Monthly Archives: November 2011

Students attend RAUK panels

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Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, Portcullis HouseAt the end of October, Republicans Abroad United Kingdom (RAUK) offered LUP students the opportunity to attend two of the panels arranged as part of their European Regional Meeting.

A number of students took up the offer to spend their Friday afternoon and evening engaging with the international dimension of American politics. 

Justin Asuncion, one of the students who attended both events, writes:


“Recently, I had the pleasure of attending two panel events highlighting the increasing globalization of the world. The events offered insights into two key topics, not only those facing Republicans in the upcoming election, but topics that are of importance to all the civilizations in the world. The first panel covered the United States’ recent and expected foreign policy and the implications of those decisions and the second panel covered the ongoing crisis in the Eurozone touching on the root causes and some predictions for the future.”

To read the rest of Justin’s report on the events, please click through to our website.

(photo by Alex Brown, used under Creative Commons, with thanks)

Conway Conversations: “9/11 and the New World Order”

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Wednesday will see the second event in the newly-launched Conway Conversations series, entitled “9/11 and the New World Order”

This year sees the anniversary of the terrible events of 9/11, but we have also seen a fundamental set of shifts in world politics. Western armies have been in Iraq, Libya and remain in Afghanistan, where there appears to be no resolution. The Arab Spring has brought changes to countries like Egypt, but not yet delivered democracy. The Moslem Brotherhood hovers in the wings. Syria has drawn nearer to Iran as its domestic politics have disintegrated, and America and Britain have drawn up plans for war. Meanwhile the Euro plummets and has brought down the Greek and Italian governments and there are plans for mass demonstrations in London later this month against austerity measures. Are we entering a new world or seeing the death of old certainties? Are world politics and economics so volatile that the future is unpredictable? What are the limits of democracy?

Come and debate these urgent issues. Wednesday, 23 November, 5.30pm,
Student Activities Centre, Conway Hall

LUP students do not need to book a seat in advance, but any staff, faculty or alumni interested in attending should email Christina Pehlivanos and put “Conway Conversations” in the Subject line (Christina.Pehlivanos.1@nd.edu).

Speakers:
Professor Clive Bloom, University of Notre Dame London Undergraduate Program
LUP faculty member and distinguished literary scholar, cultural critic, and author of books on London’s history of protest movements and violence; massively in demand for interviews by British press and media during the August London riots.

Professor Richard Heffernan, University of Notre Dame London Undergraduate Program
LUP faculty member and distinguished political scientist with many publications in the areas of British political and constitutional history, as well as transatlantic relations between Britain and America.

Dr Hakim Adi, University of Chichester
From his doctoral work at SOAS (School of African and Oriental Studies), through his time as faculty member at Middlesex University and the University of Chichester, Adi has written extensively on Middle Eastern politics, Pan-African History and the African Diaspora. A founding member of Britain’s Black and Asian Studies Association and one of the organisers of Black History Month, he is currently writing a book about Paul Robeson, twentieth-century African-American actor, athlete, and civil rights leader.

Chair: Professor Greg Kucich, University of Notre Dame London Undergraduate Program

(Photo by Barry Yanowitz, used under Creative Commons, with thanks)

Students visit the Rose Theatre

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Edward Alleyn, Actor“Last month, the students enrolled in the LUP’s Shakespeare in London class were afforded a rare opportunity, one that could hardly be enjoyed in any city but London.

During our normal class time, we were taken to the site of Philip Henslowe’s Rose Theatre, where we were briefed on the history and cultural significance of the Rose and—perhaps most memorably—given a chance to deliver lines from the great Elizabethan tragedy Dr. Faustus at the very site where it would have been performed over four centuries ago.

Though the experience resonated in a unique way with each of us, the consensus was surely that our time at the Rose was at once informative, humbling, and, yes, a bit intimidating. After all, Edward Alleyn, the Rose’s lead actor, would be a tough act to follow in any century.”
– T.S., student in the class

(Photo of Edward Alleyn’s portrait by Lisby1, and used under Creative Commons, with thanks)

Three evening events next week

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Next week will be a very busy one, with two evening events at the London Centre, plus our first speaker at Conway Hall: read on for details.
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Conway HallBob Conway, “ND London, Cross-Cultural Experience, and Your Global Future”
Monday, 14 November, Conway Hall, 5.30pm

This event launches “CONWAY CONVERSATIONS,” a new series new series of talks, symposia, poetry readings, etc. at Conway Hall Student Activities Centre.

The launch event features Bob Conway himself, who completed an undergraduate degree at Notre Dame before moving on to graduate work at the University of Chicago, international study at the University of Louvain (Belgium), and a sparkling career in international investment banking with Goldman Sachs, which included a 5-year stint teaching in Columbia University’s MBA Program and, most spectacularly, the spearheading of Goldman Sachs’s development into one of the world’s foremost global investment firms.

Bob has served on Notre Dame’s Board of Trustees for the last 21 years and the Board of Trustees of the University of Notre Dame in England, as well as the Council for the DeBartolo Performing Arts Center and the Board of ND’s Irish Studies Program. Notre Dame awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws Degree in 2005.

Bob likes to roll his sleeves up and get deeply into the thick of things, so his talk will be on the concise side, with a spirited “conversation” to follow.

Seating is limited so this event is open only to students on the London Undergraduate program. To reserve a seat, students should email Christina Pehlivanos and put “Conway Conversations” in the Subject line (Christina.Pehlivanos.1@nd.edu).

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Book cover reading 'Bible / Gordon Campbell

Wednesday, 16 November. 5.30pm. Room G.07
“Bible: The Story of the King James Version 1611-201”
Gordon Campbell, Professor of Renaissance Studies, University of Leicester

Coinciding with the 400th anniversary of the original publication of the King James Bible, the ‘Authorized Version’ and the single most influential book in English, Professor Gordon Campbell has published a highly acclaimed critical study (with Oxford University Press) of the book’s creation, initial impact, and reception history of the last 400 years. His talk, taking the title from his recent publication, traces the story of the KJV and his own scholarly engagement with this profound history.

University of Notre Dame students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to attend; please email london@nd.edu to book your place.

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Thursday, 17 November 5.45pm
“Alcohol and Violence: A Global Health Crisis”
Kathryn Graham, Senior Scientist and Research Professor, University of Western Ontario

Kathryn Graham’s talk is a highlight in a two-day London Centre seminar on “Alcohol and Affliction” hosted by the Drugs and Addiction National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki (Finland).

University of Notre Dame students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to attend; please email london@nd.edu to book your place.

The Tempest at Jericho House

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St Giles CripplegateOur faculty find many ways to make use of the city’s resources to enrich our students’ study whilst they are in London. A current student writes about a recent event:

“On the evening of Tuesday, 11 October, Professor Sokolova’s Playing Shakespeare class was given the opportunity to view Jericho House’s production of The Tempest. Notre Dame had been invited to the performance by Jonathan Holmes, the artistic director of Jericho House. The play was performed at St Giles Cripplegate Church, a spectacular cathedral in the Barbican.

Holmes was kind enough to host a private question & answer session with the Notre Dame students before the play began. Holmes fielded questions about the background of the production and offered insight into Jericho House’s artistic interpretation of The Tempest.

The performance itself was a brilliant tribute to Shakespeare’s original, as Jericho House chose to restore the music that survives the play’s premiere 400 years ago.

Jericho House promised an unconventional interpretation of The Tempest, and what it delivered was an authentic, original and thoroughly enjoyable theatre experience. The class extends its deepest gratitude to Jonathan Holmes and Jericho House for their generous invitation and the outstanding performance.”
– M Kochanski, London, Fall 2011.

(Picture based on photo by secretlondon123, used under Creative Commons, with thanks)