Cathy Bao Bean
Author, Educational Consultant, retired philosophy professor
The Chopsticks-Fork Principle: A Setting for Diversity
With good humor participants are encouraged to realize, understand, and laugh about (!) how we all are at least bi-cultural (by ethnicity, gender, etc.) in a way that shatters stereotypes but explains the generalizations. Examining personal stories about ordinary events, extraordinary cultural questions are raised - like: Can the Tooth Fairy survive the Melting Pot? Can a Confucian have an Identity Crisis without a sub-conscious? Can a "success" in one culture mean "failure" in another? The "chopsticks-fork answers" are embedded in being a Chinese-American who then raised an American-Chinese.
Marshall J. Becker, Ph.D.
Professor of Anthropology at West Chester University of Pennsylvania
English, Swedish and Dutch Colonists Meet the Indians of Southern New Jersey: The Historical and Archaeological Evidence
The lives of the early traders and colonists who came to southern New Jersey, whether Dutch, Swedish or English, were closely tied to the "original people" who had been here for thousands of years. How these peoples interacted in the 17th century, and what changes took place in each of their cultures, are revealed by recent historical and archaeological studies. This slide-illustrated lecture looks at these interactions which set the stage for the development of the State and also for the migration of some American Indians west into Pennsylvania.
Nancy C. Carnevale, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of History, Montclair State University
No Italian Spoken for the Duration of the War: Italian Americans and the Second World War
This program looks at the little-known history of Italian Americans during the World War II years. Despite record numbers of enlistees, for a time Italian Americans were designated enemy aliens who were subject to curfews and other restrictions. A number of Italian Americans were relocated and some were sent to internment camps. This lecture describes the wartime atmosphere this group faced and considers the consequences of anti-Italian sentiment for Italian Americans in the postwar era. The stories of Italian American pop culure icons such as Louis Prima and Joe DiMaggio illustrate the possibilities and limitations of the time.
Octavio De la Suaree, Ph.D.
Professor of Languages & Cultures, The William Paterson Unversity of New Jersey
Contemporary Latin American “Boom” Narrative
This lecture focuses on contemporary Latin American narrative writers transforming today’s literary scene, with emphasis on Isabel Allende, Luisa Valenzuela, Elena Poniatowska, Laura Esquivel and others. Their various contributions and their influence will be discussed.
Philip C. Dolce, Ph.D.
Chair of the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department, Professor of History at Bergen Community College
Strangers in Suburbia: Race, Class and Ethnicity in Suburban Motion Pictures
This presentation contrasts the mainstream Hollywood image of suburbia – a privileged environment for upper-middle and upper-class Americans – with those few films dealing with blue collar families, white ethnic groups, and Asians, Hispanics and African-Americans. In addition, the discussion examines why filmmakers’ favorite suburban “outsiders” are creatures such as E.T.
Edvige Giunta
Professor of English, New Jersey City University
The Literature of Italizn American Women
A lecture on the emergence of the literature of Italian American women in multiple contexts, from the history of immigration and the labor movement to the feminist movement and multiculturalism.
Win Win Kyi
Associate Professor and International Student Counselor, Bergen Community College
New Year: Time for Celebration, Reflection and Hope
In Southeast Asian countries the new year is a time for festivities, but it also marks and opportunity for spiritual reflection, atonement, forgiveness and the search for romantic destiny. This lecture describes new year celebrations in countries such as Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand, as well as their spiritual and religious rites and rituals.
Win Win Kyi
Associate Professor and International Student Counselor, Bergen Community College
Who is Aung San Suu Kyi?
In 1991 Aung San Suu Kyi became the first Asian woman to be awarded the Nobel Prize. Since then, she has received 30 additional awards recognizing her commitment to democracy and human rights in Myanmar (formerly Burma) – where fear has reigned since the military coup in 1962, and where she remains following her June 1996 "release" from house arrest. This presentation explores her personal and political journey as a woman, daughter, mother, scholar and leader.
Michael Aaron Rockland, Ph.D.
Professor and Chair, Department of American Studies, Rutgers University
Ethnicity in America
An examination of how various ethnic groups struggle to become American while simultaneously maintaining their identity and integrity. How the “melting pot” as a metaphor describing American life has been replaced by the “salad bowl” or “the mosaic.” A look at the extraordinary diversity of the country that has sometimes been called “the United Nations in miniature.”
