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(04/09/13 4:00pm)
Typewriters melted for steel, pots, crucifixes and baby cribs were amongst the clutter of confiscated items in the background of the Czechoslovakian movie, “Larks on a String.”
According to Herbert Eagle, professor and chair of Slavic languages and literatures at the University of Michigan, these seemingly insignificant items hold a world of power — they are metaphors of dissent.
On Thursday, April 4, Eagle spoke about combating tyranny during the Czechoslovakian New Wave, a period characterized by the emergence of films protesting the communist regime in Czechoslovakia.
“This geographical area, I don’t know how much is discussed in school ... so it’s nice ... to address some of those smaller countries in Eastern Europe that you don’t always hear much about,” said junior history major Melanie Stanek.
Eagle spoke about different approaches that filmmakers took in order to protest the regime.
“Professor Eagle’s lecture … really made me understand the conversation that the filmmakers were having between communism and their experience in World War II,” said sophomore special education and history double major Diane Iannacone.
Because the arts were harshly censored, filmmakers often resorted to more elusive approaches, according to Eagle.
Much of “Larks on a String” takes place in a labor camp where members of the bourgeoisie were “reforged” for a new communist society. The confiscated items in the background subtly protested areas that communism controlled: typewriters representing free speech, crucifixes representing religion and household items representing families’ private lives.
"The communist regime of this period steadfastly insisted that what it was doing was humane and democratic, as if ... it could trick people into believing what ... is obviously false," Eagle said.
However, despite the film’s dark themes, it remains hopeful. At the end, as three prisoners are forced into a labor coal mine, one says, “Even now, we are free.”
“Maybe this is the one optimistic lesson,” Eagle said. “It turns out, fortunately for us human beings, that we’re not so easy to reforge.”
Some of the films were made in the genre of “theater of the absurd,” centered on abstract, nonsensical themes that often slipped past censors.
In the film, “The Party and the Guests,” picnickers in the woods are invited by well-dressed strangers to the birthday party of their host whose mannerisms mirror those of Stalin.
Eagle explained that when the host notices that one of the guests has left, he explodes into a rage, representing communism’s obsessive, often unreasonable, control over society.
However, the best-kept secret is found not in the characters themselves, but in the actors who play them.
Many were actual dissenting playwrights and writers in real life, according to Eagle.
"It was like the whole Prague intellectual community turned out to be extras in this scene," Eagle said. "It was like the whole film industry is in on it."
(04/02/13 4:52pm)
Professors Monisha Pulimood and Andrew Carver shared their experiences using innovative software to foster learning outside of the classroom in the Monday, March 25 segment of the Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning’s Food for Thought series.
Pulimood, a computer science professor, led an introductory workshop on the cloud-based software Piazza, an online question-and-answer forum that allows students to ask questions and interact with each other when studying. Users can also send private messages to each other, and the instructor is able to provide clarification or encouragement through comments and corrections to students’ answers.
The software received positive feedback from students, Pulimood said. She noticed that there is a “flurry of activity” on the program before an assignment is due.
“They will typically be working at three in the morning, and I’m not — I’m fast asleep — and if they’re working on a program and … they’re getting these strange error messages … it’s perfectly okay for other students … to actually respond,” Pulimood said. “I want to try to encourage that.”
The software, which the developers stated will remain free for educators, serves as a tool for instructors to gauge the level of participation in a class. Other positive features the software includes are its ease of use and its “amazingly responsive” customer service, Pulimood said.
Inspired by the videos on the nonprofit educational website, Khan Academy, finance professor Carver utilizes a method called “screencasting” to record lectures, which students watch on their own time. Screencasting involves capturing video of a user’s actions on a computer screen, which can then be edited and enhanced with voice overs and other additions.
Screencasting can be as simple as adding a sound clip to a PowerPoint presentation or as advanced as a “whiteboard lecture,” which Carver utilizes in his Introduction to Finance class. Carver writes out his lectures on a tablet, dragging in supplementary materials such as news articles when relevant, while the screencasting software, Camtasia, records all the additions. Afterward, Carver edits for hours using Camtasia, adding in voiceovers and visual aids, deleting pauses and making sure that his transitions are smooth.
Carver’s course runs in the style of what he calls “flipped classroom.” The students watch the lectures at home and work on what would typically be homework in class.
As a result, the students are able to devote the extra class time to working on problems, doing presentations and taking quizzes. As another benefit, students can re-watch the videos as needed, and those with short attention spans can learn at their own pace in the comfort of their own homes.
For Carver, however, there is one more benefit to recording these videos.
“You feel like you’re a real recording star,” Carver joked. “Don’t try to sing, because that’d, uh, be bad.”
(03/26/13 4:56pm)
Behind a façade of flashing lights and slot machines, Atlantic City is plagued by a deep culture of poverty — at least for the tens of thousands of casino workers in the area.
On Saturday, March 23, members of Unite Here, a casino, hotel, airport and food service union, shared their experiences in a panel discussion titled, “Under the Boardwalk: The Continued Fight for Social Justice in Atlantic City.”
Ben Begleiter, research director of Unite Here, spoke about the 34-day strike in 2004 in which 10,000 casino workers in Atlantic City protested their lack of contract.
In response to the longest strike in the city’s history, most of the companies gave in to the workers’ demands, Begleiter said.
Revel and Tropicana are the only two casinos in Atlantic City that have not agreed upon a contract for their employees, said Rodney Mills, Jr., a 21-year employee of the Tropicana and member of Local 54, the Atlantic City casino workers’ union. Mills told of the subpar working conditions at Tropicana, particularly under the new ownership of business magnate, Carl Icahn.
“Basically, they want to take away a decent way of living, of life, or even more or less to give your kids a chance to go to college,” Mills said.
On June 15, 2012, Mills joined 20 Tropicana employees on a strike, which led to their arrest and one-month suspension from work. During their suspension, however, the employees organized themselves and visited the other thousand or so workers’ homes to gain support for their cause.
Dani Nobel, a member of Unite Here, worked in a casino in Cleveland, where she found herself infuriated by the treatment of her coworkers, many who were working full-time but still living in poverty. She and many others also fell victim to sexual harassment, from both customers and managers. In response, Nobel and the workers confronted the management, stating that they would no longer tolerate any inappropriate behavior.
“Fundamentally, it’s about respect,” Nobel said.
Katie Schechter, boycott organizer for Unite Here, takes an external approach to protesting. Her job involves persuading those planning to hold events in Atlantic City to boycott abusive companies. Because these events account for a tremendous portion of hotel revenue on weekdays, the boycott places an economic strain on these companies, she said.
Sophomore sociology major Joanna Peluso, was greatly moved by these stories.
“I think it’s really interesting, this perspective, and how close … it is to home, how relevant and important it is to see fairness and justice, especially in the workplace,” Peluso said.
Despite unsuccessful efforts to secure social justice throughout all of Atlantic City, improvements have undoubtedly been made. Mills, who comes from a long line of military personnel, ensures that he will continue the fight.
“It’s in my DNA,” he said.
(03/19/13 4:00pm)
The Biology Commons was bustling with activity on Wednesday, March 6 as 14 female scientists, all students of the College, were honored for their groundbreaking research in the Celebration of Women in Science.
“We’re incredibly proud of all of our students, and we really wanted to provide an opportunity to highlight the great achievements that women students in the school of science are achieving through their research, through their
internship experiences, through working collaboratively with the faculty,” said Jeffrey M. Osborn, dean of the school of science.
Each woman was nominated by her individual department and received a certificate of recognition for her work. The nominees then exhibited their findings in the form of posters and brief oral presentations to an eager audience of students, professors, deans and assistant deans, who listened intently and asked thoughtful questions.
Michelle Dey, junior computer science major, conducted her research as an intern at the New Jersey Courts. There, she scanned and evaluated different software to ensure compliance with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards. One of the New Jersey Courts’ many functions involves processing revenue from traffic tickets; because it often deals with sensitive credit card data, it requires PCI compliance, Dey said.
Senior physics major with a biomedical specialization, Kayla Spector created a computational model to simulate the growth of cancerous tumors in microenvironments of different densities. She found that tumors tend to be more symmetrical when grown in low-density microenvironments. When grown in high-density environments, however, tumors develop into asymmetrical shapes with “finger-like” edges and are more likely to be invasive.
Maya Williams, junior biology major, conducted her research on the island of Lesvos, Greece. In her study, Williams observed the effect of adding a plant competitor, Vitex agnus-castus, on the existing Centaurea solstitialis plant population. She found that the introduction of the competing plant, which had a higher standing crop nectar volume, disturbed the visitation of large-bodied bees to Centaurea solstitialis, which occurs in relatively low densities on the island.
The other scientists and the titles of their presentations can be found on the Celebration of Women in Science webpage, which features a picture and a brief biography of each of the women. The webpage also displays a list of numerous female alumni and faculty who are willing to mentor other women interested in conducting scientific research.
“(The presenters) were nominated by their departments but they represent the many young women who have done outstanding research and internships in science,” said Patricia Van Hise, assistant dean of the school of science and coordinator of the event. “These young women are amazing.”