January 2004

First Week (January 3 through January 9) Southern Writing: Flannery O'Connor and Ellen Glasgow

She's considered one of the best writers of the 20th century south, but Flannery O'Connor published only 32 short stories and two novels before she died in 1965 of complications from lupus. Jean Cash (JMU) spent ten years researching the first full-length biography of O'Connor. Also featured: Ellen Glasgow was born in 1873 into an aristocratic Virginia family, but wrote about the dying southern order. Her works are receiving new critical attention from literary scholars, thanks in part to Carol Manning (MWC).

Second Week (January 10 through January 16) Julian Bond on Race in America

Julian Bond (UVA) has been at the cutting edge of social change since he was a college student leading sit-in demonstrations in Atlanta in 1960. The civil rights leader faced jail for his activism and helped create the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Julian Bond, who spent 20 years as a Georgia lawmaker, is now a writer and college lecturer and the chair of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. Bond, whose grandfather was born into slavery, candidly talks about race in America fifty years after the Brown v. Board… decision by the U.S Supreme Court.

Third Week (January 17 through January 23) Life Down Under

The bottom of the ocean is one of the most inhospitable spots on the planet. Sunlight cannot reach through the murky depths, and the pressure there would crush a human being almost instantly. But life does exist on the ocean floor, and scientists are interested to learn more about how certain kinds of creatures can live in special zones that form near cracks in the earth's crust. Cindy Lee Van Dover (W&M) is one of the world's leading experts in this field and has discovered new species. Also featured: When you think of Virginia farming, do you think of catfish or hybrid striped bass? If Brian Nerrie (VSU) has his way, aquaculture will help struggling Virginia farmers add new crops.

Fourth Week (January 24 through January 30) Math? No Problem!

Want to build better cities? Or, would you like to solve the world's traffic snares? It's possible to conceive of the solution to any difficult problem, providing you know how to frame the questions using mathematics. Claudio Cioffi-Revilla (GMU) is a professor of computational sciences and director of Center for Social Complexity. He says an emerging field called computational social science can help policy makers determine the best way to allocate resources or to better understand how nations engage in war.

Bud Brown (VT) says people shouldn't be scared of math because it is nothing more than the art and science of patterns.

Fifth Week (January 31 through February 6) Are the Classics Relevant?

Western civilization is founded on the thoughts and ideas of the ancient Greeks and Romans, but many scholars warn that the study of their languages is close to extinction in our nation's public schools and universities. A hundred years ago, a high school graduate might have been expected to translate great works of Latin such as the Ars Amatoria. Today, students are more likely to take Spanish or French, and taking Latin is primarily seen as a way to boost a student's English vocabulary.

Do we need to hold on to the classics? Raymond Cormier (LU) above left and Alan Ford Farrell (VMI) left give their views on the role of Latin and Greek in 21st century America. Also featured: Socrates is perhaps the greatest of the ancient Greek philosophers. His method of questioning everything to get at philosophical truth is still popular today. Christopher Phillips is the author of the book Six Questions of Socrates.