Arts & Sciences Dean Mark Kornbluh and history professor Kathi Kern are teaching a class 'inside out' - by taking an issue (in this case, the 2012 presidential election) and building a course around it. The class, "Currents: America Through the Lens of the 2012 Election," is an interdisciplinary look into how American democracy functions. It is slated to be a non-partisan examination of how elections work, their function in media and society, and how elections have changed over time.
At the end of March 2012, the American Studies Center at Shanghai University hosted a symposium on Urbanization in the American South. Richard Schein, a professor in the Department of Geography, gave presentations in Beijing and Shanghai on America's urban landscape. In this interview, Schein discusses his research, some of his experiences in China, and some reflections on how globalization has changed relations between the United States and China.
At the end of May 2012, a delegation of faculty from the University of Kentucky went to Shanghai University to promote the American Studies Center, a partnership between UK and SHU. Michelle Sizemore facilitated a group discussion between UK and SHU students about cultural difference, identity, and storytelling across cultures. Four faculty members, Mary Anglin, Frank X Walker, Ron Pen, and Arturo Sandoval presented lectures on Appalachian culture, identity, history, and art. At the end of the three-day event, Cheyenne Hohman got a chance to interview students from Shanghai University about the event. Students reflected on what they learned, what the symposium meant to them, and shared thoughts on ways that the University of Kentucky and Shanghai University could continue to foster meaningful exchange between academic communities.
This podcast was produced by Cheyenne Hohman. Music in this podcast is a live recording of "Horse Race," performed on erhu by Can Xu and Jie Sun, music students at Shanghai University.
University of Kentucky students and faculty will travel to Shanghai in May to share Appalachian culture at the American Studies Center at Shanghai University.
With the help of a generous grant from the U.S. State Department, UK has been able to forge a partnership across the Pacific. On March 29th, 2012, three UK scholars will go to deliver lectures for the Inaugural Symposium for the American Studies Center at Shanghai. Rich Schein and Patricia Ehrkamp from the Department of Geography and Doug Boyd from the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History will be lecturing on "Urbanization in the American South." The symposium will be the first of its kind at Shanghai University, but will be followed later this semester with another series of presentations about Appalachian art, literature and culture in May.
Andy Doolen, an associate professor in the Department of English and Director of the American Studies program, is also serving as the Director of the American Studies Center in Shanghai. In this podcast, Doolen talks about the upcoming symposium, the story behind the partnership, and what UK and Shanghai University aspire to do for one another in the future.
A collaboration between the GWS and English departments, as well as the African American and Africana Studies and American Studies programs will bring speakers to classes for the benefit of students.
Alan Nadel is the William T. Bryan Professor, specializing in American Studies. Professor Nadel has particular interests in post-WWII American culture, including television and literature. In this podcast, Professor Nadel discusses narrativity as it relates to our perception of reality and how it offers context to our every day life.
