Editor's Introduction
"The Courage to Be a Community"
Speaker: Kristin Camenga
Occasion: Opening Convocation
Date: 16 August 2020
In her 2020 Convocation address to the Class of 2024, Kristin Camenga encourages students to build a community during this pandemic and in this troubled political atmosphere. Camenga advises the class to have the “courage to connect with others,” “the courage to care for others,” and, most importantly, “the courage to change.”
“'Seeing Something Other Than the Ordinary:' An Interview with Robert Wagoner on Life as a Collector of Fine Art.”
Speakers: Robert Wagoner, Kathryn Blake, and James Tuten
Date: 4 September 2020
In 2020, the Juniata College Museum of Art hosted two exhibitions of Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Robert Wagoner’s collection. Comprised of prints and drawings from the 15th to the 21st centuries, these exhibitions were arranged to spark conversations about human nature. Presented here is a condensed version of two conversations with Wagoner as interviewed by Professor James Tuten and Museum Director Kathryn Blake. Wagoner discusses his life in art collecting and reflects on the depictions or subject matters of the works and past exhibitions at Juniata College.
“A Treasure Trove of Memories: Diving into Letters Written during My Peace Corps Service.”
Speaker: Kathleen Jones
Occasion: Bookend Seminar
Date: 9 September 2020
Kathleen Jones, professor of education at Juniata College, reflects on her experiences as a US Peace Corps volunteer in Tanzania from July 1985 to October 1987. Her talk includes stories and a poem about her travels in the region and how she developed a richer understanding of local customs and perspectives through her interactions with villagers and government officials.
“Military Metabolisms in the American War of Independence: An Environmental History.”
Speaker: David C. Hsiung
Occasion: Bookend Seminar
Date: 14 October 2020
The American War of Independence has been investigated from numerous points of view by many scholars. David Hsiung, the Charles and Shirley Knox Professor of History at Juniata College, though, looks at it anew. He considers the impact of the war on the changing relationships between humans and nature, looking at the energy use required by the military: where and how they acquired the necessary materials for food, shelter, and protection, including wood, dirt, and animals, and what the short- and long-term environmental impacts of those needs have been.
“What Can Political Science Predict about the Unpredictable 2020 Presidential Race? Polls, Debates, and the Electoral College.”
Speaker: Meena Bose
Occasion: G. Graybill Diehm Lecture
Date: 27 October 2020
In this lecture given the week before the 2020 presidential election, Meena Bose, presidency scholar and professor of political science at Hofstra University, helps us make sense of the unpredictable contest between Donald Trump and Joe Biden. Public opinion polls suggest that Biden is slightly ahead and that the stakes are very high in a public that seems divided by “tribal warfare.” The presidential debates seldom affect election results and seem unlikely to do so in 2020; nonetheless, they provide important information to the public. The Electoral College reminds us of the undue influence of battleground states and the importance of state-by-state polling for predicting election winners.
“Understanding Antidemocratic Tendencies through Authoritarianism and Threat.”
Speaker: Philip T. Dunwoody
Date: 28 October 2020
Philip Dunwoody, professor of psychology and associate provost for institutional effectiveness at Juniata College, explores questions that relate the study of authoritarian ideology to contemporary US politics, specifically President Donald Trump and the January 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol. He concludes that “authoritarianism and messages of threat effectively worked together to undermine democratic norms” and suggests that a liberal education provides a way to reduce authoritarianism.
“Visualizing the Virus.”
Speaker: Judith Canner
Date: 10 November 2020
During the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen countless graphs, charts, tables, and dashboards showing us data on the spread and impact of the virus. Judith Canner, an award-winning professor of statistics at California State University, Monterey Bay, helps us think about these data and interpret their visualizations critically. Canner urges us to remember that these data represent real people and that a line on a chart captures human suffering and struggle. These tips can also help us understand other visualizations of data that we encounter, such as those related to elections, economic trends, or social changes.
“How to Write about Sound: A Practical Guide.”
Speaker: Laura Feibush
Occasion: Bookend Seminar
Date: 11 November 2020
A scholar of writing and rhetoric, Laura Feibush offers a nine-point primer to assist readers who want to think about how to write about sound. Drawing on examples ranging from chamber music to weed whackers and Kendrick Lamar, the guide also connects to many important thinkers and authors on the subject of sound.
“Anger: A Motivating, Strengthening, Inspiring Force for Good.”
Speaker: Jules Slater
Occasion: Bailey Oratorical Contest
Date: 2 March 2021
Drawing on the powerful experiences of 2020—the pandemic, racial injustice, and protest marches—Jules Slater, Juniata Class of 2021, urges us to embrace our anger and turn it into a force for good. Anger can be productive, and, across the world, angry people came together to imagine and create new solutions, build community connections, and inspire empathy.
“Thermal Radiation of Worlds beyond Our Solar System.”
Speaker: Jennifer Carter
Date: 10 March 2021
Jennifer Carter, an assistant professor of physics at Susquehanna University, focuses on how we can describe the temperature distribution of exoplanets using their emitted light. Carter highlights one technique that offers the opportunity to detect light, including thermal light, emitted directly by the exoplanet. Like a hot iron, closely orbiting exoplanets are hot enough to glow with visible light. As instrumental precision increases, we will require more accurate models of this thermal radiation. After reviewing current methods of modeling thermal radiation, Carter introduces her new model and compares how well each model explains data gathered from exoplanet systems under different conditions.
“If Only They Could See Inside My Heart’: Women in Prison for Drug Offenses in Latin America.”
Speaker: Corina Giacomello
Occasion: William G. and Mary A. Nyce Lecture
Date: 24 March 2021
Women and children have been the forgotten casualties of the war on drugs, even when the women are not in prison themselves. When women are imprisoned, they face problems of violence, neglect, or stigma that men do not. Corina Giacomello tells the story of one such woman in Mexico, whose story represents the stories of thousands of others. Giacomello suggests that revising punitive drug and sentencing policies and taking into account the best interests of the child should be the first steps toward creating a more humane environment for these women.
“Bad Lessons: How Student Loan Debt Promotes Participatory Democracy."
Speaker: Erin O'Brien
Occasion: Calvert Ellis Distinguished Lecture
Date: 6 April 2021
Erin O’Brien, associate professor of political science at the University of Massachusetts Boston, examines one aspect of the current debate over student loan debt: the effect of debt on civic participation among those who owe the debt. O’Brien’s study found an important difference between those who completed a degree and those who did not: those who did not complete their degree were both more likely to be in default on their loans and less likely to participate in civic life through voting, expressing opinions to public officials, or holding office.
“Freedom of Expression in Mexico under President Andrés Manuel López Obrador.”
Speaker: Alejandro Herrán Aguirre
Date: 7 April 2021
Alejandro Herrán, Juniata’s visiting Fulbright scholar from Chiapas, Mexico, notes that freedom of expression is essential for democracy. In Mexico, the danger posed to journalists reporting on organized crime or government corruption threatens freedom of expression. Despite his campaign pledge to turn this situation around, President López Obrador has so far been unable to do so. Instead, he has used his office to influence media coverage. The president has been very effective at employing a communication strategy to sway media coverage and challenge freedom of expression. His strategy includes daily, hours-long press briefings and efforts to influence and control social media.
“Juniata: Where Your Best Is Never Good Enough.”
Speaker: Russell Shelley
Occasion: Spring Awards Convocation
Date: 6 May 2021
Russ Shelley, the recipient of Juniata College’s Beachley Award for Distinguished Teaching in 2020, draws both from his experience teaching music and from references to popular culture to illustrate four different contexts for the word “best.” He maintains that these four contexts for the superlative—competitive, comprehensive, compromised, and what he terms compassionate—inform the effort to become one’s best self.
“My Life’s Work: Giving Life a Second Chance.”
Speaker: Howard M. Nathan
Occasion: 141th Juniata College Commencement
Date: 15 May 2021
Howard Nathan, 1975 graduate of Juniata College, past president and chief executive officer of the Gift of Life Donor Program and current executive director of the Gift of Life Transplant Foundation, engagingly tells his personal story about how he became the longest-serving chief executive of any US organ procurement organization in history. In his inspirational essay, Nathan explains that we should be adaptable, including being willing to change our original dreams to those that better suit our talents. Following his mother’s advice to “do the right thing” helped him overcome many obstacles and led to a life coordinating the procurement of organ and tissue transplants for people in desperate need of them. Nathan’s life is a wonderful story of second chances, not only for himself but also for thousands of others.