About the Film

Speakers

Catherine Masud is an award-winning filmmaker and an Assistant Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Digital Media and Design and the Gladstein Family Human Rights Institute.

Stephen Bingham, the protagonist of A Double Life, has dedicated his legal career to providing support and advocacy on behalf of the marginalized and disenfranchised.

Luca Falciola is a lecturer in history at Columbia University and the author of Up Against the Law: Radical Lawyers and Social Movements 1960s-1970s.

Sponsors

This event is supported by the Human Rights Film & Digital Media Initiative, a collaborative venture between the Department of Digital Media & Design and the Dodd Human Rights Impact Programs at the Gladstein Family Human Rights, as well as the Department of Literatures, Cultures, and Languages and the Humanities Institute.

The Ping Pong Player and the Professor: A Conversation with the Author

Gene and Georgia Mittelman Lecture

Light kosher lunch served

CO-SPONSORED BY

University of Connecticut Center for Judaic Studies and Contemporary Jewish Life, Department of Anthropology and Humanities Institute

About the Book

Most Americans view ping pong as either a basement recreation or the focus of a fraternity party drinking game. Yet table tennis is an Olympic sport and one of the most popular athletic activities in the world. The Ping Pong Player and the Professor is a quirky memoir about the adventures of a Jewish anthropologist and his son, an elite player, in the colorful subculture of this extraordinary sport. The tale of their exploits in this hidden world is peppered with anthropological wisdom—the professor can’t help himself—on a range of topics, including ethnicity, religion, sport, family, and how humans create and discover meaning in life. At its core, The Ping Pong Player and the Professor is a heartwarming love story about the relationship between a father and son, two introverts who share a common bond over a nine-foot by five-foot table.

Author’s Bio

Richard Sosis is the James Barnett Professor of Humanistic Anthropology at the University of Connecticut. He is the co-author of Religion Evolving: Cultural, Cognitive, and Ecological Dynamics and Evolutionary Perspectives on Religion and Violence, and co-founder and coeditor of the journal Religion, Brain & Behavior, which publishes research on the bio-cultural study of religion.

Breanna Bonner will present on, “‘The Space Between Black and Liberation’: Analyzing Black Women’s Experiences of Intersectional Invisibility Within Liberation Movements.” Her project advisor is Evelyn Simien (Political Science).

Nathan Howard will discuss his project, “Homofascism: The Queering of Hate.” His project advisor is Tracy Llanera (Philosophy).

The afternoon will be facilitated by Clarissa J. Ceglio, Greenhouse Studios Associate Director of Research and Greenhouse Studios staff. Faculty members and representatives of community and cultural organizations in attendance will work together to generate ideas for collaboration, identify possible grant opportunities, and workshop next steps in the proposal process. Select projects will receive support from UCHI and/or Greenhouse Studios to facilitate moving the grant through the writing, application, and implementation process.

This event is the first in a series designed to offer multiple forms of support for viable grant proposals in the humanities. Lunch will be included.

This event will be held in the UCHI Conference Room. A detailed itinerary will be circulated in the weeks before the event.

To express your interest, and to ensure that you will receive further information, please fill in this form.

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We invite undergraduate students from across Connecticut to present their ethnic studies research at the Connecticut Ethnic Studies Symposium on Friday, April 5th from 11:00 am to 6:00 pm in the Wilbur Cross North Reading Room. Students will present their projects on panels with students from other universities and participate in an interdisciplinary dialogue about their findings.

To apply to present your undergraduate ethnic studies research at the symposium or learn more, please visit https://humanities.uconn.edu/connecticut-ethnic-studies-symposium/ and apply by March 5th.

This year’s symposium will mark the 50th anniversary of the 1974 sit-in at Wilbur Cross Library in which state police arrested 219 Black students who demanded the construction of an African American Cultural Center. Our keynote speaker will be Antoinette Brim-Bell, the Connecticut State Poet Laureate. We will provide lunch and a reception for all attendees.

Please RSVP if you would like to attend the welcome lunch and keynote speech from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. It is not required for attending any of the other panels. RSVP by March 22nd using this link: https://forms.gle/3qbt2tiGZS1UBUEE8.

This is an Honors Event. Categories: Academic & Interdisciplinary Engagement OR Multiculturalism & Global Citizenship.

#UHLevent10764

Don’t miss the screening the film Ampe: Leap into the Sky Black Girl. Following the film, there will be a Q&A with the film’s directors, Ife Oluwamuyide and Claudia Owusu.

This event is cosponsored by the Africana Studies Institute and the Humanities Institute

Click here to view the trailer

Anabelle Bergstrom’s project is entitled, “Minds Among Minds: A Pragmatist View of the Social and Spiritual Self in a Hyperconnected World.” Her project adviser is Julian Schlöder (Philosophy).

Brent Freed’s project is entitled, “A Revolution Hijacked: Art and Ideology from the Atelier Populaire.” His project advisor is Elizabeth Della Zazzera (History).

“Minds Among Minds: The Self in the Hyperconnected World,” Anabelle Bergstrom

“Minds Among Minds: The Self in the Hyperconnected World” seeks to examine how modern modes of connectivity such as social media affects identity and authenticity. By drawing on William James’ three constituents of the Self, the project makes bold claims about the impact the online world has on narratives of the Self. It also attempts to acknowledge and remedy the growing gap between the online and analog worlds.

“Vietnam in their Factories, Immigrant workers and the Global South during May 1968,” Brent Freed

This talk will examine Kadour Naïmi’s memoir Freedom in Solidarity: My Experience with the May 1968 Uprisings. Naïmi, the son of an Algerian immigrant, was a college student in Paris during the spring uprisings in 1968, and his connection to three different important groups of actors in the 1968 uprisings—students, workers, and immigrants—provides a unique window into what relations looked like between these groups. Naïmi’s memoir will be used to explain both the roles of immigrants during the spring riots as well as how anti-colonial ideas were discussed alongside the treatment of immigrants in France.

Anabelle S. Bergstrom is a junior majoring in political science and philosophy with a minor in public policy. Anabelle is a member of the Honors Program, Special Program in Law, BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, and is a Undergraduate Research Fellow for the UConn Humanities Institute. She also works for the Office of Undergraduate Research as a Peer Research Ambassador. After finishing her undergraduate degree, Anabelle plans to attend law school and pursue a career as a legal professional.

Brent Freed a junior pursuing a double major in History and Statistics. A native of Connecticut, he grew up just 20 minutes away from UConn’s Storrs campus. His main areas of studies include 1960s counter-culture movements and student protests.

Access note

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpretation, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities.

R. Joseph Rodríguez is a literacy educator, researcher, and author of Enacting Adolescent Literacies across Communities: Latino/a Scribes and Their Rites (2017), Teaching Culturally Sustaining and Inclusive Young Adult Literature: Critical Perspectives and Conversations (2019), This Is Our Summons Now: Poems (2022), and several academic articles, book chapters, critical essays, and narrative poems. Rodríguez is a teacher educator at St. Edward’s University and teaches secondary English language arts and reading. A graduate of public schools in Houston, he grew up in a bilingual, bicultural home and pursued university studies in language learning, literary criticism, and literacy education. Rodríguez has a BA from Kenyon College (Modern Languages and Literatures, BA, 1997), University of Texas at Austin (English, MA, 1999), and University of Connecticut (Curriculum and Instruction, PhD, 2001). He is coeditor of English Journal, a publication of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE). Rodríguez is the recipient of awards and grants from NCTE, National Endowment for the Humanities, and National Education Association Foundation. He lives in Austin and Fredericksburg, Texas.

Presentation by Dr. Brenda Brueggemann (English, UConn), Jess Gallagher (M.A. in Human Rights Studies, Columbia University) and the Mansfield Training School undergraduate research group:

Madison Bigelow, English
Collin Lamontagne, Political Science
Ally LeMaster, English & Journalism
Paula Mock, Sociology & WGSS
Ashten Vassar, Human Rights, Psychology, American Studies

The presentation will be followed by a light reception and feature a poster exhibit on “Disability Institutionalization in the U.S.” by students in AMST / ENGL 2274W, “Disability in American Literature and Culture.”

The Mansfield Training School Memorial and Museum project explores the 133-year history of the Mansfield Training School (MTS) while also focusing on its ties to the University of Connecticut (UConn). Located less than 4 miles from UConn’s main campus, the former MTS, now called the UConn Depot Campus,” spans 350 acres but has been neglected for 30 years, resulting in boarded-up buildings covered in graffiti and ivy, vandalism, and frequent trespassing violations. Based on two years of archival and collaborative work thus far, this restorative inquiry and justice initiative aims to excavate the institutionalization of disabled lives and to educate community members about MTS’s history while promoting community and institutional accountability. The project poses the central question: What are the obligations of institutions and communities to address the legacies of disability institutionalization through mutual restorative inquiry? This interactive program will: offer highlights from the MTS timeline; share a few of the traveling exhibit poster boards under construction; explore some of the MTS-UConn cross-institutional connections; and feature brief snapshots from the UConn student research team’s satellite projects growing out of their work on the MTS project overall.

Brenda Jo Brueggemann is the Project Director for the Mansfield Training School Memorial & Museum @ UConn. She is a Professor of English, American Studies, and Women’s, Gender, Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at the University of Connecticut where she also serves as the Aetna Endowed Chair of Writing.

Jess Gallagher is the Project Co-Director for the Mansfield Training School Memorial & Museum @ UConn. Jess received their BA (Honors, English) at the University of Connecticut and MA in Human Rights at Columbia University. Jess intends to work as a disability oral historian.

Madison Bigelow is a senior at the University of Connecticut studying English with a concentration in Creative Writing. Madison hopes to pursue a career in legal advocacy and public interest with a specific focus on disability rights.

Paula Mock is a senior at UConn studying both Sociology & Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Paula hopes to attend graduate school for a master’s degree in either social work or early childhood education.

Collin Lamontagne is a junior Political Science major at the University of Connecticut. His research interests center around politics, law, and policy.

Ally LeMaster is a senior English and journalism major at the University of Connecticut. Ally works as a legislative reporting intern at the Connecticut Mirror and is also currently editor-in-chief of Long River Review, UConn’s undergraduate-run literary magazine.

Ashten Vassar is a UConn senior majoring in Psychological Sciences and Human Rights with a minor in American Studies. Outside of the university, Ashten works with a grassroots coalition of institutional abuse survivors focusing on restoring agency through testimony and bringing public awareness.

Access note

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. The event will include ASL interpretation, both in person and for the livestream. The livestream will also include computer assisted real-time transcription.

Join us for an engaging discussion with Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick, human rights expert and member of an artists’ collective; Kyle Booten, co-founder of a literary journal dedicated to human-AI co-authored works; and Sue Huang, a visual artist who collaborates with AI. Together, they will explore how AI challenges us to reassess and redefine the concepts of collaboration and creativity.

“Smooth and Jagged Substrates of Thought,” Kyle Booten

In this talk, I’ll suggest that we should care less about whether or not computer-generated text can be “creative” and more about what sorts of human creativity can grow on top of it, on its surface—much the way lichen grows on bark. Sharing examples of my own work designing algorithmic writing assistants, I will suggest that AI-generated text is often unfortunately “smooth,” and I will share some tactics that I used in my recent book (Salon des Fantômes, Inside the Castle, 2024) to try make it more “jagged” and, perhaps, better for cultivating interestingly-shaped thoughts upon.

“Connective Creativity—Why Art is Collective Action, and How that Matters in the Age of AI,” Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick

“AI, Ecological Intimacies, and the Disappearing Landscape,” Sue Huang

Huang will present recent research which uses AI, scientific “found data” and natural language processing methods for exploring ecological intimacies between humans and nonhumans. In particular, she will speak about her current project Total Archive, a sci-fi performance and installation piece that explores a series of speculative government reports and “strange” objects found in a time capsule from the future. Prepared by an intern working at a government agency, these documents and artifacts reveal an ecological system in its final throes. The project presents poetry written in part by a fine-tuned AI that processes materials from digitized Smithsonian scientific field books and Internet-found amateur written erotica stories. Visuals in the video installation are derived from text-to-image AI and recombinatory methods that hybridize creatures from over 45,000 species listed in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species database.

Kyle Booten is an assistant professor of English at the University of Connecticut, Storrs. His research explores the ways that small-scale, personalized algorithmic systems may be designed to care for one’s own mind. He is the author of Salon des Fantômes (Inside the Castle, 2014), a book that documents a philosophical salon he attended with a cast of AI-fabricated characters, and the creator of Nightingale, a web extension that re-distracts the user with contextually-relevant excerpts from the poetry of John Keats (available in the Chrome Web Store). His poetry written with algorithmic feedback and interference has been published in Fence, Lana Turner, and Blackbox Manifold; his scholarly writing has recently appeared or is forthcoming in electronic book review, Critical AI, and xCoAx ’23.

Austin Choi-Fitzpatrick is an author, educator, and speaker. His work focuses on politics, culture, technology, and social change. His recent books include Wicked Problems (Oxford, 2022), The Good Drone (MIT Press, 2020) and What Slaveholders Think (Columbia, 2017), and his commentary includes articles in Slate, Al Jazeera, and the Guardian and appearances on BBC, NBC, and Fox News. Austin lives in California and holds academic appointments at the University of San Diego and the University of Nottingham.

Sue Huang is a new media artist whose work addresses collective experience. Her research explores ecological intimacies, human/nonhuman relations, and speculative futures. She is currently working on the project Total Archive, a performance work about a time capsule from the future. This project is supported by the Culture Council of the Emerson Collective and Leonardo @ Djerassi for 2024. Huang has exhibited nationally and internationally, including at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA), Los Angeles; the Contemporary Arts Center (CAC) in Cincinnati; Philadelphia Contemporary; ISEA in Montreal; and Ars Electronica in Linz, Austria; among others. She has previously been an artist-in-residence at LMCC on Governors Island, Creative Science at NEW INC, and the Studios at MASS MoCA. Huang has received funding and project support from Science Sandbox, Rhizome, the James Irvine Foundation (MOCA, Los Angeles), and Creative Scotland (NEoN), the UConn Humanities Institute, among others.She received her MFA in Media Arts at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and her BS in Science, Technology, and International Affairs from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. She is an assistant professor of Digital Media and Design at the University of Connecticut.

Access note

If you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact us at uchi@uconn.edu or by phone (860) 486-9057. We can request ASL interpretation, computer-assisted real time transcription, and other accommodations offered by the Center for Students with Disabilities.

Dr. Barry Zellen

PhD, University of Lapland (2015)

Arctic Exceptionalism in a Contested World: Navigating New Challenges to Circumpolar Unity

Dr Zellen’s talk is a preview of his newest book, Arctic Exceptionalism: Cooperation in a Contested World, which is due to be released this summer.  The book is a structural analysis of the roots and endurance of Arctic cooperation, and the rise of what until 2022 was quite commonly called “Arctic Exceptionalism,” a term that has since come under much fire as the profound consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine rippled beyond Europe, fostering a complex re-organization of the international system aimed to isolating Russia from the globalized world but which has induced instead a re-bifurcation of world politics into western and eastern blocs, largely corresponding to the late-19th to mid-20th century geopolitical constructs of Rimland and Heartland.  This re-emergence of competing blocs has quickly reached the Arctic, leading many to believe Arctic Exceptionalism was over, or perhaps had never existed at all.