Lectures, Documentaries, and Student Performances

Coming to you live from the library is (a much needed) update on the scholarly life of Jake Hawkins:

I'm sitting in the library writing a proposal for my term project in my class on Rhetorical Criticism. I'm examining the rhetorical genre of apologies given by public figures who have been accused of sexual misdeeds (think Tiger Woods, Bill Clinton, and Ted Haggard). I've hit a speed bump and needed a break from working so I decided it was a good time to update you all.

Since I last updated you all I've been to a few events on campus. Transy is really awesome about hosting speakers and beyond that it seems that there is always a student production going on.

A few weeks ago, The social sciences department hosted a screening of "The Frontier Gandhi: Badshah Khan, a Torch for Peace" which was an independent film about a unsung hero of a muslim peacemaker and his works for establishing equal human rights in war stricken and impoverished regions. The day after the showing the maker of the documentary, T.C. McLuhan, came to my Human Rights class and we were able to hear from her, firsthand, about the documentary and ask questions. It was a really cool experience.

We also had the once-a-semester Kenan Lecture. This lecture series was established several years ago and brings the campus and surrounding community together for a lecture by a prominent speaker. In the past we've had people such as Academy-Award nominated actress Mary McDonnel, Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel (who wrote an amazing memoir, "Night") and many others. This semester we had a professor from Harvard Law, Dr. Randall Kennedy, come a discuss issues of racial nomenclature and the linguistic evolution of terms used by and against the African American community. As a student who studies rhetoric and communication, a speech on the power of words was very interesting to me, and I enjoyed it a lot.

Then a few days ago, I attended a performance of "The Vagina Monologues," it may sound a bit provocative, but it is a series of monologues that calls attention to feminist ideologies. Fellow blogger, Amanda Holt, was one of the participants. The monologues mixed comedy with education, and at Transy were put together entirely by students. Tickets to go were only $3 and all proceeds went to the Rape Crisis Center in Lexington. It was a great way to be entertained, help out a good cause, and receive education on feminist issues.

For being a smaller campus, Transy does a beyond excellent job of providing opportunities like this to us. I'm glad, sometimes it can be really refreshing to receive education beyond the classroom setting.