Scholars Day

It was fun being at school today (April 11th). It's Scholars Day! No classes, but we were given assignments to write a paper on one of the presentations.

I am glad that I was able to attend two sessions, with three presenters in the morning session and four in the afternoon session. All at Hartwell Hall. There is no use in running from one building to another. I'd die if I did.

Good thing there were no scheduled presentation at Drake Library! I'd complain if they did.

Now, at SUNY Geneseo their version is called "GREAT Day":

G - Geneseo

R - Recognizes

E - Excellent

A - Achievement and

T -Talent

I hope Brockport can come up with a cutesy title.

Now what is this SUNY Brockport's Scholars Day? The brochures given to students and the school website (www.brockport.edu) say:

SUNY College at Brockport's Scholars Day was instituted in 1984 through the efforts of the College Senate. Scholars Day has continued as a celebration of scholarly pursuits by the campus community.

Scholars Day has several purposes:

To publicize research, including methodologies and conclusions;

To share new ideas and concepts;

To expand knowledge;

To provide an opportunity to socialize with members of the campus community outside of one's own department.

This year there are over 200 presentations/poster sessions with over 400 presenters/session chairs from the campus community (several of whom will present at multiple sessions). This includes 349 presenters (comprised of 300 students and 49 faculty/staff) and an additional 55 faculty/staff chairs for sessions.

Now you know how I feel when I complain about the venues. They're far away from each other.Anyway, I had to choose from the multitude of presentations listed by our professor that we should attend. I ended up choosing the presentation from the History and Anthropology Dept. (I would have watched the Reader's Presentation on J.R.R Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings," but I realized that my professor is an expert in Tolkien. There is no way I could "sway" my arguments.

The morning session I attended were (with explanations provided and lifted from from SUNY Brockport website):

History and Anthropology Dept.

"The Plight of Women in Pre-Islamic Arabia, as Contrasted with the Feminine Ideal in Classical Arabic Poetry"

by Michael Fickess

Classical Arabic poetry is a complex literary form which began with the oral traditions of Bedouin tribes in pre-Islamic Arabia and evolved into more diverse genres during subsequent centuries of Islamic influence. As a primary source for historical or anthropological inquiry, Classical Arabic poetry is invaluable because it provides a rich portrait of Arabia before and during Islamic rule, recording the sensual and social mores of a nomadic people who were closely connected to nature and each other. The portrayal of women in Classical Arabic poetry is idealized and contrasts with some other evidence available regarding the status of women in pre-Islamic Arabia.

"She Has My Sin, If I'm a Sinner..."

by Carl Davila

A fascinating feature of elite society in the medieval Islamic world was the institution of "artiste slavery" in which wealthy aristocrats, princes and caliphs enjoyed the entertainments of highly-trained female musicians, singers and composers. These women, though slaves, enjoyed signficant social status and prestige in elite circles, carving out a niche for themselves collectively in the era's gender discourses. This paper explores the history of this phenomenon, in the process illustrating the problems artiste slavery represented for the feminine ideal of the day.

"Religion and Hegemony"

by Richard Lovelace

The three Abrahamic faiths, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, share numerous features of both theology and moral outlook. And it is their differences that usually are highlighted. This extended meditation on the connections among these faiths, and how and why they differ, looks to the concept of "hegemony" for insights into how the misunderstandings among their respective communities might be reconciled.

In the afternoon, I attended the presentation of the Film Studies Department:

"Instruments of Desire: How the Monomyth and Sexual Behavior Eliminate the Gender Differential in Jane Campion’s 'The Piano'"

by Emily Wilkins

This paper focuses on Jane Campion’s 1992 film "The Piano." Drawing on Joseph Campbell’s theory of the monomyth, it argues that by portraying a female protagonist in a male-dominated society, Campion creates a world in which gender has no boundaries. Campbell’s monomyth theory states that all protagonists or heroes undergo a series of events in what is known as the hero’s journey. Evidence in Campbell’s "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" suggests the theory is predominantly patriarchal. In Campion’s film, however, the female protagonist follows Campbell’s theory of the hero’s journey, proving it is not only applicable to male protagonists. Moreover, through his physical acts and manner of communication with the protagonist, her lover indicates that he does not follow the conventions of the patriarchal society. These elements combine to prove that Campion’s film is feminist in its gender representation and universal in its approach through mythology.

"Mesh of Images: An exploration of Maya Deren’s 'Meshes of the Afternoon'"

by Jennifer LaMarsh

Maya Deren’s "Meshes of the Afternoon" (1943) rejects the influence of traditional Hollywood film structure by abandoning the literary origin of film as well as the visual form our collective socialized mind has come to assume. Deren’s medium re-presents expected images and leaves the viewer with a deposit of feelings to develop rather than a packaged meaning that may be taken to its logical end. Accomplished through her Imagist ethos, Deren rearranges conventional verbal and non-verbal language, refusing the one-to-one correspondence between images and their meanings. In the process of interpretation, the spectator recognizes and assembles the elements to reconstruct his or her visual experience. In creating a new transactional pattern between the message and its translation, a social reality which includes a female voice evolves. This paper examines Deren’s use of the Imagist aesthetic and its implicit meaning for female representation inside and outside of the film form.

"The Duplicity of Humanity in 'Night of the Living Dead'"

by Brian Boger

George A. Romero’s "Night of the Living Dead" (1968) is more than a low budget horror movie meant to shock 1960s era Americans. It is a scathing critique of that society. Fear of communism and the war in Vietnam consumed American culture, and this is reflected in Romero’s work. The audience is able to accept the presence of zombies in the film because the world they inhabit is a reflection of the country at the time. The walking dead remind the American public of the threat of communism. One sees the potential inherent in humankind juxtaposed against all its flaws. The audience bears witness to an impossible situation and is forced to acknowledge their own triumphs and failings. Ultimately, the film argues that if there can ever be hope for a society where race, gender, and social status do not matter, people need to transcend their selfish and violent natures.

"We Read the Same Gossip Columns"

by Jonathan Mannhaupt

Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller "The Birds" is about a well-known heiress, Melanie Daniels, who secretly follows her new love interest, Mitch Brenner, to the seaside town of Bodega Bay. While she is there, the birds begin their attack. Historically, film scholars have interpreted the birds psychoanalytically, as a manifestation of Mitch’s mother’s dislike of Melanie. But after the death of Princess Diana at the hands of the paparazzi, we can see the birds as a metaphor for paparazzi and Melanie as the stalked celebrity. While in the city, she is safe from the birds because she goes about her daily routine. By leaving San Francisco to follow Mitch, Melanie sparks the attention of the paparazzi/birds because she becomes involved in a relationship. This paper argues that the birds represent a critique of the paparazzi, who will go to any lengths for a great shot of a celebrity.

Aren't they interesting? The pictures I took will be posted later.

Good job guys!

Well, I need to make a report about them. But I need to take a rest first as I arrived home at 7 p.m.

Now, back to watching American Idol. I can't believe Sanjaya Malakar's safe again. The people who are in the bottom three are: Phil, Haley and Chris. Chris Richardson! O my God, even David can't believe it.

Oh well.