All News

Kirk Pillow (Philosophy) presented a paper, "Hegel and Homosexuality," at the Society for Phenomenology and Existential Philosophy National Meeting in Chicago in October.

In June, Austin Briggs, Tompkins Professor of English, Emeritus, delivered a paper--"Saucy Sources for 'Circe'"--on a panel he organized for the International James Joyce Symposium held in Trieste, Italy; clips from the panel were broadcast on Italian television, and Briggs was interviewed by an Irish TV team that is producing a program on Joyce. Briggs also delivered a lecture--"Asymmetry and Comedy in Joyce"--at the Joyce Summer School sponsored by Joyce's alma mater, University College, Dublin. Briggs' "James Joyce/J.M. Coetzee/Elizabeth Costello" appeared in the Spring issue of the James Joyce Literary Supplement; the essay is based in part on Coetzee's visit to Hamilton last November.

Professor of Government Cheng Li will speak on "China's Road Ahead: Will the New Leaders Make a Difference?" at The Maxwell School of Syracuse University on Thursday, Oct. 17, 4-6 p.m. in 220 Eggers Hall.

Sociologist Doug Massey will discuss "Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration," on Monday, Oct. 14, at 8 p.m. in the Hamilton Chapel. He will discuss the book, Beyond Smoke and Mirrors: Mexican Immigration in an Era of Economic Integration, which he co-authored with Jorge Durand, and Nolan J. Malone, concerning the effects of Mexican immigration on the U.S. economy. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Maurice Isserman, William R. Kenan Professor of History, was interviewed for a Voice of America story on the discussion about war with Iraq. Isserman drew comparisons between current anti-war sentiment and the anti-war movement of the sixties.

Associate Professor of Chinese De Bao Xu and Professor of Chinese Hong Gang Jin published two books, Crossing Paths: Living and Learning in China, and Shifting Tides: Culture in Contemporary China, Cheng & Tsui Company, Boston, 2002. In addition, Xu's talk "Pedagogical Issues in Teaching Classical Chinese" was selected in the proceedings of "Reflecting on the Future of Chinese Language Pedagogy: A Conference Honoring the 40-year Career of Professor George Chih-ch'ao Chao", that was held at University of Chicago, Oct. 11.

Professor of Government and China expert Cheng Li was quoted in a Reuters article about how the children of Chinese leaders today are different from their predecessors because they are avoiding the political spotlight. They were once assured tickets to power and riches, which changed after a series of scandals in the 1990s that sparked a crackdown on corruption. The children had come of age amid unprecedented economic reform that saw them put in control of key industries and deep pools of public fund with little oversight. “Public resistance to, and the institutional restraints on, tazai [the children], mishu (personal assistants) and other personal networks has been stronger than ever during the past few years,” Li said. The children of the political elite and their spouses had incomes as high as 120 times the national average with 78 percent of them suspects in fraud cases involving more than five million yuan.

Tuck Everlasting, a Walt Disney Pictures movie based on the book by Natalie Babbitt, wife of former Kirkland College president Sam Babbitt, opens this weekend (Oct. 11-13). Sam Babbitt was president of Kirkland College from 1966 until it joined with Hamilton in 1978. Sam and Natalie Babbitt collaborated on The Forth-Ninth Magician in the mid-1960s, a book he wrote and she illustrated. Later, Natalie began writing and illustrating her own books, including Tuck. In his commencement address at Hamilton in 2001, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack '72 retold the story of The Forty-Ninth Magician for the graduating class, suggesting that they follow the theme and look for happiness in the simple things in life.

William Finlay, director of theatre at Union College and a world-renowned choreographer of fight scenes, will visit Hamilton on Saturday, Oct. 12, to assist in rehearsing scenes for the upcoming Hamilton production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Hamilton Assistant Professor of Theatre Mark Cryer is directing the production, which will be a contemporary look at Shakespeare's classic love story. It will be performed in Minor Theater on Nov. 14-16 and 20-23.

U.S. citizens have been living in fear since the September 2001 terrorist attacks, and the newest rein of terror, D.C.’s sniper, has generated increased fear for personal safety. Douglas Raybeck, professor of anthropology, says, “While this sniper may have nothing to do with Islamic extremists, he is playing upon similar fears and upon a context of significant unease. His acts are terrifying: he is a terrorist."