WAUKESHA – Each semester several members of the faculty and staff at the University of Wisconsin-Waukesha present 50 Minute Lectures on their research or topic of interest. Six such presentations have been scheduled for fall 2003, all offered at noon in Conference Room 101, located in the Commons on campus at 1500 N. University Dr., Waukesha. Admission is free, and the public is welcome.
Thursday, September 18, Jane Crisler, associate professor of history, will discuss the research she is doing on how students think about change through time. Trying to break an often-held concept of history as a collection of dates, she is investigating how students learn to analyze change to develop an interest in the human past. Her own classes are her laboratory, and she will report on her preliminary findings.
Thursday, October 2, Bill Schneider, lecturer in philosophy and avid bicyclist, will speak from his personal experience in presenting “Ride It Like You Stole It: Getting the Most Fun and Fitness from a Bike.” He will review the various types of bikes and their suitability for individual preferences, give tips on making a bike more comfortable, speak about motivation, and finally suggest what may lie ahead in bicycling. He’ll also do some “show and tell” and invite questions.
Thursday, October 16, John Allen, assistant professor of English, will return to his doctoral dissertation research in presenting “A Cultural History of American Homelessness from The Tramp Menace to Project Scum.” He investigated homelessness in American literature in writing his thesis.
Thursday, October 23, Blake McNulty, emeritus associate professor of history, will present “Life under the Sea: The Colorful Underwater World of the Caribbean.” A scuba-diving enthusiast, McNulty shot the video, edited and narrated it. He will answer questions about his scuba diving experiences as well.
Wednesday, November 19, Elizabeth Zanichkowsky, an associate professor of English, and her colleague, Cassandra Phillips, an assistant professor, will talk about “Portfolios and Holistic Assessment,” discussing how faculty and staff use portfolios of student work, rather than assignments and exams singly, to determine how well a student is progressing.
Tuesday, December 9, Dan Stalder, a lecturer in psychology, will challenge traditional thinking with “The Pros and Cons of Having a Cerebral Cortex: Lessons from Social Psychology and Beyond.” While humans have enjoyed a feeling of superiority because of their cerebral cortexes, social and clinical psychology have shown that over complex brains sometimes produce counterproductive activities and might lead to underuse of the cortex’ potential as well.
The 50 Minutes Lecture Series is sponsored by the University Convocations Committee as part of its regular schedule of events.
For information about UW-Waukesha, contact the Student Services office at (262) 521-5200, or visit the Web at waukesha.uwc.edu. |
