Two Dunwoody historians, Harry Akoh and Dana Wiggins, have successfully defended their dissertations at Georgia State. After our May 6 Clarkston meeting (ending hopefully between 11 AM and noon), we will go to Bambinelli’s and celebrate their achievements. If you can attend, let me know. Hope to see you there. Finley
Website and address/direction of restaurant is at http://www.bambinellispizza.com/.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
US-CHINA PEOPLES FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION
The GPC Faculty/Staff Development Program to China last spring was facilitated by Drs Ed and Sylvia Krebs. Your colleagues learned much and enjoyed their vast knowledge and experience. May 3 they will be part of a discussion of their recent travel to Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region. This event is open to the public at Agnes Scott College.
US-CHINA PEOPLES FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION
The Silk Road Then and Now: Perspectives on Xinjiang Sunday, May 3, at 4 p.m.
Lower Evans Hall
Agnes Scott College
Atlanta Chapter-USCPFA members, Jean and Lou Boos and Ed and Sylvia Krebs, all of whom traveled in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in September of 2008, will participate in the forum. They will draw on their observations and experiences to present perspectives on Xinjiang’s past, present, and future.
For more information call 770-949-5112 or shkkse@yahoo.com.
Debra Denzer
Director, Center for International Education Georgia Perimeter College
Phone: 678-891-3232
Fax: 678-891-3240
Debra.Denzer@gpc.edu
US-CHINA PEOPLES FRIENDSHIP ASSOCIATION
The Silk Road Then and Now: Perspectives on Xinjiang Sunday, May 3, at 4 p.m.
Lower Evans Hall
Agnes Scott College
Atlanta Chapter-USCPFA members, Jean and Lou Boos and Ed and Sylvia Krebs, all of whom traveled in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region in September of 2008, will participate in the forum. They will draw on their observations and experiences to present perspectives on Xinjiang’s past, present, and future.
For more information call 770-949-5112 or shkkse@yahoo.com.
Debra Denzer
Director, Center for International Education Georgia Perimeter College
Phone: 678-891-3232
Fax: 678-891-3240
Debra.Denzer@gpc.edu
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The War on Poverty and the Civil Rights Movement
The Sixteenth Annual Diane Jennings Seminar will be held on Tuesday, April 21 at 2 p.m. in the Jim Cherry Lecture Hall of the JCLRC on Clarkston Campus. This year’s speaker will be Susan Youngblood Ashmore, Associate Professor of History at Oxford College of Emory University. She will be discussing her book:
Carry It On: The War on Poverty and the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, 1964—1972
Carry It On is an in-depth study of how the local struggle for equality in Alabama fared in the wake of new federal laws—the Civil Rights Act, the Economic Opportunity Act, and the Voting Rights Act. Professor Ashmore focuses on the Alabama Black Belt and on the local projects funded by the Office of Economic Opportunity, the federal agency that supported programs in a variety of cities and towns in Alabama. Professor Ashmore looks closely at the interactions among local activists, elected officials, business people, landowners, bureaucrats, and others who were involved in or affected by OEO projects. The result is a nuanced picture of the OEO, an agency too broadly criticized; a new look at the rise of southern Black Power; and a compelling portrait of local citizens struggling for control over their own lives.
I hope you can attend and encourage your students to attend. (A little extra credit is always a good incentive.) This event is sponsored by the Business and Social Sciences Department, the Honors Program, and the History and Politics Club. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 678-891-3298.
Susan M. McGrath
Professor of History
Georgia Perimeter College
Clarkston Campus
555 North Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021-2396
678-891-3298 (Office)
678-891-3084
Carry It On: The War on Poverty and the Civil Rights Movement in Alabama, 1964—1972
Carry It On is an in-depth study of how the local struggle for equality in Alabama fared in the wake of new federal laws—the Civil Rights Act, the Economic Opportunity Act, and the Voting Rights Act. Professor Ashmore focuses on the Alabama Black Belt and on the local projects funded by the Office of Economic Opportunity, the federal agency that supported programs in a variety of cities and towns in Alabama. Professor Ashmore looks closely at the interactions among local activists, elected officials, business people, landowners, bureaucrats, and others who were involved in or affected by OEO projects. The result is a nuanced picture of the OEO, an agency too broadly criticized; a new look at the rise of southern Black Power; and a compelling portrait of local citizens struggling for control over their own lives.
I hope you can attend and encourage your students to attend. (A little extra credit is always a good incentive.) This event is sponsored by the Business and Social Sciences Department, the Honors Program, and the History and Politics Club. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 678-891-3298.
Susan M. McGrath
Professor of History
Georgia Perimeter College
Clarkston Campus
555 North Indian Creek Drive
Clarkston, GA 30021-2396
678-891-3298 (Office)
678-891-3084
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Dunwoody History and Politics Club--Truman and the Bomb
The Dunwoody History and Politics Club ... ponders whether or not the U.S. should have used nuclear weapons on Japan to end World War II. On Wednesday, April 1 at 11 AM in C 1100 (Dunwoody) we will view the remarkable documentary about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the making of the atomic bomb; then on Thursday, April 2 at 2 PM in A 2200 (Dunwoody) we will sponsor a student-ledmock trial on whether President Truman should have been tried for crimes against humanity due to his decisions to use nuclear weapons.
>Hope to see you there.
>Hope to see you there.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Foreign Service Officer Michael Varga speaks at Dunwoody
FOREIGN SERVICE OFFICER MICHAEL VARGA SPEAKS
E 0360/Dunwoody 2 PM Monday, March 2
Michael Varga was a Foreign Service Officer from 1985 to 1996. His overseas assignments included Dubai, Damascus, Casablanca and Toronto. In Washington, he worked as an Economist in the Economic Bureau and as desk officer for Lebanon in the Near East Bureau. He was a Pearson Fellow at the World Trade Center Miami. Prior to the Foreign Service, Mr. Varga was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chad.
U.S. should shape its policy for world, not just Iraq
By MICHAEL VARGA
Friday, January 30, 2009
“Hillary Clinton’s arrival as the 67th Secretary of State is an opportunity for the Obama administration to re-think the goals of today’s foreign service. Clinton inherits a mess unlike any we have seen since the United States had to wrestle with how to stop Hitler from attaining his domination of Europe.
The singular focus on the war on terror and the battle for a new Iraq after Saddam has created a U.S. Foreign Service that is so weighted toward one country that the U.S. has largely abandoned the role it needs to play on the world stage. Having built the largest embassy in the world in Baghdad, and staffed that monstrous entity, the Bush foreign policy fixated on Iraq. And the Foreign Service grudgingly went along with it, allowing embassies in many other nations to go understaffed.
When I was in the Foreign Service, I remember how diplomats from other nations were always anxious to hear what steps the United States was willing to take first before discussing what they might do. Everyone looks to the United States for leadership. But when our talking-points memos and our guidance from Washington were only about Iraq and al-Qaida, other nations eventually stopped listening to what we had to say.
Funding for the Foreign Service has to take a “big picture” approach that recognizes that for eight years so many diplomatic positions were abolished in other nations because of the gargantuan needs of Baghdad’s embassy.
We need more money committed to diplomacy in Asia, South America, Africa and other regions we’ve ignored. This is hard in a weak economy and mounting unemployment and deficits. But it is smart diplomacy to recognize that in the long term, rebuilding the U.S. diplomatic corps will pay rich dividends for this nation. When future crises arise in other parts of the world, rather than resorting to a military option we will have the expertise in our own embassies to tell us what is truly in the U.S. national interest.
Our departure from Iraq can be smooth, but there is going to be some chaos, violence and killing, no matter how or when we withdraw. We need to understand that the enmity built up over centuries among the Kurds, the Shia’ and the Sunnis will continue to cause repercussions as scores are settled for wrongs committed against so many prior generations.
When I was involved in Middle East peace talks after the Madrid conference of 1991, the chief of the Lebanese delegation used to reply to my nudges toward making confidence-building measures with Israel with the soft reply, “In due time, we’ll make peace. But only after the horrors we have endured have been addressed. We owe that to our ancestors.”
But the smart foreign-policy choice is to allow Iraq “to stand up,” so long promised by the Bush administration, so that we can “stand down.” Smart diplomacy calls for Iraq to no longer rely on U.S. troops for its stability. We can make that transition easier for Iraq by beefing up civilian assistance provided to Baghdad through the Foreign Service, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and funding non-governmental organizations.
Clinton needs to see that an Iraq-centric diplomatic corps only perpetuates the notion that we’ve drawn a line in the sand in Iraq, and nothing else matters as much. This is the mistake the last administration made. We should not repeat it. Our unique position on the world stage demands that we not.”
E 0360/Dunwoody 2 PM Monday, March 2
Michael Varga was a Foreign Service Officer from 1985 to 1996. His overseas assignments included Dubai, Damascus, Casablanca and Toronto. In Washington, he worked as an Economist in the Economic Bureau and as desk officer for Lebanon in the Near East Bureau. He was a Pearson Fellow at the World Trade Center Miami. Prior to the Foreign Service, Mr. Varga was a Peace Corps Volunteer in Chad.
U.S. should shape its policy for world, not just Iraq
By MICHAEL VARGA
Friday, January 30, 2009
“Hillary Clinton’s arrival as the 67th Secretary of State is an opportunity for the Obama administration to re-think the goals of today’s foreign service. Clinton inherits a mess unlike any we have seen since the United States had to wrestle with how to stop Hitler from attaining his domination of Europe.
The singular focus on the war on terror and the battle for a new Iraq after Saddam has created a U.S. Foreign Service that is so weighted toward one country that the U.S. has largely abandoned the role it needs to play on the world stage. Having built the largest embassy in the world in Baghdad, and staffed that monstrous entity, the Bush foreign policy fixated on Iraq. And the Foreign Service grudgingly went along with it, allowing embassies in many other nations to go understaffed.
When I was in the Foreign Service, I remember how diplomats from other nations were always anxious to hear what steps the United States was willing to take first before discussing what they might do. Everyone looks to the United States for leadership. But when our talking-points memos and our guidance from Washington were only about Iraq and al-Qaida, other nations eventually stopped listening to what we had to say.
Funding for the Foreign Service has to take a “big picture” approach that recognizes that for eight years so many diplomatic positions were abolished in other nations because of the gargantuan needs of Baghdad’s embassy.
We need more money committed to diplomacy in Asia, South America, Africa and other regions we’ve ignored. This is hard in a weak economy and mounting unemployment and deficits. But it is smart diplomacy to recognize that in the long term, rebuilding the U.S. diplomatic corps will pay rich dividends for this nation. When future crises arise in other parts of the world, rather than resorting to a military option we will have the expertise in our own embassies to tell us what is truly in the U.S. national interest.
Our departure from Iraq can be smooth, but there is going to be some chaos, violence and killing, no matter how or when we withdraw. We need to understand that the enmity built up over centuries among the Kurds, the Shia’ and the Sunnis will continue to cause repercussions as scores are settled for wrongs committed against so many prior generations.
When I was involved in Middle East peace talks after the Madrid conference of 1991, the chief of the Lebanese delegation used to reply to my nudges toward making confidence-building measures with Israel with the soft reply, “In due time, we’ll make peace. But only after the horrors we have endured have been addressed. We owe that to our ancestors.”
But the smart foreign-policy choice is to allow Iraq “to stand up,” so long promised by the Bush administration, so that we can “stand down.” Smart diplomacy calls for Iraq to no longer rely on U.S. troops for its stability. We can make that transition easier for Iraq by beefing up civilian assistance provided to Baghdad through the Foreign Service, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and funding non-governmental organizations.
Clinton needs to see that an Iraq-centric diplomatic corps only perpetuates the notion that we’ve drawn a line in the sand in Iraq, and nothing else matters as much. This is the mistake the last administration made. We should not repeat it. Our unique position on the world stage demands that we not.”
Thursday, February 19, 2009
World History Institute
We are pleased to announce this summer’s World History Institute at Gettysburg College, focused upon Asia in World History. During July 26 to 31, we are inviting teachers at the middle school, high school, and collegiate level to join us for a week of instruction and conversation at the college. This year Michael Adas, Howard Spodek, and Megan Greene will be our guest lecturers; in addition, we will have experienced master teachers, members of Gettysburg’s faculty, and specialists in using computers in world history instruction and research on hand. Of course, we are going to offer tours of the Battlefield and the Eisenhower farm just for our group, accompanied by experienced guides. Accommodations are in single rooms with private baths. And daily drive-in participant are also welcome.
Last year we had a great group of participants from across the United States—from middle school to collegiate teachers--and we are looking forward to another fun and worthwhile session.
If you have any questions, you can email me (mweber@gettysburg.edu) or Liz Johns (johnel05@gettysburg.edu) for registration information.
Michael Weber, Co- Director WHI at Gettysburg College
**************************************
Masako N. Racel
Instructor of History
AP World History Summer Institute Director Department of History and Philosophy Kennesaw State University
(770) 423-6715
http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~mracel/
--
This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.
Last year we had a great group of participants from across the United States—from middle school to collegiate teachers--and we are looking forward to another fun and worthwhile session.
If you have any questions, you can email me (mweber@gettysburg.edu) or Liz Johns (johnel05@gettysburg.edu) for registration information.
Michael Weber, Co- Director WHI at Gettysburg College
**************************************
Masako N. Racel
Instructor of History
AP World History Summer Institute Director Department of History and Philosophy Kennesaw State University
(770) 423-6715
http://ksuweb.kennesaw.edu/~mracel/
--
This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.
History and Politics Club event
Michael Varga, a Foreign Service Officer from 1985 to 1996,
will speak in NE0360 at 2:00pm on Monday, March 2. He will discuss his work in
Lebanon, Chad, Dubai, Damascus, Casablanca and Toronto. We hope you will
encourage your good students who might be interested in asking questions to
someone who was worked on the diplomatic front to attend.
Sponsored by the Dunwoody History and Politics Club.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)