Thirteen student forums are being offered at Wesleyan for the 2012 spring semester, including courses on eight new topics.  Aside from a faculty sponsor, these forums are entirely student-run and each may be taken pass/fail for academic credit by up to 15 students in addition to leaders. Twelve different departments are represented this semester and each forum has a unique focus.

 

Direct Action & Radical 

Social Theory

 

Direct Action & Radical Social Theory will be lead by Jon Lubeck ’14 and sponsored by Assistant Professor of Anthropology Daniella Gandolfo. The forum is loosely based on a 2004 course syllabus designed by Yale University professor David Graeber that focused on similar topics.  Throughout the semester, the students will study classical anarchist figures, historical examples of civil disobedience and direct action, recent events of civil disobedience and direct action, and the theories behind radical ideologies.

Lubeck stresses that while he is the student leader, the class hopes to operate within an anti-hierarchical structure where everyone has equal roles and responsibilities.

“[We want] to exist as an open and welcome space to all ideologies, principles, affiliations, concepts, etc.,” Lubeck wrote in an email to The Argus.  “It’s a learning process for everyone.  No one is really an expert with regard to any of these disciplines, but we’re all hoping to grow.”

All spaces available for credit in the class are filled; however Lubeck encourages anyone  interested to show up to any of the weekly sessions and to contact him to join the listserv.

 

Spanish-English Translation & Interpretation

 

Spanish-English Translation & Interpretation will be taught by Elana Metsch-Ampel ’12 and Jose Enrique Calvo Elhauge ’14.  Students taking the forum have the chance to improve their linguistic proficiency by comparing the two languages, practicing techniques of interpretation, and learning ways in which they can represent victims of domestic violence through translation and interpretation in legal settings.

“The objective of this forum will be to educate students on the art, finesse, and practice of translating while simultaneously performing a service for the community,” Metsch-Ampel wrote in an email to The Argus.

The class is full and not accepting audits. Metsch-Ampel added that if students were interested in doing interpretation and translation work at Wesleyan they should contact the Wesleyan Language Bank or the sponsor of the forum, Adjunct Professor of Romance Languages & Literatures Octavio Flores-Cuadra, who coordinates WesInterpreters.

 

Issues in International Health Partnerships

 

Issues in International Health Partnerships will be led by Katie Wagner ’12 and Tresne Hernandez ’12. Throughout the semester they will introduce students to different models of health partnerships and study specific examples of successful and disruptive partnerships. The forum will have a focus on those who aim to improve public health in developing regions.

“We hope to critically evaluate these and other different models by considering their ethical, cultural, and social implications of the partnership on the host group,” Wagner wrote in an email to The Argus.

The class has limited space available for credit, but if students wish to audit the class, they should contact either Wagner or Hernandez to discuss an arrangement.

 

Beyond Marshall, Walras & Keynes: Contemporary Heterodox Schools of Economic Thought

 

Beyond Marshall, Walras & Keynes: Contemporary Heterodox Schools of Economic Thought will be taught by Alexa Atamanchuk  ’12.  Atamanchuk hopes the forum will illuminate different schools of economic thought that are not traditionally taught in a university environment as well as the different philosophical foundations of economic study.

“These schools of thought have different core questions that seek to answer [and explore] different fundamental understanding of how economic systems works” Atamanchuk wrote in an email to The Argus.

The class is currently full, but students are allowed to audit the class.

 

Acrobatic Partner Yoga 

and Thai Massage

 

Many students are involved in Acrobatic Partner Yoga and Thai Massage, taught by Rachel Fifer ’12 and Elizabeth Simon ’12.  The forum, which is sponsored by Dance Artist in Residence Iddrisu Saaka, evolved from a former club at Wesleyan.  The forum includes students with all levels of experience who practice different partner poses, working with each other to improve their flexibility.

“It’s not about an end result, it’s about just getting there,” Fifer said.  “It’s about having people work together and discover that their bodies can do awesome things they didn’t know they could do.”

The forum may be taken for credit, but anyone else interested in joining is welcome to audit the class as well.

 

Intersectionality & the 

“American” War on Drugs

 

Intersectionality & the “American” War on Drugs will be taught by Paul Blasenheim ’12 and sponsored by Philosophy Chair Lori Gruen. Blasenheim hopes to re-conceptualize the way studying the War on Drugs is approached through using the social theory of intesectionality and by viewing it as an issue that envelops different forms of social oppression against under-represented groups.  The class will look at writings on anti-oppression and organizing, criminal punishment, government funding in regards to HIV and the queer community, and other issues concerning low-income and colored communities to see how they all connect to the drug war.

“We’re trying to take an understanding of systemic violence and forms of oppression and understand how they link together,” Blasenheim said. “We can begin to link various social movements together to fight for common causes.”

The class generated a large amount of interest and is no longer accepting enrollment requests or audits.

 

New forums being offered this semester also include Kurt Vonnegut as Author and Character: Kilgore Trout, Elliot Rosewater, and Billy Pilgrim, and Engineering Metaphors for Experience.

Previously existing forums that are being offered again this semester are WILD Wes Sustainable Landscaping Implementation Lab, Contemporary Radical Jewish Thought, Introduction to Disability Studies, Service-Learning Experience for Musical Mentors at Green Street Arts Center & Macdonough Elementary School, and Creating Understanding: Breaking Barriers Through Facilitation.