MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2019 Activities by Category - Literature

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(CANCELED) Love and Romance in Ancient India

Shekhar Shastri

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/18
Attendance: Participants must attend all sessions

Romantic poetry was considered the supreme form of aesthetics in ancient Indian literature. Strikingly uninhibited in their content and intensity, the works of poets such as Bhartrhari, Kalidasa, and Jayadeva are unparalleled in their sublime expression of love which provide deep insight into ancient Indian society, culture, and relationships in general. In addition, a brief background in Indian aesthetics would be provided to help in understanding the literary works and the sensibilities of the era under study; paintings inspired from the above-mentioned love poetry would be shown and discussed.

Students would be encouraged to create original works on their own deriving inspiration from the works studied in the class. The final session will take place in the Indian Art gallery at The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.

Comments from IAP 2011-14 students:

“ … very engaging and dynamic ... what a wonderful way to learn Indian culture. … drew us in immediately …very stimulating ... beautiful ... moving”

Instructor

Shekhar Shastri is an entrepreneur, poet, and filmmaker and is a Director of Meru Education Foundation, which produces educational programs on the arts and culture of India. He writes poetry and plays in Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, and English. He has produced four films, one of which was nominated for a National award in India.

To register, please email:  shastri.shekhar@gmail.com

Sponsor(s): Mechanical Engineering
Contact: Shekhar Shastri, shastri.shekhar@gmail.com


Jan/22 Tue 07:00PM-09:00PM 1-150
Jan/24 Thu 07:00PM-09:00PM 1-150
Jan/29 Tue 07:00PM-09:00PM 1-150
Jan/31 Thu 07:00PM-09:00PM 1-150
Feb/02 Sat 10:00AM-12:00PM Museum of Fine Arts

First four classes at MIT, fifth and final class at MFA, Boston.

Shekhar Shastri


MIT Writers' Group

Steven Strang

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/06
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

Calling all creative writers! Want to write something creative but need some motivation or support or some thoughtful readers?  Join other MIT writers to get advice about your own writing, to be a reader of other writers' work, and/or to get inspiration to write something. Any type of creative writing is welcomed:  e.g., fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, memoirs, personal essays, plays, blog entries, book reviews. We help each other get started on a creative writing project, we help each other develop ideas and style, and we function as engaged and encouraging readers of each other's material.  The Group includes emerging and established writers. We meet every Monday from noon-1:00 p.m. Open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students, post-docs, lecturers, staff, faculty, spouses and partners. Please note that this is not a class and not a group for technical writing or for thesis writing.

Please email <smstrang@mit.edu> to register.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Steven Strang, E18-233 B, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU


MIT's Writers Group

Add to Calendar Jan/07 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM E17-136
Add to Calendar Jan/14 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM E17-136
Add to Calendar Jan/28 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM E17-136

Session Title TBD


Modern Irish History & Culture: From Molly Malone to Nobel Laureates

Christopher LaRoche, User Experience Consultant

Add to Calendar Jan/25 Fri 12:00PM-01:30PM 1-150

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Prereq: None

Discusses and investigates aspects of modern Irish history. Specifically, a discussion of how the images and concepts of Ireland and the Irish have evolved over the last several hundred years in the eyes of the greater world.
 
In this talk, we will discuss and investigate the history and culture of Ireland from the eighteenth century to the present. We'll pay particular attention to issues and topics such as Saint Patrick, the repression of Catholicism, the Famine of the 1840s, the 1916 Easter Uprising, the Anglo-Irish War of 1920-1921, the Irish Civil War, and Ireland since the declaration of an Irish republic in 1948.
 
Finally the lecture will focus on and discuss the idea of mythology and stereotype used in lieu of history and how that has shaped many opinions about Ireland: and how that has recently evolved from Ireland as a caricature to respectability within the wider world view.

Sponsor(s): ATIC Lab
Contact: Christopher Laroche, 7-143, 617 324-9016, LAROCHE@MIT.EDU


Pleasures of Poetry 2019

Noel Jackson, Associate Professor of Literature

Add to Calendar Jan/07 Mon 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/08 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/09 Wed 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/10 Thu 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/11 Fri 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/14 Mon 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/15 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/16 Wed 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/17 Thu 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/18 Fri 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/22 Tue 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/23 Wed 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/24 Thu 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417
Add to Calendar Jan/25 Fri 01:00PM-02:00PM 14N-417

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up
Attendance: Repeating event, participants welcome at any session

This popular activity – which aims to reach all lovers of poetry – has been offered every IAP for the last twenty years.  Each one-hour session is devoted to a single poet, usually a single poem.  The goal is discussion and shared pleasure.  No lectures or professorial arrogance allowed. Some participants attend every session, but many others attend only once or twice to read and discuss a favorite poet or poem.  The roster of poets is always immensely diverse: from ancient Chinese masters to contemporary American poets laureate, from such famous Greats as Shakespeare, Keats, and Auden to Dr. Seuss and Bob Dylan.  Discussion and collaborative close reading are the aim and ideal of each hour.

Sponsor(s): Literature
Contact: Chloe Jones, 14N-407, 617 258-5629, CJJONES@MIT.EDU


SAID in STEM - Students Advocating for Increased Diversity in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math

Mackenzie Lemieux, Technical Associate

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 12/21
Attendance: participants are encouraged to attend all sessions
Prereq: None

Students Advocating for Increased Diversity (SAID) in STEM is a seminar series that will be held throughout the months of January and February with a goal of educating men and women in the MIT community about the biases and stereotypes that create barriers for women and underrepresented minorities in STEM fields.

Through group discussions, critical analysis of journal articles, and talks from successful women in science, our aim is to make students and faculty aware of the inequalities that exist in the workplace while also educating participants about biases and stereotypes directly impact behaviors and decrease opportunities for women and minorities to pursue STEM careers, especially positions of leadership.

Session 1 (January 10th) and Session 2 (January 17th) will focus on developing knowledge of biases and stereotypes, inequalities in STEM, and why they exist with emphasis on the work of transgender neuroscientist,  neurologist, and advocate for women and minorities in science, Dr. Ben Barres.

The following sessions will include talks from Dr. Eve Marder, Dr. Marcy Bolster, Dr. Mary Montgomery, and Dr. Dorothy Schafer regarding their career achievements, experiences as women in science and/or medicine, and the barriers they have faced in their outstanding careers.

Sponsor(s): Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Contact: Mackenzie Lemieux, 46-6263, (416) 806-0041, mlemieux@mit.edu


Add to Calendar Jan/10 Thu 05:30PM-07:30PM 46-3310, bring your laptop or a notebook
Add to Calendar Jan/17 Thu 05:30PM-07:30PM 46-3310, bring your laptop or a notebook

Sessions 1 and 2 will focus on developing knowledge of biases and stereotypes, inequalities in STEM, and why they exist with emphasis on the work of transgender neuroscientist, neurologist, and advocate for women and minorities in science, Dr. Ben Barres.

Mackenzie Lemieux - Technical Associate, Matilde Borio - Undergraduate Researcher


Add to Calendar Jan/30 Wed 05:30PM-07:30PM 46-3310, Bring your laptop or a notebook

The following sessions will include talks from Dr. Eve Marder, Dr. Marcy Bolster, Dr. Mary Montgomery, and Dr. Dorothy Schafer regarding their career achievements, experiences as women in science and/or medicine, and the barriers they have faced in their outstanding careers.

Additional session dates are available past 1/30 for those who are interested, please contact the Activity Leader directly for more information.

Mackenzie Lemieux - Technical Associate, Matilde Borio - Undergraduate Researcher


Stories of Our Lives: Autobiography for Everybody

Louise Harrison-Lepera, Lecturer, Susan Carlisle, Lecturer

Add to Calendar Jan/28 Mon 01:00PM-03:00PM 56-167

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/25
Limited to 20 participants

You don't have to be famous or have lived a long, illustrious life to start writing your autobiography. Telling stories about your life can not only help you remember experiences, but also help you understand them better. This two hour workshop is a bite-sized sample of one of our most popular introductory writing classes, Reading and Writing Autobiography. In this workshop we will discuss a few short excerpts from contemporary autobiographies. We will then use some thought-provoking writing exercises to help us open up our memories and choose significant moments to write about. Workshop participants will have the chance to write about one of these moments and get feedback on how to shape it into a longer piece.

Sponsor(s): Writing, Rhetoric, and Professional Communication, Comparative Media Studies/Writing
Contact: Louise Harrison-Lepera, E18-240C, 617-253-0650, lhl3@mit.edu