Hutton Honors College

The Art of War and The Art of Revolution, including Special Exhibition: Photographs of Street Painting from Cairo's Arab Spring

December 9, 2011

Students gathered for an end-of-dead-week study break at the Indiana University Art Museum for a private tour to view a selection of pieces from around the world that represented artists' engagement with and reflections on war and peace. During the 30 minute tour, students learned about the history and importance of these special pieces. Immediately following the tours, John Woodcock, an accomplished photographer and an IU Professor Emeritus, challenged students to discern the political and social codes and other dimensions in the extraordinary Cairo street art that was painted during the February 2011 Arab spring revolution that ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Students viewed his exhibition of photographs and talked with him about the meanings in the art he captured with his camera.

The Eurozone in Crisis: A Primer on What the Eurozone is and Why It Matters

December 6, 2011

Students joined Professor Martin C. Spechler, Professor of Economics at IUPUI and a faculty affiliate of IU's Russian and East European Institute, for an informal discussion of the crises in the Eurozone economies of Greece, Spain, Italy, and Portugal-and now the Eurozone itself. Spechler gave a concise and informative 50 minute lecture on the history of the euro that helped frame the crisis the European Union is facing today. Students took a break from dead week to enjoy a pizza supper and some riveting conversation.

Faith, Family and Food: A Fireside Chat about Religions and Traditions

December 1, 2011

Faith, Family and Food was an event that opened the discussion of religion by approaching it through two things that all religions have in common: FOOD and FAMILY GATHERINGS. Participants discussed how their families celebrate religious holidays, and how their religion figured into family meals. Students shared stories and enjoyed refreshments, low-key conversation and community. Helping to lead the discussion was Professor Ray Hedin, pictured here.

Are We Toast? eMISSION: Your Mission Should you Choose to Accept It, A Decision-making Workshop for Undergraduates on Energy Policy and Climate Change

November 12, 2011

HHC Dean Matt Auer, an environmental policy expert and an award-winning member of the SPEA faculty, provided background and guidance for this workshop. Using a game developed by the Princeton Environmental Institute, students worked together in teams to "solve" the looming carbon crisis and tried to find a solution that would lead to a "cooler" future. The game helped students think, research, and negotiate as teammates worked to come up with a strategy to use available technologies in politically, economically, and physically possible ways.

An Informal Undergraduate Supper with Nancy Sherman, Author of The Untold War: Inside the Hearts, Minds, and Souls of our Soldiers

November 10, 2011

In 1997, Nancy Sherman became the first Distinguished Chair in Ethics at the US Naval Academy, designing the brigade-wide required military ethics course. She has taught at Yale, Johns Hopkins, and the University of Maryland and has trained in psychoanalysis at the Washington Psychoanalytic Institute. Since 1995, she has consulted for the U.S. Armed Forces on issues of ethics, resilience, and posttraumatic stress. She has written more than 60 articles in the area of ethics, military ethics, the history of moral philosophy, ancient ethics, the emotions, moral psychology, and psychoanalysis. Students were able to reflect on Veteran's Day Eve with the help of Nancy Sherman and discussed ways to empathize with people serving in the armed forces.

An Informal Undergraduate Supper with Cognitive Scientist, Linguist, and Philosopher Ray Jackendoff

November 8, 2011

Ray Jackendoff, one of the world's most respected linguists, is the Seth Merrin Professor of Philosophy and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies at Tufts University. He earned his Ph.D. in linguistics from MIT in 1969, under the guidance of Noam Chomsky. Professor Jackendoff has developed a theory of consciousness and has written several books on the relationship between mind, language, and consciousness and has been recognized all over the world for his contributions to multiple disciplines. Students had a Pizza X supper and listened to Jackendoff share his wisdom about the theory of linguistics.

A Discussion Breakfast with Former Federal Judge Vaughn Walker

November 4, 2011

As a federal judge for 21 years, Vaughn Walker decided high-profile cases in civil liberties, national security, and many other areas, including cases dealing with World War II Japanese Forced Labor and media access to executions. Walker retired in February 2011 as chief judge of the US District Court for the Northern District of California in San Francisco. Students arrived bright-eyed and eager to learn from Judge Walkers' experiences and to learn from his stories during his time as judge.

Lunch with Australian Bioethicist Belinda Bennett

November 3, 2011

Belinda Bennett is Professor of Health and Medical Law at the University of Sydney Law School. Her research and writing have addressed many pressing health care issues, including health and human rights, legal and ethical responsibilities to treat or not to treat in a pandemic influenza outbreak, gender inequities in health research, the legal issues of genetic testing and reproductive decision-making, health tourism, public health law, and the legal regulation of new technologies and nanotechnologies in healthcare. Students were engaged in conversations over the ethics of healthcare and law with Bennett.

Lunch with 1999 Nobel Laureate in Physics Gerardus 't Hooft

November 2, 2011

Gerardus 't Hooft is a Dutch theoretical physicist and professor at Utrecht University whose work has focused on gauge theory, black holes, quantum gravity, and quantum mechanics. The Nobel, which he won with his thesis advisor, Martinus J.G. Veltman, is one of many honors he has received. The asteroid 9491 Thooft was named in his honor and he has written a constitution for its inhabitants: http://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~hooft101/constitution.html. Students enjoyed an entertaining and educational lunch with Professor 't Hooft.

The Side of Peace: Restorative Conflict Resolution in the Israeli-Palestinian Context

October 21-22, 2011

Participants watched and discussed short film clips on the first evening of the workshop to prepare them to think about the issues to be faced and to see examples of peace and reconciliation within the Israeli-Palestinian context. They were also given the tools to assess different approaches to resolving war and conflict, the space to devise creative approaches of their own, and the forum to evaluate them collectively and to present a plan of action for addressing conflict in the region. They were guided in this process by Indiana University faculty.

Themester: Making War, Making Peace Presents Icyizere: Hope (in the aftermath of the Rwandan genocide)

October 18, 2011

Hope is a documentary about trauma, reconciliation, and forgiveness 15 years after the 1994 Rwandan genocide. It focuses on a 3-day gathering of 10 survivors and 10 perpetrators of the genocide, as they are taught about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and go through a series of group exercises that help to build trust. Patrick Mureithi is a Kenyan documentary filmmaker who works to create films that inspire hope and encourage dialogue. Students experienced a 55 minute version of the documentary, a short power-point presentation, and a small fireside chat and reception with Patrick Mureithi for the event.

Lunch with Mark Albion on "Living the Good Life"

October 13, 2011

Students came together at Harlos Hous to enjoy an informal undergraduate lunch with Mark Albion, who discussed with students his interpretation on "living the good life". Mark Albion, after earning a BA in economics, an MA/MBA, and a joint PhD in business economics, all from Harvard, became a highly regarded professor at Harvard Business School. In the years since, he has turned his attention to helping business and other leaders use their education and talents to make the world a better place and their own lives more satisfying.

Pizza Supper on How the Fuel Cell Could Save Civilization

October 6, 2011

Student came together to learn how fuel cells are capable of converting a number of liquids and gases into electricity with high efficiency. To help participants understand fuel cells, Ben Brabson, IU professor emeritus of physics, guided everyone through the creation of a fuel cell and helped students build and run one from scratch. Students enjoyed a demonstration, a pizza supper, and an engaging discussion.

Discussion with Hope Karekezi on Seeking Asylum

September 30, 2011

Students gathered together in the Hutton Honors College Great room to hear Hope's story about seeking asylum for her and her children. Joined by Christie Popp, directing attorney from the Immigrants and Language Rights Center at Indiana Legal Services, Karekezi narrated her experience fighting legal battles in the United States immigration system. The panel then led a discussion on refugee issues. Students enjoyed learning about immigration, deportation, and the politics of asylum and hearing Hope's story.

Lotus Lunch with Italian Band Canzoniere Grecanico Slentino

September 23, 2011

Students had lunch with Mauro Durante and members of Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino to learn about the band's 21st - century take on southern Italy's traditional music - from pizzica dance music to heartfelt love songs. The band performed in Bloomington Friday and Saturday night at the Lotus World Music Festival showcases.

Musical Arts Center Tour

September 22, 2011

The MAC tour was led by MAC house manager Tridib Pal and provided the opportunity for students to look at the facility, as well as the MAC's new Cosi sets. One of the grandest performance venues in the United States, the Musical Arts Center seats 1,460 and features acoustical design and technical capabilities that are among the best in the United States.

Conversation with Former Senator Bob Kerrey on Congressional Oversight of Intelligence

September 15, 2011

Students were given the opportunity to participate in an informal conversation with Bob Kerrey, the former U.S. Senator from Nebraska and member of the 9/11 Commission, on "Congressional Oversight of Intelligence." As part of "Ten Years Later; Indiana University Remembers", Bob Kerrey was on campus to discuss with students the decisions that were made following the September 11th attacks. Students gathered mid morning to ask the Senator questions and to hear Bob Kerrey's story.

Round-table Discussion: Closing the Food Gap with Mark Winne

September 14, 2011

Students gathered together in the Hutton Honors College Great room to have a round table discussion with sustainable food expert Mark Winne. He currently writes, speaks, and consults extensively on community food system topics including hunger and food insecurity, local and regional agriculture, community food assessment, and food policy. Students enjoyed asking Mr. Winne questions and learning more about our food industry.

IU Art Museum Coffee House Mixer

September 8, 2011

Students had the opportunity to get to know other Hutton Honors College students and meet members of the HHC faculty and staff during the IU Art Museum's Coffeehouse Night. Mixer participants were given icebreaker questions and some famous Asian Quotes to decipher by HHC student hosts to jumpstart conversation. The Coffeehouse had an Ancient Asian theme, so examples of Asian art were featured in the museum's third floor gallery, highlighted by Mongolian dobro (guitar) music by Joshua Strodtman.

Undergraduate Discussion of Memories: Personal and Cultural with photographer Yuri Dojc and filmmaker Katya Krausova

September 6, 2011

Students joined photographer Yuri Dojc and filmmaker Katya Krausova for an informal conversation about memories. Their story included an encounter with a Holocaust survivor, a chance discovery, and the determination to preserve the memories of family, a group of people, and a culture. Students also talked with Mr. Dojc and Ms. Krausova about the art and craft of photography and filmmaking. The program took place within the gallery so those attending would be able to see the exhibition of photographs and the short documentary.