Community Enrichment Programs pique the mind

The President’s Community Enrichment Programs for 2011-2012, sponsored by the Foundation for a New American University, include a wide variety of subjects, from art as a way of knowing to the science of speech and hearing:

“Uncertainty, Innovation and Conversation: Learning to Manage the Unknown and the Unknowable in a Changing World,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Oct. 6, SkySong Global Room, 1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Cost: $20. Free parking. Speaker: Michelle Jordan, assistant professor, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

Synopsis: In a rapidly changing world, how can we cope with our limited ability to predict the future, evaluate our options and interpret ambiguous situations? Explore how we use communication in the face of uncertainty.

“Elections 3.0: Not Your Father’s Elections Anymore,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Oct. 11, 18, 25, Nov. 1, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, Executive Board Room 444, 555 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Free parking. Cost: $140.

Synopsis: How campaign and election coverage is evolving, from social media to changing demographics.

Speakers and topics:
• Oct. 11, “How Social Media is Changing Election Coverage and Campaigning,” Retha Hill
• Oct. 18, “The Race to be First: The Science of Calling Elections,” Steve Elliott
• Oct. 25, “Who Cares About the Census? How Demographic Changes are Impacting Elections,” Steve Doig=
• Nov. 1, “Civility in Election Coverage: Is the Media Helping or Hindering?” Tim McGuire.

“Rebuilding America’s Health Care System: Critical Challenges of Law and Policy,” 10 a.m.-noon, Oct. 20, Northern Trust – Gainey Ranch, 7600 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale. Free parking. Cost $20. Speaker: Lincoln Professor James G. Hodge Jr.

Synopsis: What is right and wrong with our health care system? Explore legal foundations of health system reforms and challenges of America’s health care infrastructure.

“Listening to the Land: Desert Spiritual Traditions,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Oct. 24, Desert Botanical Garden, Dorrance Hall, 1201 N. Galvin Parkway, Phoenix. Free parking. Cost: $20.

Panelists give their perspectives on the role the desert played in the formation of world religions and the differences between monotheistic and Native American religious traditions.

Panelists:
• Talitha Arnold, speaking on Christianity
• Hava Tirosh-Samuelson, speaking on Judaism=
• Shahla Talebi, speaking on Islam
• Tod Swanson, speaking on Native American religious traditions

“What is a Family? The French Example from Napoleon to Dominique Strauss Kahn,” 10 a.m.-noon, Wednesdays, Nov. 2-16, Northern Trust – Gainey Ranch, 7600 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale. Free parking. Cost: $105. Speaker: Rachel Fuchs, Regents' Professor and Foundation Professor of History.

Synopsis: Learn about the political and cultural implications of the changing family ideal in French culture, from Napoleon Bonaparte to Dominique Strauss Kahn.

“Putting New Wine in New Bottles: STEM Motivation and Inspiration for K-12 Students Through Engineering,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Nov. 10, SkySong Global Room, 1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale.  Cost: $20. Speaker: James A. Middleton, professor of engineering education and director of the Center for Research on Education in Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology at ASU.

Synopsis: A hands-on look at how ASU engineers are inspiring excitement for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education in K–12 students.

“Freedom Foods: Superior New Foods for People, Producers and Our Planet,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Nov. 15, SkySong Global Room, 1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Free parking. Cost: $20. Speaker: Mark Edwards, professor of strategic marketing and sustainability, Morrison School of Agribusiness and Resource Management, College of Technology & Innovation.

Synopsis: A look at a new, sustainable form of food production that will enable our children to eat healthy, eat hearty and leave the ecological footprint of a butterfly.

“Art=Knowledge: Art as a Way of 'Knowing' That Links All Areas of Study,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Nov. 29, ASU Art Museum, 51 E. 10th St., Tempe. Free parking. Cost: $20. Speaker: Gordon Knox, director, ASU Art Museum, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts.

Synopsis: An insider's tour of the exhibitions followed by an in-depth conversation about how art, museums and our collective knowledge enhance human resilience amid pressing changes.

“Science Intersecting with Society,” Mondays, Jan. 23, 30, Feb. 6, 13, Northern Trust – Gainey Ranch – Scottsdale. Free parking. Cost: $140.

Synopsis: Through four cases, explore different approaches in which science intersects with society and the research and education related to each case.

Speakers and topics:
• Jan. 23, “Galileo and the Church,” Richard Creath
• Jan. 30, “Science and Theater,” Manfred Laubichler and Gitta Honegger
• Feb. 6, “The Ethics and Science of Neuroimaging,” Jason Robert
• Feb. 13, “The Science and Regulatory Context for Stem Cell Research and Therapies,” Jane Maienschein

“Reporting from Journalism's International Frontiers: Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication Hosts the Hubert Humphrey Fellows,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jan. 24, Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, 555 N. Central Ave., Phoenix. Free parking. Cost: $20.

Synopsis: The Hubert H. Humphrey Fellowship Program is a U.S. State Department initiative that brings mid-career professional journalists from other countries to American universities for 10 months to learn and teach. The Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication is one of only 18 host campuses nationally, and one of two that hosts journalists and communications professionals.

Speakers: Andreza Andrade, Brazil; Mona Abdel Alim, Egypt; Lubna Benjamin, Pakistan; Hao Chen, China; Antonio Jimenez, Costa Rica; Lejla Kapetanovic, Bosnia and Herzegovina; Evgeny Kuzmin, Russia; Taati Niilenge, Namibia; Lujain Shafeeq, Maldives; Elena Strapkova, Slovakia.

“The Future of the New American University: A Conversation with ASU President Michael M. Crow,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., Jan. 31, Tempe Center for the Arts, 700 W. Rio Salado Parkway, Tempe. Free parking. No charge.

Synopsis: Please join ASU President Michael M. Crow for an insightful conversation about ASU's trajectory and the future of higher education. Arizona State University is focusing its talent, energy and creativity on understanding and solving society's biggest challenges.

“In Search of Monsters: Modern U.S. Interventions in the Third World,” 10 a.m.-noon, Wednesdays, Feb. 1-22, SkySong Global Room, 1475 N. Scottsdale Road, Scottsdale. Free parking. Cost: $140. Speaker: Kyle Longley, Snell Family Dean's Distinguished Professor of History.

Synopsis: Learn how four wars of occupation shaped U.S. foreign policy and how future occupations may impact these policies.

“Humanities and Human Origins: The Creation of Beginnings,” 1-3 p.m., Tuesdays, Feb. 7-March 6, Northern Trust, 2398 E. Camelback Road, Phoenix. Free parking. Cost: $175.

Synopsis: A diverse look at our origins that draws on the humanities as well as the natural sciences.

Speakers and topics:
• Feb. 7, “The Evolution of Nature: Creation, Nature and Human Origins,” Hava Tirosh-Samuelson
• Feb. 14, “Indigenous Creation Stories: Who is Mother Earth?” Joni Adamson
• Feb. 21, “The Origins of Social Otherness: Social Stigma and Disease,” Rachel Scott
• Feb. 28, “The Origins of Human Uniqueness: Evolution and Contemporary Neuroscience,” Jason Scott Robert
• March 6, “The Origins of Race: Gendered Foundations of Racial Formation in the U.S.,” Sally Kitch

“The Muslim World, Global Connectivity and Human Dignity,” 10 a.m.-noon, Thursdays, Feb. 23-March 8, Northern Trust – Gainey Ranch, 7600 E. Doubletree Ranch Road, Scottsdale. Free parking. Cost: $105.

Synopsis: Develop an awareness of the diverse and complex Muslim world.

Topics:
• Feb. 23, “The Muslim World: An Introduction”
• March 1, “Global Connectivity: Being Muslim, Being Global”
• March 8, “Human Dignity: Conceptualizing Muslim Humanness”

“Creating Tomorrow's Great Teachers: Innovative Programs of the Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College,” 6:30-8:30 p.m.,, March 13, Arizona Broadway Theater, 7701 W. Paradise Lane, Peoria. Free parking. Cost: $20. Speaker: Elizabeth Hinde, director of teacher preparation, Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College.

Synopsis: Learn about the innovative ways ASU is responding to Arizona's and the nation's need to create excellent teachers.

“Combining Teams with Technology to Solve Modern Challenges,” 6:30-8:30 p.m., March 27, ASU Polytechnic Campus, 7001 E. Williams Field Road, Mesa. Free parking.  Cost: $20. Speaker: Nancy J. Cooke, professor, College of Technology and Innovation, and director, Cognitive Engineering Research Institute, Mesa, Ariz.

Synopsis: A hands-on look at the power of team-based thinking to solve complex 21st-century challenges ranging from distracted driving and improved health care coordination to human-robotic interaction and military training.

“The Science of Speech and Hearing,” 9:30-11:30 a.m., March 30, ASU Tempe Campus, 1151 Forest Ave., Tempe. Free parking. Cost: $20. Speaker: William Yost, chair and professor, Department of Speech and Hearing Science.

Synopsis: Learn about ASU's innovative research around speech, language and hearing science while touring the speech-language pathology and audiology clinics for infants, children and adults in our community.

For a complete listing and speakers’ biographies, and for registration information, visit http://www.asufoundation.org/communityengagement/PCEP/tabid/1326/Default.aspx.