, left their real lives behind to hop aboard Air Force One in service of the president. But as she learned the ropes of protocol, Beck became romantically entangled with a consummate DC insider, and suddenly, the political became all too personal. Set against the backdrop of a White House full of glamour, drama, and intrigue, this is the story of a young woman making unlikely friendships, getting her heart broken, learning what truly matters, and discovering her voice in the process.
Presenter: Beck Dorey-Stein ’08 is the author of the New York Times bestseller, From the Corner of the Oval. A proud Wesleyan alum, Beck majored in English Literature, co-captained the women's lacrosse team, served as a senior interviewer in the Admissions Office and dominated the waffle-maker in Usdan before graduating in 2008. She taught high school English in New Jersey, South Korea and Washington, D.C. before landing a job in the Obama White House via Craigslist and, six years later, publishing her memoir about the experience. She now splits her time between Philadelphia and Cape May, and is working on a second book.
Wesleyan R.J. Julia Bookstore, 413 Main Street (Show in Map)
Saturday, November 2, 2019
9:00 AM to 10:00 AM
WESEMINAR Where On Earth Are We Going: The 17th Annual Symposium of the Robert Schumann Institute of the College of the Environment presents What on Earth Are They Saying: Listening and Learning Beyond the Human
Meaning and language are commonly thought to be the exclusive province of humans. But is this thinking simply our own anthropocentric conceit? Join Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the College of the Environment Charles Siebert in a discussion about the nature of meaning in the world, the myriad of forms in which it manifests, and the many ways in which they inform our place in the world.
Presenter: Charles Siebert is the author of three critically acclaimed memoirs, The Wauchula Woods Accord: Toward a New Understanding of Animals, A Man After His Own Heart, and Wickerby: An Urban Pastoral, a New York Times Notable Book of 1998, as well as a novel, Angus; an e-book Rough Beasts: The Zanesville Zoo Massacre One Year Later; and a children’s book, The Secret World of Whales. A poet, journalist, essayist, and contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, he has written for The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Outside, Men’s Journal, National Geographic, and numerous other publications. He presently teaches creative writing at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Introduction: Barry Chernoff, Schumann Professor of Environmental Studies, is Director of the College of the Environment and Professor in the departments of Biology, and Earth and Environmental Studies. Dr. Chernoff researches aquatic ecosystem ecology and conservation genetics of fishes. He teaches courses in science and environmental issues.
Tishler Lecture Hall (Room 150), Exley Science Center (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Where On Earth Are We Going: The 17th Annual Symposium of the Robert Schumann Institute of the College of the Environment presents What on Earth Are They Saying: Listening and Learning Beyond the Human
Meaning and language are commonly thought to be the exclusive province of humans. But is this thinking simply our own anthropocentric conceit? Join Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the College of the Environment Charles Siebert in a discussion about the nature of meaning in the world, the myriad of forms in which it manifests, and the many ways in which they inform our place in the world.
Presenter: Charles Siebert is the author of three critically acclaimed memoirs, The Wauchula Woods Accord: Toward a New Understanding of Animals, A Man After His Own Heart, and Wickerby: An Urban Pastoral, a New York Times Notable Book of 1998, as well as a novel, Angus; an e-book Rough Beasts: The Zanesville Zoo Massacre One Year Later; and a children’s book, The Secret World of Whales. A poet, journalist, essayist, and contributing writer for The New York Times Magazine, he has written for The New Yorker, Harper’s Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, Outside, Men’s Journal, National Geographic, and numerous other publications. He presently teaches creative writing at NYU Abu Dhabi.
Introduction: Barry Chernoff, Schumann Professor of Environmental Studies, is Director of the College of the Environment and Professor in the departments of Biology, and Earth and Environmental Studies. Dr. Chernoff researches aquatic ecosystem ecology and conservation genetics of fishes. He teaches courses in science and environmental issues.
Tishler Lecture Hall (Room 150), Exley Science Center (Show in Map)
10:30 AM to 11:30 AM
WESEMINAR Where On Earth Are We Going: The 17th Annual Symposium of the Robert Schumann Institute of the College of the Environment presents What on Earth Are They Saying: A Panel Discussion
Each year, the College of the Environment gathers a small group of Wesleyan faculty members, a scholar of prominence from outside Wesleyan, and several undergraduate students into a year-long academic think tank on a critical environmental issue. The theme of this year’s COE Think Tank--Meaningful Worlds: Listening and Learning Beyond the Human--explores the nature of meaning in the world, the myriad of forms in which it manifests, and the many ways in which they inform our place in the world. Join this year’s COE Think Tank fellows for a panel discussion on the topic.
Presenters: Camille Britton ’20; Anthony Hatch, associate professor and chair, Science in Society Program; Antonio Machado-Allison, visiting scholar, College of the Environment; Sara McCrea ’21; Helen Poulos, adjunct assistant professor of Environmental Studies; Charles Siebert, Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the College of the Environment; Courtney Weiss Smith, associate professor of English; Melissa Thornton ’20; and Kari Weil, University Professor of Letters.
Introduction: Barry Chernoff, Schumann Professor of Environmental Studies, is Director of the College of the Environment and Professor in the departments of Biology, and Earth and Environmental Studies. Dr. Chernoff researches aquatic ecosystem ecology and conservation genetics of fishes. He teaches courses in science and environmental issues.
Tishler Lecture Hall (Room 150), Exley Science Center (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Where On Earth Are We Going: The 17th Annual Symposium of the Robert Schumann Institute of the College of the Environment presents What on Earth Are They Saying: A Panel Discussion
Each year, the College of the Environment gathers a small group of Wesleyan faculty members, a scholar of prominence from outside Wesleyan, and several undergraduate students into a year-long academic think tank on a critical environmental issue. The theme of this year’s COE Think Tank--Meaningful Worlds: Listening and Learning Beyond the Human--explores the nature of meaning in the world, the myriad of forms in which it manifests, and the many ways in which they inform our place in the world. Join this year’s COE Think Tank fellows for a panel discussion on the topic.
Presenters: Camille Britton ’20; Anthony Hatch, associate professor and chair, Science in Society Program; Antonio Machado-Allison, visiting scholar, College of the Environment; Sara McCrea ’21; Helen Poulos, adjunct assistant professor of Environmental Studies; Charles Siebert, Menakka and Essel Bailey ’66 Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the College of the Environment; Courtney Weiss Smith, associate professor of English; Melissa Thornton ’20; and Kari Weil, University Professor of Letters.
Introduction: Barry Chernoff, Schumann Professor of Environmental Studies, is Director of the College of the Environment and Professor in the departments of Biology, and Earth and Environmental Studies. Dr. Chernoff researches aquatic ecosystem ecology and conservation genetics of fishes. He teaches courses in science and environmental issues.
Tishler Lecture Hall (Room 150), Exley Science Center (Show in Map)
11:00 AM to 12:15 PM
WESEMINAR Education and Civic Engagement – Academics in the Community
With the establishment of the Education Studies Minor, opportunities for students to learn about and engage with educational policy and practice are expanding, including a multi-faceted partnership with the Middletown Public Schools. Join us to learn more about just some of the initiatives – undertaken through the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships, service-learning courses, and Ed Studies – that support this collaboration.
Presenters: Rhea Drozdenko, Coordinator of Community Participation (Jewett Center for Community Partnerships); Anna Shusterman, Associate Professor of Psychology & Co-Coordinator, Education Studies; Ana Perez-Girones, Adjunct Professor of Spanish; Amy Grillo, Associate Professor of the Practice in Education Studies (Center for Pedagogical Innovation).
Moderator: Rob Rosenthal, John E. Andrus Professor of Sociology, Emeritus & Interim Provost/Senior VP for Academic Affairs
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Education and Civic Engagement – Academics in the Community
With the establishment of the Education Studies Minor, opportunities for students to learn about and engage with educational policy and practice are expanding, including a multi-faceted partnership with the Middletown Public Schools. Join us to learn more about just some of the initiatives – undertaken through the Jewett Center for Community Partnerships, service-learning courses, and Ed Studies – that support this collaboration.
Presenters: Rhea Drozdenko, Coordinator of Community Participation (Jewett Center for Community Partnerships); Anna Shusterman, Associate Professor of Psychology & Co-Coordinator, Education Studies; Ana Perez-Girones, Adjunct Professor of Spanish; Amy Grillo, Associate Professor of the Practice in Education Studies (Center for Pedagogical Innovation).
Moderator: Rob Rosenthal, John E. Andrus Professor of Sociology, Emeritus & Interim Provost/Senior VP for Academic Affairs
Room 116, Judd Hall (Show in Map)
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
WESEMINAR Celebration of Wesleyan Writing: A Conversation with Peter Godwin, Wesleyan’s 2019 Koeppel Journalism Fellow
Peter Godwin is an award-winning foreign correspondent, author, documentary-maker and screenwriter. His film about the sex trade in Thailand, The Industry of Death, won a gold medal for investigative film at the New York Film Festival. He is also the author of six award-winning non-fiction books, one of which was selected by the New Yorker as the best book of the year. As a foreign correspondent, he has reported from more than 60 countries including Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Somalia, Congo, Sudan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kashmir, and South Africa in the last years of apartheid. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former Guggenheim Fellow, and has served as President of the PEN American Center. At Wesleyan this fall he teaches a writing course called “First Person Singular.”
Moderator: Anne Greene, University Professor of English; Coordinator of the Writing Certificate program
Taylor Meeting Room (Room 108), Usdan University Center (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Celebration of Wesleyan Writing: A Conversation with Peter Godwin, Wesleyan’s 2019 Koeppel Journalism Fellow
Peter Godwin is an award-winning foreign correspondent, author, documentary-maker and screenwriter. His film about the sex trade in Thailand, The Industry of Death, won a gold medal for investigative film at the New York Film Festival. He is also the author of six award-winning non-fiction books, one of which was selected by the New Yorker as the best book of the year. As a foreign correspondent, he has reported from more than 60 countries including Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Somalia, Congo, Sudan, Bosnia, Kosovo, Kashmir, and South Africa in the last years of apartheid. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a former Guggenheim Fellow, and has served as President of the PEN American Center. At Wesleyan this fall he teaches a writing course called “First Person Singular.”
Moderator: Anne Greene, University Professor of English; Coordinator of the Writing Certificate program
Taylor Meeting Room (Room 108), Usdan University Center (Show in Map)
1:00 PM to 2:00 PM
WESEMINAR Teacher, Banker, Coder, Artist: Learning Career Management in a Liberal Arts Environment
Every day, we are exposed to stories demonstrating how challenging it is for college graduates to find jobs. Sharon Belden Castonguay, Executive Director of the Gordon Career Center, will draw on both her doctoral research and career advising experience to discuss what factors lead to career success.
Presenter: Sharon Belden Castonguay is Executive Director of the Gordon Career Center (GCC) at Wesleyan. She joined the GCC in May 2013 from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, where she was the Director of the Graduate Career Management Center. She holds a doctorate in human development & psychology from Harvard.
Room 112, Boger Hall (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Teacher, Banker, Coder, Artist: Learning Career Management in a Liberal Arts Environment
Every day, we are exposed to stories demonstrating how challenging it is for college graduates to find jobs. Sharon Belden Castonguay, Executive Director of the Gordon Career Center, will draw on both her doctoral research and career advising experience to discuss what factors lead to career success.
Presenter: Sharon Belden Castonguay is Executive Director of the Gordon Career Center (GCC) at Wesleyan. She joined the GCC in May 2013 from Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business, where she was the Director of the Graduate Career Management Center. She holds a doctorate in human development & psychology from Harvard.
Room 112, Boger Hall (Show in Map)
1:30 PM to 2:30 PM
WESEMINAR Help Us Help You Help Your Students!
Calling all parents! Are you struggling to remember enough calculus to confidently help your student with their homework? Wanting to instill strong research, writing, or public speaking skills, but not sure where to start? Wesleyan’s librarians are here to help! Join us for a Q&A session on the academic resources and many support services that can help your students to be successful.
Develin Room (2nd Floor), Olin Library (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Help Us Help You Help Your Students!
Calling all parents! Are you struggling to remember enough calculus to confidently help your student with their homework? Wanting to instill strong research, writing, or public speaking skills, but not sure where to start? Wesleyan’s librarians are here to help! Join us for a Q&A session on the academic resources and many support services that can help your students to be successful.
Develin Room (2nd Floor), Olin Library (Show in Map)
2:30 PM to 3:30 PM
WESEMINAR The Liberal Arts Behind Prison Walls: Learning with the Center for Prison Education
Learn about the Center for Prison Education - an academic program where Wesleyan faculty teach credited courses at two CT correctional facilities. You will hear from a faculty member, an undergraduate student, and a released student about their experiences supporting, teaching and participating in the program.
Presenters: Anthony Hatch: Associate Professor and Chair of Science in Society. Taught the Sociology of Knowledge (SISP 210O) in the Cheshire facility and currently serves on the Faculty Advisory Board for the CPE. Nikita Ladd '20: Tutor at York Correctional this semester, after spending two years as an on-campus research assistant. Jason Martin: Participated in CPE for four years while incarcerated at Cheshire CI. Is currently enrolling at Tunxis Community College in the spring to finish an Associate degree before transferring to a four-year college.
Moderator: Allie Cislo: Program Manager, Center for Prison Education (CPE)
Hansel Lecture Hall (Room 001), Public Affairs Center (PAC) (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR The Liberal Arts Behind Prison Walls: Learning with the Center for Prison Education
Learn about the Center for Prison Education - an academic program where Wesleyan faculty teach credited courses at two CT correctional facilities. You will hear from a faculty member, an undergraduate student, and a released student about their experiences supporting, teaching and participating in the program.
Presenters: Anthony Hatch: Associate Professor and Chair of Science in Society. Taught the Sociology of Knowledge (SISP 210O) in the Cheshire facility and currently serves on the Faculty Advisory Board for the CPE. Nikita Ladd '20: Tutor at York Correctional this semester, after spending two years as an on-campus research assistant. Jason Martin: Participated in CPE for four years while incarcerated at Cheshire CI. Is currently enrolling at Tunxis Community College in the spring to finish an Associate degree before transferring to a four-year college.
Moderator: Allie Cislo: Program Manager, Center for Prison Education (CPE)
Hansel Lecture Hall (Room 001), Public Affairs Center (PAC) (Show in Map)
3:00 PM to 4:00 PM
WESEMINAR Gamelan Workshop
Dominated by colorful, bronze percussion instruments, the Gamelan ensemble features gongs, bronze and wooden xylophones, two-headed drums, a female soloist, and a male chorus. Some of the instruments date back to the 12th century in Java, an Indonesian island located between Sumatra and Bali. Get some real experience playing the Gamelan in this lively, hands-on workshop.
Presenters: I.M. Harjito, Univeristy Professor of Music
Please note: space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. This session often reaches capacity.
World Music Hall, 40 Wyllys Avenue (Show in Map)
WESEMINAR Gamelan Workshop
Dominated by colorful, bronze percussion instruments, the Gamelan ensemble features gongs, bronze and wooden xylophones, two-headed drums, a female soloist, and a male chorus. Some of the instruments date back to the 12th century in Java, an Indonesian island located between Sumatra and Bali. Get some real experience playing the Gamelan in this lively, hands-on workshop.
Presenters: I.M. Harjito, Univeristy Professor of Music
Please note: space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. This session often reaches capacity.
World Music Hall, 40 Wyllys Avenue (Show in Map)