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IAP 2010 Activities by Sponsor

History

"From Course 18 to Cultural Translations: An MIT Francophile Alum's Career Path"
Jeffrey Ravel
Thu Jan 21, 05-07:00pm, 14E-304

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 14-Jan-2010
Limited to 30 participants.
Single session event

Talk and dinner for MIT undergraduates. Arthur Goldhammer, Senior Affiliate, Center for European Studies, Harvard University, has been an observer of French politics since 1968 and is one of the world's foremost translators of French history, philosophy, and literature. He received his Ph.D. and S.B. from MIT in Mathematics. Event is limited to 30 participants, please contact Margo Collett (mcollett@mit.edu) to register.

Co-sponsored by History, MISTI - France, and Foreign Languages and Literatures.
Web: http://web.mit.edu/history
Contact: Margo Collett, E51-285, x3-4965, mcollett@mit.edu
Cosponsor: MIT France Program

History Mastermind Quiz Competition
Haimanti Roy, Margo Collett
Wed Jan 27, 01-04:00pm, 32-155

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 15-Jan-2010
Single session event
Prereq: Teams of 2; cool team name; head gear defining your team

Think you know everything? Are you the next MIT History Mastermind? We invite you to test your knowledge of all things historical and pit yourself against the best teams on campus! This quiz competition will focus primarily on the past - on events, people, things - and the world is our limit!

There will be a preliminary elimination round and 4 teams will move onto the finals.
Contact: Haimanti Roy, E51-186, 253-4456, haimanti@mit.edu

Old Food: Ancient and Medieval Cooking
Anne McCants, Margo Collett
Mon Jan 11, 12-06:00pm, Next House, Kitchen

No limit but advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 28-Dec-2009
Single session event
Prereq: Stomach and sense of humor

Interested in gnawing on greasy lamb shanks? Perhaps you prefer vetches, oats and spelt-cakes? How about fermented fish sauce? Come join us for an afternoon of good old--and we mean REALLY old--fashioned ancient & medieval cookery. We will prepare, cook, and eat medieval foods from both sides of the Mediterranean Sea. Preparations will involve the use of authentic period recipe-books. You are invited to join us for this afternoon of fun and feasting. For those with more academic interests we will have sources available for your reading pleasure--or horror. If you plan to arrive later than the start time, please indicate this when registering. Location:Next House, Country Kitchen
Contact: Anne McCants, E51-293, x8-6669, amccants@mit.edu

The Distaff Arts: Medieval Clothing Technology
Anne McCants, Margo Collett, Miranda Knutson
Tue Jan 19 thru Fri Jan 22, 10am-04:00pm, E51-095

Enrollment limited: advance sign up required (see contact below)
Signup by: 04-Jan-2010
Limited to 15 participants.
Participants requested to attend all sessions (non-series)

This course explores a wide range of medieval textile and clothing production technologies, offering students hands on experience in their use. We will work with a raw fleece; card and spin the wool; use simple looms to weave a belt; dye a variety of fabrics; and design/construct a single garment - either a cloak or tunic. All materials provided - students must commit to all 4 days of class.

This course will question typical characterization of medieval textile work as unskilled, as well as consider distinctions usually made between activities labeled as crafts versus those labeled as art.
Contact: Anne E. C. McCants, E51-293, 258-6669, amccants@mit.edu

The New South Africa Twenty Years after Apartheid: Films, Discussions, and a Free Book!
Christopher Capozzola
Participants welcome at individual sessions (series)

February 11, 1990 - Nelson Mandela walks free after 27 years in prison & South Africa begins transitioning from apartheid to multiracial democracy. This series honors the 20th anniversary of his release by examining the social issues that confronted the "rainbow nation" in the last two decades: healing past wounds in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; public health & the HIV/AIDS crisis; urban landscape transformations after residential desegregation; and resurgent xenophobia targeting recent immigrants from other sub-saharan African countries. Please join us for this IAP series.
Contact: Christopher Capozzola, E51-180, x2-4960, capozzol@mit.edu

Forgiveness (2004)
Christopher Capozzola
From 1995-1998, South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission offered a highly public scrutinity of crimes by the apartheid regime. Forgiveness, a taut drama explores how a South African family and a former South African police officer grapple with the burdens of memory even after the TRC’s work was done. A short lecture on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission precedes the film with a post-film discussion.
Wed Jan 20, 07-10:00pm, Room 5-217, see sessions for details

Tsotsi (2005)
Christopher Capozzola
Tsotsi is an award-winning drama based on a novel by South African writer Athol Fugard. Following a young orphan who joins a Johannesburg street gang, the film chronicles the impact of inequality and HIV on the lives of South Africa’s children.

The film will be preceded by a short lecture on HIV in contemporary South Africa and a post-film discussion.
Thu Jan 21, 07-10:00pm, Room 3-133, see sessions for details

Book Discussion - With a Free Book! Phaswane Mpe, Welcome to Our Hillbrow (2001)
Christopher Capozzola
A most interesting short novels from post-apartheid South Africa, set in Hillbrow, a diverse & tumultuous residential neighborhood in Johannesburg. In the words of the author, "everything is there...." Free copy to 1st 12 MIT student/faculty/staff w/ MIT ID who sign up. See http://web.mit.edu/history/www. Also on reserve at the Humanities Library and available at local libraries, bookstores, & online booksellers.
Wed Jan 27, 05-07:00pm, Room 4-249, see sessions for details

District Nine (2009)
Christopher Capozzola
Sci-fi hit District Nine tells the story of forced removal of aliens terrorizing the slums of 21st-century Johannesburg, and uses conflicts over an alien “prawn” species to explore undocumented African migration and the lingering legacies of apartheid-era urban surveillance & forced removal. A short lecture on migration politics in contemporary South Africa precedes the film w/ a post-film discussion.
Wed Jan 27, 07-10:00pm, Room 4-231


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Last update: 19 August 2010