July 2002
Program Notes
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First Week (July 6 - 12)
Women and Islam
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Such measures as the Taliban's banning of education for girls and
prohibition of jobs for women has drawn attention to the status
of women under Islam. What does the Koran say about a woman's place
in society? How have certain Islamic societies deviated from the
treatment of women prescribed by the prophet Mohammad more than
a thousand years ago? Religious studies professor Amina
Wadud (VCU), author of Qur'an and Woman: Rereading
the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective, and Persian literature
scholar Farzaneh Milani (UVa), author of Veils
and Words: The Emerging Voices of Iranian Women Writers, address
such questions.
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Second Week (July 13 - 19)
Me and My Car
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It is the most ubiquitous piece of technology in the U.S. The changes
it has brought to the American landscape are many, from drive-ins
to the suburbs. The automobile revolutionized life in the 20th century
and may continue to do so in the 21st. Historian Kevin Borg
(JMU) looks at the influence of the "horseless carriage,"
including the role it has played in race relations and gender distinctions.
Also featured: Will the car of the future allow us to reduce our
concerns about pollution and escape our dependence on fossil fuels?
Some say it will, if we turn to fuel cell technology. Doug
Nelson (VT) offers a primer on this new form of power.
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Third Week (July 20 - 26)
Fiddling in Southwest Virginia
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The mountains of southwest Virginia are rich with music and musicians.
Coeburn-native Ralph Stanley is the current media darling, but others
from these parts, including The Carter Family and Doc Boggs, have
also had their days in the spotlight. Residents of the region have
sought to keep the tradition alive with such festivals as Home Craft
Days at Mountain Empire Community College in Big Stone Gap. The
festival's 30-year history is chronicled on a recently released
5-CD set. Sue Ella Boatright-Wells (Mountain Empire Community
College) and Joe Smiddy, a banjo player
and former chancellor of the University of Virginia's College
at Wise, spin tales and discs as they recall the noted
and less-noted musicians of the region.
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Fourth Week (July 27 - August 2)
Restoring the American Chestnut
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In 1904, workers at the Bronx Zoological Park in New York City
observed a small sunken canker on the stem of an American chestnut
tree. Within 40 years, the fungus that created this canker virtually
wiped out the onetime monarch of the eastern hardwood forest. Chestnut
blight remains in the forests of Virginia, but scientists are trying
to breed trees that will prove resistant to the destructive fungus.
Plant pathologist Gary Griffin (VT) discusses recovery
efforts. Also featured: Environmental scientist Stan Ulanski
(JMU) breaks down the science of fly fishing. What do Newton's
second law and the polarization of light have to do with angling?
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