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<p class=MsoNormal>Dear Colleagues in the Faculty of Arts:<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>It is already time to start planning for the Winter 2011
offering of ARTS 301: Studies in the Humanities. This past term we changed
the format of the course and turned it into a lecture series. Ten members of our
faculty gave lectures that revolved around the theme “Cultural Encounters
/ Encountering Cultures.” That format worked well – 220 students were
introduced to a number of faculty members who demonstrated their engagement
with ideas and issues, and each of the lectures was well attended by students and
interested members of the university community alike. Interviews conducted
with each of the lecturers were made available as podcasts to students as well
as the general public. To get an idea of the how the series was structured, have
a look at the ARTS 301 website (<a href="http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts301/">http://www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/arts301/</a>).<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>The Winter 2011 ARTS 301 lecture series has a new theme, <b><i>Controversial
Ideas</i></b>. Progress in human history has often been marked by the
controversies surrounding the introduction of and debate about new ideas, concepts,
or ways of doing things. Sometimes these controversies centre on issues that
touch on our fundamental understanding of what it means to be human (e.g.
Galileo’s theories about the universe or Darwin’s theories about
evolution), and sometimes these debates are located within specific academic disciplines
(e.g. the so-called theory wars in literary studies). By examining
controversies closely, we can better understand how human knowledge is shaped
and altered.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>Most likely your own work has involved the study of specific
controversies or coming to terms with ideas that for some reason are
controversial. Or perhaps you’ve been in the middle of a controversy
yourself. In any case, if this topic interests you and you’d like to
contribute a 45-60-minute lecture on it, I’d very much like to hear from
you. I think we have an opportunity here to help a large audience gain insight
into the ways in which ideas are formulated and debated, and how these debates
can shape the direction of academic discourse and/or human society for years
afterwards. And I think you’ll find that lecturing to this group of intelligent
upper year students and community members to be a rewarding experience. Let me
also point out that although the course is called “Studies in the
Humanities,” I have a liberal view of just what the humanities are. Just
as my Canada includes Québec (to borrow a phrase from a recent Canadian
controversy), so too do my humanities include the social sciences, the fine
arts, accounting, and anything else that is discussed and studied in our
faculty.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal>If you’d like to propose a lecture for the course, all
you need to do is to send me an e-mail message with a title and short
description of the lecture. I’d appreciate hearing from you by 15 June 2010.
You’re also welcome to nominate colleagues whose work is a natural fit
for this series. Once the lectures have been selected, I’ll be in touch
about choosing readings and other such housekeeping matters. The lectures for
ARTS 301 take place in Winter Term on Mondays at 4:30pm. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='color:black'>Please contact me if
you have any comments, suggestions, or questions. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='color:black'> <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='color:black'>Many thanks for your
time,<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='color:black'>James M. Skidmore, ARTS
301 Coordinator<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'>James M. Skidmore<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'>Chair, Germanic
& Slavic Studies<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'>Faculty of Arts /
University of Waterloo<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'>Waterloo, ON N2L
3G1 CANADA<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'>E |
skidmore@uwaterloo.ca<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=DE style='font-size:9.0pt'>T | 519.888.4567,
x33687<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=DE style='font-size:9.0pt'>F | 519.746.5243<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=DE style='font-size:9.0pt'>W |
www.germanicandslavic.uwaterloo.ca<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><span lang=EN-CA style='font-size:9.0pt'>W |
www.arts.uwaterloo.ca/~skidmore<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><o:p> </o:p></p>
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