BU Center for the Humanities Forum 2019: Can We Talk? Dialogue and Debate in the Contemporary Academy

The Center for the Humanities Forum 2019, “Can We Talk? Dialogue and Debate in the Contemporary Academy,” cosponsored by the Provost’s Office and the CAS Dean’s Office, will explore one of the biggest challenges facing universities today: the problem of honest discussion within our own institutional borders. In seeking a topic that would serve our own Boston University community we recognized that no subject was of greater moment than the challenge of open debate, and we hope that our event will promote more meaningful and open dialogue at BU and beyond. This one-day Forum will feature a range of voices from faculty of different levels— contingent, tenured, untenured—to staff, senior administrators, and graduate students.

PANEL 1 | 9:15AM-11:00AM | LANGUAGE MATTERS: DISCUSSING DIFFICULT TEXTSModerator: Gregory Williams, Associate Professor, Department of History of Art & ArchitecturePanelists:Kimberly Arkin, Assistant Professor, Department of Anthropology; Emily Gowen, PhD Candidate, Department of English; Stephen Prothero, C. Allyn and Elizabeth V. Russell Professor of Religion; Takeo Rivera, Assistant Professor, Department of English; Crystal Williams, Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion

PANEL 2 | 11:15AM-12:45PM | CORPORATE UNIVERSITY: ACKNOWLEDGING STUDENT, FACULTY, AND ADMINISTRATION FAULT LINESModerator: Nazli Kibria, Associate Dean/Social Sciences, Professor, Department of SociologyPanelists:Kimber Chewning, PhD Candidate, Department of History of Art & Architecture; Jean Morrison, University Provost and Chief Academic Officer; Peter Schwartz, Associate Professor, Department of World Languages & Literatures; Cady Steinberg, Administrator, Department of History; Jonathan Zatlin, Associate Professor, Department of History

PANEL 3 | 1:45PM-3:15PM | SHOP TALK: NURTURING HONEST DIALOGUE ACROSS LABOR DIVIDESModerator: Jeffrey W. Rubin, Associate Professor, Department of HistoryPanelists:Charles Chang, Assistant Professor, Department of Linguistics; Nancy Geourntas, Executive Assistant to the Dean, College of Arts & Sciences; Daniel Kleinman, Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs; Jessica Lambert, PhD Candidate, Department of Anthropology; Marisa Milanese, Master Lecturer, Writing Program

ROUNDTABLE | 3:45PM-5:15PM | FURTHER REFLECTIONS: LOOKING AHEAD TOGETHERModerator: Maurice Lee, Professor, Department of EnglishPanelists:Julie Levy, PhD Candidate, Department of Classical Studies; David Lyons, Professor Emeritus, Department of Philosophy and School of Law; William Moore, Director, American & New England Studies Program; Adela Pineda, Professor of Spanish, Department of Romance Studies; Carrie Preston, Arvind and Nandlal Kilachand Professor and Director, Kilachand Honors College

When 8:15 am to 5:30 pm on Thursday, October 3, 2019
Location WBUR CitySpace, 890 Commonwealth Avenue
Contact Email buch@bu.edu