Month: August 2016

Director of the Humanities Institute Michael Lynch, explores the dangerous insecurity of American Exceptionalism.

The Danger of ‘American Exceptionalism’

The siren call of American exceptionalism ends up encouraging only demagoguery.

By Michael P. Lynch | Contributor

Aug. 14, 2016, at 7:00 a.m.

Over the last month, there has been a steady drumbeat of talk about America’s “greatness” – whether it was making it great again (Donald Trump) or already being the greatest country on Earth (the Obamas and Hillary Clinton). Yet what does it really mean to say America is “great” – now or in the future? Not surprisingly, it depends whom you ask: their politics, their views on the health of the economy and so on. But differences on the meaning of “greatness” go deeper as well and often concern a single idea that is of increasing national importance: American Exceptionalism. read more

Moving the Conversation Forward (Workshop on Intellectual Humility in Secondary Education)

Moving the Conversation Forward

August 3, 2016 – Kenneth Best – UConn Communications, UConn Today

Middle and high school teachers are on campus this week learning how to use genocide and human rights education to address complex historical and current issues.

The program – The Upstander Academy: Intellectual Humility in Public Discourse Summer Institute – was developed by the Thomas J. Dodd Research Center and the Upstander Project, with assistance from secondary educators in Connecticut.

The week-long session is part of the Humanities Institute’s Public Discourse Project, a research and engagement program examining the role that intellectual humility can play in meaningful public dialogue, and the initial activity sponsored by a grant from the John Templeton Foundation for research on balancing humility and conviction in public life.

The Upstander Academy at UConn is associated with the national Upstander Project, which aims to overcome indifference to social injustice by using learning resources, including documentary films, to motivate individuals to move from being “bystanders” to becoming “upstanders” – people who take action in defense of those who are targeted for harm.

Glenn Mitoma, director of the Dodd Research Center and assistant professor in the Neag School of Education, says the week-long institute focusing on human rights and genocide will be followed by future summer sessions on philosophy and on American Studies. He notes that early secondary education – middle school – is when geography and world history become part of the public school curriculum, providing the opportunity to introduce conflict resolution issues to students. read more

Moving the Conversation Forward

See the Folio at the UConn’s campus art museum, the William Benton Museum of Art, from September 1-25, 2016.

September 1-25, 2016

The First Folio exhibit, which is free and open to the public, can be found at the William Benton Museum of Art from September 1-25, 2016. Located at 245 Glenbrook Road in Storrs, the Benton’s hours are as follows:

Tuesday – Friday, 10 AM – 4:30 PM
Saturday and Sunday, 1 – 4:30 PM

For a Full Schedule of Events click here