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AGAINST INDIFFERENCE 2007:
A Symposium on The Promise & Perils of Technology
 In the fall of 2000, a group of faculty in the College of Arts and Sciences joined efforts to produce a week long symposium on the Holocaust. Dr. Elie Wiesel was the keynote speaker for the event, the Art Department held an exhibition
with a Holocaust theme, the Music Department contributed with a moving concert and other planned events took place around campus with the help of the Theatre and Religion Departments and the Office of Student Affairs. With the success of this event, the College of Arts and Sciences Dean, Dr. John Bee, developed a Symposium Committee in fall 2001 to plan and host a similar event every other year.
The overarching theme of these collective symposia is “Against Indifference,” which is understood in at least two senses. First, the University wants to give attention to topics that are important — topics that, because of their currency and centrality, demand thought and attention. Second, those at Ashland University
believe that in our school, our “House of Intellect,” people must take seriously — the fight against indifference toward — ideas.
The 2003 Against Indifference Symposium brought to campus four distinguished
speakers to address the
issue of human nature. Then, in 2005, the Symposium focused on the topic of terrorism. Each year the Library has sponsored
an essay contest in conjunction with the Symposium and the Introduction
to University Life course for freshmen also gets involved by encouraging freshmen to read publications about the symposium topic and by symposium speakers.
This year, the symposium topic is “The Promises and Perils of Technology.” With the assistance of the four distinguished speakers coming to campus this fall, the University hopes to engage students and guests in thought and conversation
about these promises and perils.
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THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 20
DR. SCOTT CAMPBELL
Pohs Fellow of Telecommunication, University of Michigan
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5
DR. CYNTHIA SELFE
Humanities Distinguished Professor, The Ohio State University
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Co-sponsored by Ashland University Honors Program
“ Mobile Communication and Social Capital:
Promises and Perils of the New Personal
Communication Society”
Professor Campbell’s research explores the social implications
of new media, with an emphasis on mobile communication
practices. His recent studies have investigated cross-cultural trends, mobile phone use in social networks, and use of technology in public settings. His research appears in Communication Monographs, Journal of Applied
Communication Research, Communication Education, New Media & Society, Communication Research Reports, Qualitative Research Reports in Communication, Sociology Compass, and other scholarly venues.
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“ Literacy in the 21st Century: A Glimpse of the
Future through Texts and the Students Who
Compose Them”
Dr. Selfe co-founded “Computers and Composition: An International
Journal for Teachers.” In 1996, Selfe was the first female and first English teacher to receive the EDUCOM
Medal Award for innovative computer use in higher education. In 2000, she and long-time collaborator, Gail Hawisher, received the Outstanding Technology Innovator Award from the CCCC Committee on Computers. Selfe is the author of numerous articles and books on computers. |
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TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23
DR. JOHN BECK
President, AttentionCompany, Inc.
“ The Kids Are Alright: How the Gamer
Generation is Changing the Workplace”
In addition to serving as president of the AttentionCompany,
Inc., Dr. Beck is professor of Global Management at Thunderbird Graduate School, a senior research fellow at University of Southern California’s Annenberg Center for the Digital Future and a senior advisor at Advisor Group. Beck has published numerous books, articles and business reports on Asian business, strategic management, globalization,
leadership and technology. He has appeared on CNN, CBS Evening News, NPR and been quoted by the Wall Street Journal, The Economist, The Financial Times, New York Times and other leading papers and magazines.
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 12
PATRICIA SHAFER
President, Compel Ltd.
“ Developing the Human Side of IT in a Global
Age: What Every Future Manager Needs to Do”
Patricia Shafer’s company, Compel Ltd., is an international consulting and research firm dedicated to Evoking.Courageous.
LeadershipSM. Shafer led a large-scale research initiative called “Women in Technology 2007 and co-authored,
“The Whole World at Work: Managers Around the Globe Tell Us What Still Needs to Change in Organizations,” in 2006. She is a columnist on workplace issues for “Global HR News” and SAVVY magazines. |
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