Join historian Karen Petrone and Russian scholar Jeanmarie Rouhier-Willoughby, along with Gregory Hall, professor in the Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce, in conversation with Interim Dean Christian Brady as they discuss the ongoing crisis between Ukraine and Russia and the historical, cultural, and political motivations for the conflict.
Derrick White, professor in the UK History Department and African American and Africa Studies Program, and Amira Rose Davis, professor of History and African American Studies at The Pennsylvania State University, in conversation with A&S Interim Dean Christian Brady will examine how the intersection of Covid-19 and social justice made college and professional sports a site of activism and protest. The panelists will also discuss how it connects to a longer history of athletic activism.
In conversation with A&S Dean Mark Kornbluh, Karen Petrone, professor of history and director of the newly launched College of Arts & Science’s Cooperative for the Humanities and Social Sciences, along with Kristin Monroe, associate professor of anthropology, will discuss the state and value of the humanities and social sciences in a time of crisis and social change.
As a prelude to the Fall Semester, Associate Provost Kathi Kern and Dean Mark Kornbluh will discuss the challenges posed by teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Faculty and students alike worry about the logistics. How will we maintain a safe and healthy learning environment? How much of instruction will need to be moved online or “flipped”? How does technology enable or restrict us? How do we continue to foster strong student-teacher bonds at a distance? How do we build community in our current environment?
And while these questions are urgent for the particular moment, they also point to a lasting shift in how we go about our work as educators. Even after the pandemic subsides, we will likely find ourselves reflecting on the unexamined, yet sacred elements of what makes a college education. As disruptive as the pandemic has been, it has also ignited a climate of innovation. We are led to think anew about the journeys that our students take, how our research and disciplines best serve a diverse community of learners, how the wicked problems of the world defy institutional silos, and how we can best support individuals while also strengthening communities. Our lessons learned and enduring challenges from the past few months afford us a unique opportunity to anticipate these emergent paradigms for teaching and learning.
