Purdue News
Purdue News
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March 19, 2004 American Studies Program celebrates anniversary with symposiumWEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University's American Studies Program, the oldest interdisciplinary program in the School of Liberal Arts, is marking its 40th anniversary on Thursday through Saturday (3/25-27) with a three-day symposium. "The symposium theme, Looking Forward, symbolizes the program's commitment to serving as an innovative venue for interdisciplinary discovery and learning," says Susan Curtis, director of the interdisciplinary studies program in the School of Liberal Arts and past director of American studies. "While celebrating the past accomplishments of the program, the American studies symposium will also reflect on new directions in the field for the 21st century." The symposium will feature two keynote speakers, as well as panel discussions and student presentations. These events are free and open to the public. Eric Lott, a professor of English and American studies at the University of Virginia who specializes in cultural studies, will present "The First Boomer: Bill Clinton, George W. and Fictions of State," at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Krannert Building's auditorium. Lott's address is a political and cultural critique of 1980's and 1990's aging baby boomer politicians and politics. On Saturday Julie Ellison, professor of English at the University of Michigan, will present "Humanities and the Public Soul" at 2:30 p.m. in Duncan Hall, 619 Ferry St., Lafayette. American studies students also will present their current research at the Black Cultural Center. Projects, times and dates are as follows: • Cultural Constructions of Identity, 1-2:15 p.m. Thursday. • Politics and Popular Culture, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Thursday. • The Academic Legacy of Cheryl Z. Oreovicz, 3:45-5:30 p.m. Thursday. • The Poetics of Peace: Social and Justice Movements in the United States, 1-2:15 p.m. Friday. • Looking Backward, Looking Forward, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Friday. • Sexing Culture: Gender and Race Articulations in U.S. Popular Culture, 3:45-5 p.m. Friday. From 10 a.m. to noon on Saturday, students will exhibit works in progress at the Tippecanoe County Historical Association library, 1001 South St., Lafayette. Members of Purdue's graduate archives class will team with the association to present stories about Greater Lafayette's heroes and legends, such as women's suffrage activist Helen Gougar. The audience is encouraged to share their stories and memories of Lafayette's historic leaders. The event also will include presentations about businessman and artist George Winter's images of the Miami and Potawatomi tribes and the Tippecanoe County landscape, Jefferson High School's yearbook as "A Lens to the Past," and stories and images from the 1978 blizzard. The American Studies Program offers graduate courses and seminar work in all aspects of American culture, with particular emphasis on the racial, ethnic, gender and regional diversity of the nation. Fifty students are currently pursuing master's and doctorate programs in the program. Writer: Amy Patterson-Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu Source: Susan Curtis, (765) 494-4159, curtis@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
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