The Anthropocene and the Environmental Humanities: Extending the Conversation
Oregon Humanities Conversation Project 2013–15 Catalog
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The Conversation Project 2013 – 2015 Catalog
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Oregon Humanities' 2013–15 catalog of Conversation Project programs.
Transcript of Oregon Humanities Conversation Project 2013–15 Catalog
Oregon Humanities1
Conversation Project
The
C
onve
rsat
ion
Proj
ect
2013 – 2015 Catalog
2 Oregon Humanities
Conversation Project
Table of Contents
8 American Character The Power of Individualism and Volunteerism
9 The Art of the Possible Jazz and Community Building
10 Beyond Bars Rethinking Our Reliance on Prisons
11 Beyond Human? Science, Technology, and the Future of Human Nature
12 Church and State Religion and Politics in America
13 A City’s Center Rethinking Downtown
14 From Print to Pixels The act of Reading in the Digital Age
15 Grave Matters Reflections on Life and Death across Cultures and Traditions
16 Lessons from Lincoln Is Political Bipartisanship Possible?
17 Life after War Photography and Oral Histories of Coming Home
18 Mind the Gaps How Gender Shapes Our Lives
19 S/he Bop Making Sense of Gender in American Pop Music
20 Something Old, Something New Exploring the State of Marriage
21 Stage of Change Oregon’s Evolving Identities
22 To Cut or Not to Cut Censorship in Literature
23 Toward One Oregon Bridging Oregon’s Urban and Rural Communities
24 The Truths We Hold The Poetry and Lessons of the Declaration of Independence
25 We Are What We Eat Connecting Food and Citizenship
26 White Out? The Future of Racial Diversity in Oregon
27 Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon? A Hidden History
28 Yesterday’s News The Future of Local Information
29 Your Land, My Land Using and Preserving Oregon’s Natural Resources
3 Frequently Asked Questions
31 Suggested Series
32 Federal Certifications
The Conversation Project offers Oregon nonprofits free programs that engage community members in thoughtful, challenging conversations about ideas critical to our daily lives and our state’s future. If you’d like to host a Conversation Project event, please read our FAQ.
Questions? Call (503) 241-0543 or (800) 735-0543, ext. 116
Oregon Humanities connects Oregonians with ideas that change lives and transform communities. More information about our programs and publications, which include the Conversation Project, Think & Drink, Humanity in Perspective, Idea Lab Summer Institute, Public Program Grants, and Oregon Humanities magazine, can be found at oregonhumanities.org.
3 Oregon Humanities
Conversation Project
What is the Conversation Project?
The Conversation Project offers Oregon nonprofits free, humanities-based public discussion programs about provocative issues and ideas. In the first four years of the program, more than 170 nonprofits across the state hosted almost 400 Conversation Project programs as stand-alone events, parts of a series, and supplements to their regular programming. Programs last sixty to ninety minutes and engage participants in thoughtful and inspiring discussions that are designed to improve understanding of diverse perspectives on a given subject. All discussions are led by humanities experts who have been trained as conversation facilitators, connect the subject to participants’ experiences and to the local community, and model critical thinking without advocating a particular political agenda.
Who may apply to host a Conversation Project program?
Nonprofit organizations in Oregon are eligible to host Conversation Project programs. The schedule for submitting applications is described below. There is no limit to the number of Conversation Project programs for which a given nonprofit may apply. However, approval decisions are based on Oregon Humanities’ commitment to reaching a broad statewide audience, forming new partnerships, and scheduling efficient travel arrangements for our conversation leaders. Oregon Humanities cannot guarantee that all program requests will be approved.
What other conditions must I meet?
Conversation Project programs are designed for adult audiences (18+ years), and programs must be open and widely advertised to the general public. You should apply to host a program only if you are confident you can generate an audience of ten or more participants. Oregon Humanities does not fund events that are exclusively classroom-based, part of private or members-only meetings, or for conversation leaders at their home institutions. Conversation Project programs may not be used in conjunction with fundraisers or benefits; programs must also precede any other items on a public meeting agenda. All Conversation Project hosts are required to complete and submit program evaluations, which are provided by Oregon Humanities.
What costs are associated with Conversation Project programs?
Oregon Humanities does not charge organizations a fee to host a Conversation Project program. Oregon Humanities funds conversation leaders’ honoraria and directly reimburses them for mileage and estimated meal costs. If conversation leaders travel more than fifty miles one way, host organizations must offer to provide one night of commercial lodging at the host’s expense, or offer a home stay; it is at the conversation leader’s discretion whether or not to accept a home stay. In cases when two
Information for Program Hosts:
Please read this section carefully before applying to host a Conversation Project program.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Conversation Project
conversation leaders are offering a Conversation Project program, it is only expected that hosts provide one night of overnight lodging for one leader. All lodging plans must be discussed with conversation leaders before submitting your application to Oregon Humanities, and indicated clearly on the application form. Host organizations may charge a modest admission fee (up to $5) in order to recover costs incurred by hosting the conversation (e.g., lodging and refreshments). Please notify Oregon Humanities if your facility has an admission fee greater than $5. You may also solicit voluntary contributions to your organization at a Conversation Project program.
What equipment must hosts provide?
Descriptions in the catalog include lists of equipment that conversation leaders will need for their programs. It is the host’s responsibility to provide all required equipment. Please review equipment lists with conversation leaders when requesting programs and discuss any special challenges at your facility, such as whether you have the capacity to darken a room for a projector. Conversation leaders who use slides or PowerPoint projectors in their programs will require access to a grounded electrical outlet with two plugs and a small table for a laptop and projector.
How do I apply to host a Conversation Project program?
1. Review the current Conversation Project catalog and select programs that you would like to host between November 1, 2013, and October 31, 2014. Please consult local events calendars in order to request program dates that do not conflict with other important events in your community or major holidays.
2. Before you apply to Oregon Humanities, contact conversation leaders directly to discuss preferred and alternate dates and times for a program request. Oregon Humanities does not maintain the personal or professional calendars of Conversation Project leaders, so it is essential that you contact conversation leaders prior to submitting an application. Oregon Humanities may also ask you to consider other dates in order to schedule efficient travel plans. You may submit applications for Conversation Project programs according to the following time frames:
Nonprofits can apply: For programs to take place between:
Aug. 1–Sept. 30, 2013 Nov. 1, 2013–Feb. 28, 2014
Dec. 1, 2013–Jan. 31, 2014 March 1–June 30, 2014
April 1–May 31, 2014 July 1–Oct. 31, 2014
We strive to be flexible in program scheduling, so please contact program staff if you have a conflict applying within the timeline outlined above. Please note that applications must be submitted at least six weeks before the requested program date. For example, to host a program on November 1, you should apply no later than September 15.
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Conversation Project
3. Download an application form at oregonhumanities.org and submit the completed form to Oregon Humanities. Incomplete or illegible forms will hinder Oregon Humanities’ ability to review requests in a timely manner. Please ensure that you complete the entire application before submitting it.
How will I know if my application is approved?
Oregon Humanities makes every effort to respond in a timely way. Please allow up to four weeks to hear back from us. When a program request is approved, we will send you a confirmation letter via postal mail and a zipped file of program and publicity support materials via e-mail. Please review these materials for helpful instructions regarding publicity information, hosting responsibilities, and evaluations. Please do not publicize a program prior to receiving written confirmation from Oregon Humanities.
What if an approved program must be rescheduled or canceled?
Prompt communication is essential if a program must be canceled due to a conversation leader’s illness, inclement weather, or unforeseeable circumstances. Please obtain approval from Oregon Humanities prior to rescheduling or canceling a program; we will make every effort to accommodate these changes.
What are my responsibilities after the program?
All Conversation Project hosts must complete and return the host’s program evaluation form, completed participant evaluation forms, and copies of publicity materials within two weeks of the program date. Failure to return these documents in a timely manner may affect future applications from your organization. An individual from the host organization who attended the program must complete the host’s program evaluation form.
May my organization schedule Conversation Project programs outside of Oregon Humanities’ sponsorship?
Yes! If you would like to host a Conversation Project program when Oregon Humanities sponsorship is not possible (e.g., for a classroom or as part of a fundraising event), please contact us to discuss your plans prior to contacting the conversation leader. Your organization should expect to offer the conversation leader an honorarium, mileage reimbursement, meal stipend, and—depending on the distance—overnight lodging. Once you have made arrangements to host a program independently, notify Oregon Humanities of the event’s date, time, and location and we will send you the conversation leader’s program and publicity materials to help in your preparation, as well as advertise your program on our online calendar. You must acknowledge that the discussion is part of Oregon Humanities’ Conversation Project in public relations materials and at the event.
6 Oregon Humanities
Conversation Project
May I host a Conversation Project program if I am not affiliated with a nonprofit organization?
Yes! We are pleased to engage as many Oregonians in conversation through this program as possible. If you are not affiliated with a nonprofit organization, you or your business can contract independently with our conversation leaders to lead a discussion in your community. You should expect to offer the conversation leader an honorarium, mileage reimbursement, meal stipend, and—depending on the distance the leader must travel—overnight lodging. Once you have made arrangements to host a program independently, notify Oregon Humanities of the event’s date, time, and location and we will send you the conversation leader’s program and publicity materials to help in your preparation. You must acknowledge that the discussion is part of Oregon Humanities’ Conversation Project in public relations materials and at the event.
Additional questions?
If you have questions, please contact Oregon Humanities program coordinator Annie Kaffen at (503) 241-0543 or (800) 735-0543, ext. 116, or by email, available at oregonhumanities.org/about-us/staff.
The Conversation Project is generously supported by the following:
The National Endowment for the Humanities
Oregon Cultural Trust
Kinsman Foundation
Rose E. Tucker Charitable Trust
The Standard
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
2013– 2015 Programs
8 Oregon Humanities
Prakash Chenjeri is an associate professor of philosophy and director of the Philosophy Program at Southern Oregon University, where he has taught since 1995. His research and teaching interests focus on topics related to the role of scientific literacy in modern society and ways to engage in thoughtful dialogue about these and other issues.
What does an individual owe his or her community?
Daniel Morris is a professor of French and director of the Arts and Humanities Council at Southern Oregon University, where he has taught since 1982. Active in international education, he served as the director of the Oregon University System study abroad programs in Poitiers and Lyon, France, and taught in Angers, France.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (541) 552-6034
Location Talent
Email [email protected]
Telephone (541) 552-6740
Location Ashland
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Civic Life
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen, microphone
Leader photo 1
Leader photo 2
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bios
Individualism and volunteerism have special significance for Americans, yet the two ideas are often topics of animated debate. According to Alexis de Tocqueville, individualism rightly understood and a healthy sense of volunteerism may be keys to democracy’s success and to good citizenship. Drawing on Tocqueville’s discussion of these ideas in Democracy in America as well as several contemporary discussions, this program provides Oregonians with both a model and an opportunity to engage in thoughtful conversations about community issues.
American Character: The Power of Individualism and Volunteerism
Prakash Chenjeri
Daniel Morris
9 Oregon Humanities
How do we come together to collectively imagine our future?
Tim DuRoche is the director of programs for the World Affairs Council of Oregon. His writing about visual culture, jazz and performance, planning, urban history, and cultural policy has appeared in a number of print and online publications, including IDEA Magazine, Oregon Humanities, Willamette Week, the Oregonian, and Metroscape. DuRoche is a frequent public speaker, interviewer, and moderator for cultural organizations.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 720-6171
Location Portland
Tim DuRoche
Successful community building requires participation, risk, collaboration, and individual voice. Independent scholar and professional jazz musician Tim DuRoche will explore one model of community building by looking at the history and culture of jazz music. This highly democratic art form is deeply concerned with many of the same social values as efforts to strengthen communities, including unity, equality, improvisation, and freedom. DuRoche will lead participants in a conversation that inspires us to embrace participation and collaboration as important cornerstones of our culture.
The Art of the Possible: Jazz and Community Building
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Civic Life Music and Meaning
Equipment needs: CD player, digital projector, screen
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
10 Oregon Humanities
Does our prison system, in some cases, actually cause rather than reduce crime?
Walidah Imarisha has taught courses on topics as diverse as the history of the Black Panther Party, race and the history of prisons, and hip hop as literature at Portland State University, Oregon State University, and Southern New Hampshire University. She has facilitated writing workshops in schools, community centers, youth detention facilities, and women’s prisons. She also filmed and codirected the film Finding Common Ground in New Orleans.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (267) 992-2617
Location Portland
Walidah Imarisha
What role do prisons serve in our country? Is it possible to envision a world where people are safe and secure, and where there is accountability, without prisons? Does our prison system, in some cases, actually cause rather than reduce crime? Participants in this program will begin by exploring what they know about prisons. After a brief multimedia history of prisons and alternative justice systems, Walidah Imarisha, an author and editor, will lead a conversation about alternatives to incarceration.
Beyond Bars: Rethinking Our Reliance on Prisons
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Coming Home
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen, speakers
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
11 Oregon Humanities
In the future, will technology fundamentally change what it means to be human?
Prakash Chenjeri is an associate professor of philosophy and director of the Philosophy Program at Southern Oregon University, where he has taught since 1995. His research and teaching interests focus on topics related to the role of scientific literacy in modern society and ways to engage in thoughtful dialogue about these and other issues.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (541) 778-3418
Location Talent
Prakash Chenjeri
Throughout history, religious scholars and philosophers have debated what makes humans unique in the animal kingdom. More recently, evolutionary biologists and cognitive scientists have contributed new thinking to our ideas about human nature. Has the essence of what it is to be human shifted over time? How might science and technology—such as recent rapid advances in bioengineering and other fields— challenge and reshape our understanding of what it means to be human? Prakash Chenjeri, an associate professor of philosophy at Southern Oregon University, will lead participants in a thoughtful conversation about these questions and more.
Beyond Human? Science, Technology, and the Future of Human Nature
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series The Human Condition
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen, microphone, laptop computer
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
12 Oregon Humanities
What are the connections between religion and civic life?
Courtney Campbell is the Hundere Chair in Religion and Culture and a professor in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion at Oregon State University. His teaching and research interests focus on ethical issues in medicine, religious ethics, concepts of peace and war, theories of death and dying, and theologies of embodiment. Campbell serves on the board of directors for Benton Hospice and the ethics committee for Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (541) 737-6196
Location Corvallis
Courtney Campbell
Despite a Constitution that vests political authority in “we the people” and makes no mention of “God,” America’s highest elected representatives have historically assumed their offices by taking an oath while placing a hand on the Bible or, in some cases, on the Bhagavad-Gita and the Qur’an. There are numerous examples of American identity being conveyed through religious symbols or words, such as the Pledge of Allegiance, the national motto on currency and coinage (“In God we Trust”), and the customary conclusion to a presidential address, “God bless America.” How did these traditions begin, and what issues prompted their adoption? What does their ongoing practice say about religious identity in American public life?
Church and State: Religion and Politics in America
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Civic Life
Equipment needs: Chalk/whiteboard, screen, microphone
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
13 Oregon Humanities
How can downtowns represent a community’s ideals and aspirations?
Nan Laurence manages downtown development projects and revitalization efforts as a senior planner for the City of Eugene. Her professional responsibilities have emphasized value-based planning and public engagement with the goal of creating communities that are truly livable, sustainable, and beautiful. Her role is to help the downtown urban form and activities more closely reflect the community’s vision.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (541) 729-4763
Location Eugene
Nan Laurence
Historically, a city’s downtown core has been the community’s cultural and economic center, expressing shared values and aspirations. Today, however, many downtowns represent a community’s social and economic distress. Cities of all sizes are trying to revitalize their downtowns, but the qualities essential to this revitalization remain elusive. Nan Laurence, a senior planner for the City of Eugene, will explore the changing character of downtown activities, urban forms, and public spaces and lead participants in a conversation about how downtowns can represent a community’s ideals and aspirations.
A City’s Center: Rethinking Downtown
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series A Sense of Place
Equipment needs: Chalk/whiteboard
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
14 Oregon Humanities
In what ways do ebooks serve or change the act of reading?
Mark Allen Cunningham is the author of the novels The Green Age of Asher Witherow and Lost Son. The recipient of fellowships from the Oregon Arts Commission, Literary Arts, and the Yaddo Colony, Cunningham writes book reviews and cultural commentary for the Oregonian. His latest books are the illustrated story collection Date of Disappearance and the nonfiction volume The Honorable Obscurity Handbook.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 890-0780
Location Portland
Mark Allen Cunningham
The works of James Joyce are the same whether published in print or pixels. But the question remains: does the Joyce devotee read the same way on page as on screen? Cultural critic Neil Postman said, “Technology always has unforeseen consequences and it is not always clear, at the beginning, who or what will win, and who or what will lose.” In what ways do ebooks serve or change the act of reading? As reading becomes a predominantly digital experience, what effects might this have on writing and on our interactions with information overall? Author Mark Allen Cunningham will lead a conversation about what happens when we change our methods of reading.
From Print to Pixels: The Act of Reading in the Digital Age
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series The New World of Words and Information
Equipment needs: Digital projector
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
15 Oregon Humanities
Can acknowledging our mortality bring greater meaning to life?
Courtney Campbell is the Hundere Chair in Religion and Culture and a professor in the School of History, Philosophy, and Religion at Oregon State University. His teaching and research interests focus on ethical issues in medicine, religious ethics, concepts of peace and war, theories of death and dying, and theologies of embodiment. Campbell serves on the board of directors for Benton Hospice and the ethics committee for Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (541) 737-6196
Location Corvallis
Courtney Campbell
Traditional American culture is often portrayed as either death-denying (death is a taboo not to be discussed) or death-defying (life should be prolonged at any cost). Yet diverse religious, philosophical, and cultural traditions present our mortality not as something to be feared or defied, but as a means of learning how to live a full life. Courtney Campbell, a professor of philosophy at Oregon State University, will consider different traditions—such as Buddhism, indigenous customs, and Mexico’s Día de los Muertos—in this conversation about the various understandings and metaphors of death and its meaning for life. Participants will explore these ideas through an interactive format that uses song, video, comic strips, short readings, and other activities.
Grave Matters: Reflections on Life and Death across Cultures and Traditions
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series The Human Condition
Equipment needs: Chalk/whiteboard, screen, microphone
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
16 Oregon Humanities
What can Abraham Lincoln teach us about dealing with polarizing issues?
Richard W. Etulain is professor emeritus of history at the University of New Mexico, where he taught American history and cultures and directed its Center for the American West. Etulain is the author or editor of fifty books, including Conversations with Wallace Stegner on Western History and Literature (1983) and The American West: A Twentieth-Century History (2007). He is currently working on a new book, Abraham Lincoln and the American West.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 698-3287
Location Clackamas
Richard W. Etulain
Does Abraham Lincoln’s adept use of bipartisanship during the Civil War offer guidance in dealing with the polarizing controversies of the twenty-first century? This conversation, led by independent scholar and Lincoln expert Richard Etulain, will look at what today’s leaders might learn from Lincoln’s handling of slavery, emancipation and civil rights, political patronage, and reconstruction during the Civil War era. Can these lessons serve as a model of bipartisan behavior as we debate health care, immigration reform, tax policy, and conflicting sources of government power?
Lessons from Lincoln: Is Political Bipartisanship Possible?
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Looking to History
Equipment needs: Carousel slide projector, screen
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
17 Oregon Humanities
What are the responsibilities of a community that sends its citizens to war?
Jim Lommasson is a freelance photographer and writer living in Portland. He received the Dorothea Lange–Paul Taylor Prize from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University for his first book, Shadow Boxers: Sweat, Sacrifice & the Will to Survive in American Boxing Gyms. He is currently working on a book and traveling exhibition about American veterans from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars and their lives after their return called Exit Wounds: Soldiers’ Stories—Life after Iraq and Afghanistan. Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 939-1939
Location Portland
Jim Lommasson
When does a war end? Does it ever? Many returning soldiers bring wars back with them, and these wars can reach beyond the battlefield or firefight, infiltrating the very thing that defines comfort and safety: home. The trials of homecoming are vast and complex, often resonating with tales of Odysseus’ journey back to Ithaca from the Trojan War. Photographer Jim Lommasson has collected oral histories from returning soldiers and documented their struggles at home. In this conversation, participants will consider the wars at home faced not only by returning veterans, but also by communities at large.
Life after War: Photography and Oral Histories of Coming Home
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Coming Home Oregon Reads 2014
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen, microphone
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
18 Oregon Humanities
How can we better understand the complex ways gender affects our daily lives and identities?
Jade Aguilar is an assistant professor of sociology and women’s and gender studies at Willamette University. Her broad areas of study are gender, sexuality, and family, and her main area of focus is the study of intentional communities. Her current research is on how women age together in community, and she is interviewing lesbian women living in Southern Oregon and in senior cohousing communities.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 370-6195
Location Portland
Jade Aguilar
From the moment we are born, gender shapes every aspect of our lives: our interests, opportunities, and how we move through the world. In the twenty-first century, disparities among the genders still prevail, especially at the intersections of race, class, immigration status, and geography. What can these disparities tell us about society’s values and priorities? How can we better understand the complex ways gender affects our daily lives and identities? Jade Aguilar, an assistant professor of sociology and women’s and gender studies at Willamette University, will lead participants in a conversation about these questions and examine ways of finding meaning within gender gaps.
Mind the Gaps: How Gender Shapes Our Lives
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Gender
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen, laptop, audio speakers/sound system
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
19 Oregon Humanities
How is gender represented in American pop music, and how has that representation changed over time?
Sarah Dougher is an educator, writer, and musician from Portland. She teaches on topics of popular music, gender, and activism studies at Portland State University. She is currently working on a book about tween girls and popular music, which examines new media contexts for consuming and creating music in the twenty-first century. Dougher is a composer and musician who for the past fifteen years has performed, recorded, and toured both as a solo artist and with numerous bands. Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 715-6731
Location Portland
Sarah Dougher
Through popular music, we can understand changing social norms and life experiences. In this conversation, Portland State University adjunct professor Sarah Dougher focuses on how gender is represented in American popular music through historical, political, and social lenses. Participants will listen to music and discuss videos and images from popular music genres and outlets from rockabilly to American Idol, considering the way popular music shapes and reflects values, mores, and aesthetics in our culture.
S/he-bop: Making Sense of Gender in American Pop Music
Program available through June 30, 2014
Part of the series Gender Music and Meaning
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
20 Oregon Humanities
Why, when so many people are avoiding or dissolving marriages, do so many others wish to marry?
Leslie Dunlap is an assistant professor of history at Willamette University, where she teaches courses on the history of women, families, sexuality, and social movements in the United States. She is currently working on a book on women’s efforts to reform men, marriage, and the state in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Her teaching and research explore the historical dynamics of love, sex, marriage, and parenthood, and how social movements and governments have shaped these personal relationships. Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 569-6674
Location Salem
Leslie Dunlap
The institution of marriage has undergone significant change, especially in the last decade. In Oregon, citizens remain in a contentious debate about how to define marriage generally. What do the debates about marriage—in this state and beyond—reveal about the institution as a whole? Why is a private relationship so publicly significant and contested? And why, when so many people are avoiding or dissolving marriages, do so many others wish to marry? Leslie Dunlap, an assistant professor of history at Willamette University, will lead participants in conversation about the nature and bounds of marriage, the public and private meanings of the institution, and the related ideas of love, justice, freedom, and commitment.
Something Old, Something New: Exploring the State of Marriage
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Gender
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen, laptop computer
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
21 Oregon Humanities
What qualities are unique to Oregonians?
Richard W. Etulain is professor emeritus of history at the University of New Mexico, where he taught American history and cultures and directed its Center for the American West. Etulain is the author or editor of fifty books, including Conversations with Wallace Stegner on Western History and Literature (1983) and The American West: A Twentieth-Century History (2007). He is currently working on a new book, Abraham Lincoln and the American West.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 698-3287
Location Clackamas
Richard W. Etulain
In the late eighteenth century, the French-American writer Crevecoeur posed the question, “What is an American?” in an attempt to learn more about American identity. Today, Northwest native and prolific history writer Richard Etulain proposes the question, “What is an Oregonian?” in a similar effort to explore the changing identities of our state and its citizens. This conversation will start by considering various historical identities of Oregon, including an Eden of freedom and verdancy, a laboratory of democracy, and a land of logging. Etulain will then challenge participants to consider their own definitions of Oregon’s identity, their role in these identities, and how diverse interpretations of Oregon might help us better understand the past, present, and future of our state.
A State of Change: Oregon’s Evolving Identities
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Oregon Identity A Sense of Place Oregon Reads 2014
Equipment needs: Carousel slide projector, screen
Leader photo
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
22 Oregon Humanities
Is censorship ever a good thing?
Pancho Savery is professor of English, humanities, and American studies at Reed College, where he teaches courses in American literature post-1850, African American literature, and modern and contemporary American and European drama. For the past twelve years, he has worked with Oregon Humanities on the Humanity in Perspective program. Recent poems appear in Hubbub.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 788-1379
Location Portland
Pancho Savery
Recent efforts to remove the n-word in literature—from a recent edition of Mark Twain’s Huck Finn in which the word is changed to “slave” to the attempt to halt a high school production of August Wilson’s Joe Turner’s Come and Gone because of its “offensive” language—raise questions about censorship. Is censorship ever a good thing? Should accommodations be made considering the difference between a character’s and author’s point of view? Reed College professor Pancho Savery will facilitate a discussion that examines these questions, as well as their importance beyond conversations about literature.
To Cut or Not to Cut: Censorship in Literature
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Race The New World of Words and Information
Equipment needs: None
Leader photo
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bio
23 Oregon Humanities
Michael Hibbard is a professor emeritus in the Department of Planning, Public Policy & Management at the University of Oregon. His research focuses on community and regional development.
What are the ties that bind urban and rural communities to a common future?
Ethan Seltzer is a professor of urban studies and planning at Portland State University. He was the founding director of PSU’s Institute of Portland Metropolitan Studies.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (541) 346-3897
Location Eugene
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 725-5169
Location Portland
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series A Sense of Place Oregon Identity Oregon Reads 2014
Equipment needs: None
Leader photo 1
Leader photo 2
Leader photo 3
Leader video
Press release
Resource list
Leader bios
Every state has a legacy of truths—stories residents tell to explain why things are how they are. When those truths conflict, as they inevitably do, the result is political, social, and cultural tension. In Oregon, tensions manifest themselves as wet versus dry, the valley versus the east side, and, perhaps most fundamental, urban versus rural. Our state’s conflicting truths can bedevil and sometimes paralyze us despite our shared state borders and public processes. The aim of this conversation is to explore and imagine what unifies Oregon.
Toward One Oregon: Bridging Oregon’s Urban and Rural Communities
Michael Hibbard
Ethan Seltzer
Bruce Weber is a professor of agricultural and resource economics at Oregon State University and director of the OSU Rural Studies Program. He teaches courses on rural community economics and policy.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (541) 737-1432
Location Corvallis
Bruce Weber
24 Oregon Humanities
How does our pursuit of happiness continue to be shaped by the Declaration of Independence?
Wendy Willis is a poet, essayist, and national leader in civic engagement and collaborative governance. She serves as executive director of the Policy Consensus Initiative, a national nonprofit organization housed at Portland State University and devoted to improving democratic governance. Her first book of poems, Blood Sisters of the Republic, was released in 2012.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 725-9091
Location Portland
Wendy Willis
As Americans, we often refer to ourselves as a “constitutional republic,” and we are engaged in ongoing public and heated debates about the meaning and interpretation of the Constitution. What we don’t often talk about, however, is our second founding document: the Declaration of Independence. If the Constitution speaks to the head, the Declaration, particularly the first three paragraphs, speaks to the heart and to the body; if the Constitution is prose, the Declaration is poetry. Wendy Willis will challenge participants to consider the history and legacy of the Declaration of Independence and to ask themselves: What does the Declaration of Independence have to offer us as twenty-first century Americans?
The Truths We Hold: The Poetry and Lessons of the Declaration of Independence
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Looking to History
Equipment needs: Digital Projector, screen, wireless Internet access
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25 Oregon Humanities
How can our relationship to food empower us and create deeper connections to our communities and neighbors?
Wendy Willis is a poet, essayist, and national leader in civic engagement and collaborative governance. She serves as executive director of the Policy Consensus Initiative, a national nonprofit organization housed at Portland State University and devoted to improving democratic governance. Her first book of poems, Blood Sisters of the Republic, was released in 2012.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 725-9091
Location Portland
Wendy Willis
Oregon is famous for its food—for its long traditions in agriculture and fisheries, and its role in the movement to promote whole food in communities, schools, and home kitchens. In addition to the daily practice of cooking and eating, many Oregonians also think, talk, and write about food. This program, facilitated by Wendy Willis, poet, essayist, and executive director of the Policy Consensus Initiative at Portland State University, will offer participants a chance to reflect on how our relationship to food production, preparation, and consumption might help create self-sufficiency and empowered citizenship.
We Are What We Eat: Connecting Food and Citizenship
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Civic Life
Equipment needs: Digital Projector, screen
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26 Oregon Humanities
What does racial integration require of us?
Emily Drew is an associate professor of sociology at Willamette University, where she teaches courses about racism, race and ethnicity, immigration, and social change. Her primary areas of research involve understanding how race and racism operate inside of institutions. Drew serves as a co-trainer of “Understanding Institutional Racism” workshops for Crossroads Anti-Racism Organizing and Training.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 370-6556
Location Salem
Emily Drew
Although census data show Oregon’s population becoming more racially diverse, the state remains one of the whitest in the nation. Many Oregonians value racial diversity and the dimension and depth it adds to our lives, yet we remain largely isolated from one another and have yet to fulfill the vision of a racially integrated society. Willamette University professor Emily Drew will lead participants in a conversation about the challenges to creating racially diverse, inclusive communities despite the accomplishments since the civil rights era. What does the racial integration of place require of us, and how might we prepare to create and embrace this opportunity?
White Out? The Future of Racial Diversity in Oregon
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Race
Equipment needs: Digital Projector, laptop computer, screen
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27 Oregon Humanities
How have historic laws shaped our state’s racial makeup?
Walidah Imarisha has taught courses on topics as diverse as the history of the Black Panther Party, race and the history of prisons, and hip hop as literature at Portland State University, Oregon State University, and Southern New Hampshire University. She has facilitated writing workshops in schools, community centers, youth detention facilities, and women’s prisons. She also filmed and codirected the film Finding Common Ground in New Orleans.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (267) 992-2617
Location Portland
Walidah Imarisha
Have you ever wondered why the Black population in Oregon is so small? Oregon has a history not only of Black exclusion and discrimination, but also of a vibrant Black culture that helped sustain many communities throughout the state—a history that is not taught in schools. Author and educator Walidah Imarisha will lead participants through an interactive timeline of Black history in Oregon that speaks to the history of race, identity, and power in this state and the nation. Participants will discuss how history, politics, and culture have shaped—and will continue to shape—the landscape not only for Black Oregonians but all Oregonians.
Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon? A Hidden History
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series Race
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen, enough wall space to hang forty sheets of 8½” x 11” paper
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28 Oregon Humanities
How has the gathering and consumption of local information changed over time?
Michael Andersen is a Portland-based journalist who has written for the Oregonian, Crosscut, Columbia Journalism Review, and elsewhere. He launched the magazine Portland Afoot in 2010 and is news editor at BikePortland. He studied at Grinnell College and Northwestern University. For five years, he’s also been writing and speaking about local information and its future.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 662-2871
Location Portland
Michael Andersen
In 2009, American writer Clay Shirky predicted that “every town in this country of 500,000 people or less” was likely to sink into “casual, endemic, civic corruption” fostered by the decline of local newspapers. How does this prediction stack up against what is actually happening to media giants, local news sources, and online think tanks and blogs? In Oregon specifically, how has the gathering and consumption of local information changed, and what might these changes mean for the future of information and small towns generally? Journalist Michael Andersen will facilitate a conversation that has participants explore why information is changing, who’s winning, who’s losing, and what the future holds for local news.
Yesterday’s News: The Future of Local Information
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series The New World of Words and Information
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen
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29 Oregon Humanities
How can we best balance our need to extract natural resources with our need to preserve them for the future?
Veronica Dujon is associate dean of curriculum development and enrollment management at Portland State University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. She teaches, researches, and publishes in the area of environmental sociology with a focus on contests over declining natural resources, sociology of globalization, and women in the global economy. One of her major research interests is how to build socially sustainable societies.
Email [email protected]
Telephone (503) 725-8503
Location Portland
Veronica Dujon
Oregonians are known for a fierce sense of independence and a rugged individuality, qualities long associated with natural resource vocations such as logging, fishing, farming, and ranching. The state is also known for its progressive environmental policies. Our sense of connection to a place informs our values and our approaches to conflict over resource and land use in our communities. Veronica Dujon, a professor of sociology at Portland State University whose research focuses on gillnet fishermen on the Lower Columbia and the conflict over water rights in the Klamath Basin, invites you to consider the various meanings we in Oregon attach to different places in the state and to explore how these attachments shape our desire to both use and preserve our natural resources.
Your Land, My Land: Using and Preserving Oregon’s Natural Resources
Program available through October 2015
Part of the series A Sense of Place Oregon Reads 2014
Equipment needs: Digital projector, screen, microphone, TV with DVD player
Program available in: Spanish
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Suggested Series
31 Oregon Humanities
Conversation Project
Civic Life
American CharacterThe Art of the PossibleChurch and StateWe Are What We Eat
Coming Home
Beyond BarsLife After War
Gender
Mind the GapsS/he-bopSomething Old, Something New
The Human Condition Beyond Human Grave Matters
Looking to History
Lessons from LincolnThe Truths We Hold
Music and Meaning The Art of the Possible S/he-bop
The New World of Words and Information
From Print to PixelsTo Cut or Not to Cut Yesterday’s News
Oregon Identity
A State of ChangeToward One Oregon
Race
To Cut or Not to CutWhite Out? Why Aren’t There More Black People in Oregon?
A Sense of Place
A City’s CenterA State of Change Toward One OregonYour Land, My Land
Oregon Reads 2014
These Conversation Project programs fit thematic programming for the Oregon Library Association’s celebration of the William Stafford Centennial.
Life After WarA State of ChangeToward One OregonYour Land, My Land
Conversation Project program series are a great way for nonprofit organizations—either individually or in collaboration with other nonprofits—to more deeply explore a given subject area while also creating multiple engagement opportunities for participants. Organizations might consider cosponsoring a themed series in partnership with another group in the community or county in order to generate a more diverse audience and introduce new community members to the respective organizations.
Do-It-Yourself:
Create your own series by mixing and matching Conversation Project programs that are of interest to your local community.
Suggested Series
32 Oregon Humanities
Conversation Project
By signing and submitting a Conversation Project application, the authorizing official of the hosting organization or institution provides the applicable federal certifications regarding compliance with nondiscrimination statutes, debarment, and suspension, as outlined below. If you have any questions regarding these guidelines, please contact the Oregon Humanities offices at (503) 241-0543 or (800) 735-0543, ext. 116.
Certification regarding debarment, suspension, ineligibility, and voluntary exclusion—lower-tier covered transactions, 45 CFR 1169: (a.) The prospective lower-tier participant (organization hosting a Conversation Project program) certifies, by submission an application, that neither it nor its principals is presently debarred, suspended, proposed for debarment, declared ineligible, or voluntarily excluded from participation in this transaction by any federal department or agency. (b.) Where the prospective lower-tier participant is unable to certify the statements in the certification, such prospective participant shall attach an explanation to their application.
Certification regarding nondiscrimination statutes: The applicant (organization hosting a Conversation Project program) certifies that it will comply with the following nondiscrimination statutes and their implementing regulations: (a.) Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), which provides that no person in the United States shall, on the ground of race, color, or national origin, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise subjected to discrimination under any program or activity for which the applicant received federal financial assistance; (b.) Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance; (c.) Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, as amended (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in education programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance; (d.) Age Discrimination Act of 1975, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), which prohibits discrimination on the basis of age in programs and activities receiving federal financial assistance, except that actions which reasonably take age into account as a factor necessary for the normal operation or achievement of any statutory objective of the project or activity shall not violate this statute.
Federal Certifications
