Plans Announced for College Commons
Photo/Don Milici
Overseen by professor Hilary Schor, the College Commons will provide opportunities for more communication and collaboration across the College’s many departments, disciplines, centers, institutes and programs. The program is designed to engage faculty members and students in the development of a special set of signature programs, events and activities that unite the community around compelling conversations with broad appeal.
Taking place during the spring semester, the program is clustered around three themes. “The Dream of the Commons” will include guest speakers Steven Hawking, Adrienne Rich, Lewis Hyde and other eminent intellectuals; “The Darwin Revolution, 1859-2159” will focus on the incredible advances in science, art and philosophy associated with the year 1859 (including the publication of On the Origin of Species) and explore what place our ideas may have in the world 150 years from now; and “Uncommon Conversations” will be led by distinguished USC College faculty.
For the spring schedule, visit http://college.usc.edu/tcc
“The Darwin Revolution” programming incorporates related film screenings introduced by USC College faculty. The first event of the College Commons falls under the Darwin theme and includes a panel discussion and screening.
“The Curious Life of Ideas: Master and Commander” will take place Tuesday at 7 p.m. in Room 101 of Taper Hall. USC faculty members David Bottjer, Philippa Levine, Nancy Lutkehaus, Michael Quick, Hilary Schor and Craig Stanford will discuss why Charles Darwin still matters, the start of On the Origin of Species and its impact on the worlds of literature, philosophy, religion and science.
The exchange will be followed by director Peter Weir’s 2004 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Gillman stated that “the College Commons will weave its way into the fabric of our community, build new relationships, spark new ideas, enrich the classroom experience, drive learning communities, inspire new programs and attract new people to our community.”
Schor, professor of English, comparative literature and law, chairs a steering committee comprised of faculty members from the humanities, social sciences and life/physical sciences.
“Our job is to encourage faculty throughout the College to collaborate with their colleagues, invite speakers, host events and think of innovative ways of engaging their graduate and undergraduate students," Schor said.
“We will certainly have traditional programs that bring fascinating people in from the outside, but we will ask them to interact with us in new ways. For every formal event we host, there will be an informal workshop, an ongoing research seminar, an undergraduate class or a graduate workshop – activities that are designed to continue and even expand the conversation."
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The Chronicle of Higher Education mentioned USC’s $6 billion fundraising campaign. The story noted that USC had already raised $1 billion in a “quiet phase,” including the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College.
The Guardian (U.K.) highlighted two major gifts to USC in a list of the 10 biggest philanthropic benefactors in America. The list included the $200 million naming gift from USC Trustee and alumnus David Dornsife and wife Dana Dornsife to the USC Dornsife College, and the $110 million gift from USC Trustee and USC Viterbi School alumnus John Mork and wife Julie to create the USC Mork Family Scholars Program.
The New York Times featured the USC U.S.-China Institute documentary “Assignment: China — The Week that Changed the World.” The documentary, part of a series, examines media coverage of the 1972 Nixon trip that reshaped U.S.-China relations after a quarter century of isolation and hostility. “People look back now and take it for granted that the outcome was preordained,” said the institute’s Mike Chinoy, who produced the documentary. Voice of America also featured the story.
Los Angeles Times featured the Oscar Senti-meter, a tool developed by the USC Annenberg School, Los Angeles Times and IBM that analyzes thousands of tweets about the Academy Awards nominees. The story noted that Mexican actor Demian Bechir received an enormous boost on Twitter the day of the nominations, with a total of 6,893 tweets mentioning him, a 47-fold increase from the day before. The story noted the tool uses language-recognition technology developed in collaboration with USC Viterbi School’s Signal Analysis and Interpretation Lab.
The Times of India (India) featured a three-day medical emergency training workshop organized in association with USC. At the workshop, held at GCS Medical College in India, 50 doctors and more than 100 paramedics learned how to improve emergency support systems. William Mallon of the Keck School of USC said that discussion topics included the use of portable ultrasonic devices to scan patients. “The ultrasound applications help physicians make accurate and timely decisions,” he noted. Daily News & Analysis (India) also featured the workshop.
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