The Butler Brown Bag Research Seminar

Schedule of Speakers from Fall 2005

September 2, 2005
Richard Fetter, Dean of CBA,

"The Butler Business Accelerator, an Educational Journey for Students, Faculty, and Staff."

The Butler Business Accelerator is an educational initiative whose purpose is to help the CBA improve the design and delivery of experientially-based business education. It builds on the CBA's theme of "Real Life, Real Business," and the corresponding undergraduate curriculum initiative that we started two year ago (June 2003). The accelerator will include the formation of a consultancy business targeting central Indiana businesses and an investment fund that will allow us to invest in the strategies that we recommend for our clients.

September 9, 2005
Cynthia Pratt, Dance,

"The Laban Space Scales"

These are a series of movement scales based on spatial pulls inside 3 dimensional geometric forms, including a cube, an octahedron, and an icosahedron. In addition, they have a philosophy around man's connection with nature, which was highly influenced by the Dada movement.

September 16, 2005
Kathryn Morris, Psychology,

"No Laughing Matter: The impact of Sexist Jokes on Women's Math Performance"

Historically, psychological research on derogatory joking focused on in-group members making fun of each other to build in-group solidarity. Although more recent evidence suggests that exposure to derogatory jokes has negative consequences (i.e., stereotype activation and application) on listeners who are NOT members of the group targeted in the jokes, precious little is known about how exposure to derogatory jokes affects listeners who ARE members of the group targeted in the jokes. In this talk, I will describe research in which I investigated how female students' standardized math scores were impacted by exposure to sexist jokes that made fun of women. Results reveal that exposure to sexist jokes had a direct negative impact on participants' test scores.

September 23, 2005
Qing Mei Jing Yue, Chinese Traditional Instrument Quartet,
sponsored by C&T

The title of this Quartet comes from the names of the four lady musicians, FAN Weiqing (Qing), YU Hongmei(Mei), YANG Jing(Jing) and LIU Yuening (Yue), who will both educate and entertain us with their traditional Chinese instruments: the Pipa, Yangqin, Erhu, and Guzheng.

Zhi-Hong Chen, Computer Science, will introduce the quartet.
This performance is sponsored by the Freeman Foundation and C&T.

MP3 files: Moon Over the West River, The King of Xi Chu Dynasty

September 30, 2005
Magaret Brabant, Political Science, Director of the Center for Citizenship and Community

"Civic Acts, Civic Memory"

The Center for Citizenship and Community has been engaged in research that seeks to understand how acts of "citizenship" are committed at a local level. We have learned that citizenship is rarely a grand act of statesmanship, but rather emerges out of, and is informed by, the everyday practices of individuals. For example, the choices and actions of individuals can serve to build community and civic relationships. These choices and actions can also undermine not only the cohesive decision-making process that is essential to achieving the common good but also the willingness, or even the interest, in participating in civic affairs.

October 14, 2005
Amos Carpenter, Mathematics,

"The Mende Language in Sierra Leone"

The Mendes are the largest tribe in Sierra Leone, a small country on the West Coast of Africa. Like many third world countries, the indigenous languages in Sierra Leone are giving way to a form of Pidgin English. Soon the beautiful native languages will be lost. This is why we have undertaken this project. In this first book, we have focused on ``speaking'' the language. The Mende grammar will be discussed in the second book. In this talk we will discuss the Mende alphabet and introduce some phrases and common expressions.

October 21, 2005
Robert Holm, University Research Programs and the Butler Summer Institute,

Bob will introduce four BSI students from this past summer, who will each talk briefly about their research.

Zachary Dehm, Media Arts, "Examining Audiences: An Analysis of Film versus Theater Audiences Based on the Film Production of Butler's Own Luke's Father and the Sled"
Catherine Doubler, English, "A Comprehensive Look at the Components and Development of the Epic Simile"
David Phillips, Economics, "Trade and China: The Impact of World Trade Organization Reforms on Regional Growth in China"
Sarah Snider, Theater, "Costume Design of Aminta"

October 28, 2005
Rose Campbell, Journalism,

"Substance or Smokescreen? A Comparative Study of Japanese and U.S. Newspapers on the Issue of Tobacco Regulation"

Important public health issues have become entangled in trade regulation, where one country's policies may have detrimental effects on other nations. These important issues related to globalization may be relegated to brief news reports and pass quickly and quietly through legislation. Ironically, health issues that pose relatively little risk often receive disproportionately extensive news coverage and legislative deliberation in the U.S. (e.g., the recent Shiavo case, mad cow disease). News and government documents are critical historical records to examine such actions and issues. As far as we know, no studies have employed matched international news documents and government policy outcomes on a particular public health issue. By studying these documents, one can understand what arguments posed as evidence were successful in policy deliberation, what ties there are between news and government presentations, and whether these findings differ from country to country. This content analysis project compared tobacco policy articles in two major daily newspapers each in Japan and the U.S. for a six-year period. This time period defined the context in Japan and the U.S. during which the World Health Organization was negotiating and promoting the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control to international constituencies. Findings indicate significant differences between the U.S. and Japan newspapers in source and argument presentations, as well as advocacy bias. Implications for effective tobacco policy campaigns are reported.

November 4, 2005
Ifti Kalsekhar, Pharmacy Practice,

"Economic Evaluation of Choice of Augmentation Therapy in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes: A Retrospective Database Analysis."

Type 2 diabetes is a physiological condition involving high blood glucose levels. The difficulty and expense of achieving tight glycemic control, coupled with the possibilities of long-term complications, make it important to consider the best strategy of choosing a therapy directed at tight control simultaneously controlling for resource utilization. The objective of the study is to assess the choice of therapy adopted in actual practice settings in type 2 diabetes patients failing initial therapy and to evaluate its impact on type 2 diabetes related costs.

November 11, 2005
Scott Swanson, History,

"Which Way Did They Go?: Rights of Subsistence in the Eighteenth Century"

November 18, 2005
Katharina Dulceit, Philosophy,

"Language, Reality and the Missing link: Towards a Dialectical Theory of Reference"

Philosophers have attempted to explain the link between language and reality at least since Plato. Their name for this link is "Reference," and philosophers of language who try to understand the nature of reference and the logical conditions of its possibility, are said to be working on the "problem of reference." After the advent of analytic philosophy, which still dominates today, the philosophy of language became nearly the exclusive province of analysis. There have been two main rival theoretical approaches to solving the problem of reference in analytic philosophy circles. Unfortunately, neither ultimately succeeds. In fact, the most recent theory, and a number of compromise theories, fail in their most essential task: they pre-suppose, rather than explain, the ultimate hook-up to the world we call reference, hence the "missing link" which appears in the title.

I will suggest an alternative strategy I call "dialectical reference," which meets this problem head-on. This approach is rooted in certain insights contained in Hegel's Phenomenology of Mind and his Logic. Hegel himself never addressed the problem of reference. But he provided an extremely powerful analysis of the dialectic logic of opposition and I argue that looking at the contemporary problem of reference through a Hegelian lens will yield the secret key to finding this missing link.

December 2, 2005
Lisa Gross, Education

"The Shaping of a Professional Teaching Identity"

This session will describe how embedded institutional structures shape and are shaped by the actions of the members of various social groups. Specific to the development of prospective teachers, past schooling and practicum experiences will provide the context for the discussion. NOTE: This talk will be rescheduled in February 2006.

December 9, 2005
Tim Brimmer, Music, with the Jordan Jazz Ensemble

Tim Brimmer and the Jordan Jazz will perform for us.

Schedule of Speakers for Spring 2006

February 1, 2006
Bobby Fong, President,

"A Place for Spirituality in the Twenty-First Century University"

Apart from religiously affiliated schools, American higher education has widely regarded spiritual expression and practice as a private matter for faculty and students. At best, it has been relegated to co-curricular status. With the renewed call to educate "the whole person", however, colleges are rethinking the study of religion and spirituality in the curriculum, the place these subjects have in advising relationships, and the role that the secular, pluralistic university may play in supporting religious activities. I wish to speak about these topics both in general and in the context of Butler University.

Dr. Judith Morrel, Head of Mathematics and Actuarial Science and former Chair of Faculty Assembly, will introduce Dr. Fong.

February 8, 2006
Roberto Curci and Robert Main, CBA,

"The CBA Faculty Make News in Chile"

We will discuss the recent trip to Chile by faculty in our college.

February 15, 2006
Ken Creech, Media Arts,

"Issues in Media Law & Policy"

I am in the process of revising my book on Electronic Media Law & Regulation. I will talk about the impact of recent changes in law and policy that affect the media in the U.S. We will discuss issues in intellectual property, broadcast indecency, First Amendment issues, and the future of traditional media.

February 22, 2006
Geoffrey Hoops, Chemistry,

"Getting Leaner and Meaner? Proteins on the Surface and Across the Ocean"

After a brief and relatively painless lesson on studying the dynamics of proteins on surfaces, the pedagogical value of collaborative research involving undergraduate students in complex projects will be discussed.

March 1, 2006
Carol Reeves, English,

"Describing and Visualizing Prions: How to make something seem real"

The cause of Mad Cow Disease and other degenerative brain diseases that are infectious or inherited is believed to be abnormally folded protein particles that somehow cause normal proteins to also fold the wrong way and destroy the brain. This theory of disease, which goes against the traditional idea that nucleic acid is necessary for life forms to multiply, is, twenty-five years after its introduction, still not definitively established. The agent has not been characterized and its mechanism of infection is unknown. Yet current scientific papers on the subject include statements such as "Prions cause Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE)." And many scientists work from the assumption that prions are identifiable agents that act against the host. Without the laboratory and community confirmation necessary to characterize an agent, we could just as easily say that "something causes TSEs."

Yet the language used in this scientific community and many of the visual representations convey the impression that "prions" are, in fact, real, knowable, known, thoroughly characterized entities. What can we make of this situation? Come and see!

March 8, 2006
James Briscoe, Musicology, and Anna Briscoe, Piano,

"Tania León: A Multi-Cultural Synthesis in the Piano Works"

Tania León is a US composer of Afro-Cuban descent. Her multi-culturalism is no folkloric pastiche but instead achieves a powerful synthesis, including chromatic post-tonality, adaptation of Western forms, Afro-Cuban drumming, and blues and jazz. León has gained international esteem through major awards, residency at the NY Philharmonic, and recordings on 8 labels. Her opera Scourge of Hyacinths triumphed throughout Europe, and one critic recently hailed Tania León as "the hottest ticket in New York." Her debt to particular cultures notwithstanding, in an interview she spoke of a desire to be "neither American nor Cuban, nor European ... but earthian."

This presentation illustrates her contribution by considering two youthful preludes; three works of 2003-4, "Mistica," "La Tina," and "Variación;" and the significant works "Momentum" and "Rituál" of 1987. "Momentum" and "Variación" will be performed, the latter as a world premiere.

Note: This presentation will take place in the Ford Salon, on the lower level of Robertson Hall (north end). Feel free to bring your lunch.

March 22, 2006
Sally Childs-Helton, Ethnomusicology

"Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History: A Women's History of Butler University"

Women's History Month during Butler's sesquicentennial year is the perfect time to share the stories of some of the university's outstanding, famous, and even slightly infamous women. When Butler opened its doors on November 1, 1855, there were women in the first class--a radical event for the time. One early professor held the first chair in the nation established for a female professor. A much-beloved member of the administration caused a president of Indiana University to get fired. One professor broke code during the Second World War; another wrote a best-selling woodwind method. A Butler alumna wrote the musical play Chicago, which was made into a motion picture in 2003. Come hear the stories of these women, and more, as we celebrate the sesquicentennial and Women's History Month at Butler University!

March 29, 2006
Margaretha Geertsema, Journalism,

"News Coverage of Women in a Globalized World"

I will discuss a recently completed project in which I build on theories of cultural globalization and feminism to develop a framework for the fair and informed news coverage of women in a globalized world. The study explores the case of the alternative news agency Inter Press Service (IPS) as an example of a news medium that is globalized in the deterritorialization of its production and distribution of content. IPS provides a particularly interesting study because of its gender mainstreaming policy, as gender equality is a concept that remains contested in many nations across the world. While IPS is far from obtaining gender equality in its employment and news content, it sets an example for other news organizations of how globalized journalism can include more diverse perspectives.

April 5, 2006
Shelley Etnier and Philip Villani, Biology,

"Float or Fly: the morphological and mechanical properties of Lily Pads"

This past summer, we combined our interests in plant morphology, development and biomechanics. Our efforts have gotten us into some murky waters while investigating our local lily pads. Lily pad leaves are particularly interesting because they either float on the surface or rise above the water like an umbrella. We will be talking about when, why and how these two distinct leaf habits occur in nature.

April 12, 2006
Lisa Gross, Education,

"Shaping of a Professional Teaching Identity"

April 19, 2006
Anne Wilson, Honors Program Director, and Melissa Ludwa, Honors Program Coordinator,

Anne and Melissa will introduce several students who will present their honors theses:

Kathryn Jursik, Music Performance; advisor: David Murray
"Body and the Bass: A Study of the Physical Demands on String Bassists and Methods to Promote Healthy Bass Playing"
Megan Schildmier, English Creative Writing; advisor: Bill Watts
"Saussure and Chomsky: Reconciling the Arbitrary and Innate Aspects of Language"
Melissa Stewart, Arts Administration; advisor: Susan Zurbuchen
"Cultural Policy in Higher Education"
Karri Voskuhl, Science, Technology, & Society; advisor: Elise Edwards
"An Examination of Current Attitudes about Sex Differences on Pain and Injury in Sport"

April 26, 2006
Tim Brimmer and the Jordan Jazz will perform for us.

The Jordan Jazz Website

Organizers

Susan Kenyon, Anthropology, skenyon@butler.edu, 9497, and
Jon Sorenson, Computer Science & Software Engineering, jsorenso@butler.edu, 9765.