Minneiska Scholars
June 29-30, 2013
Description of Program
For nearly 150 years, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater has provided an exceptional learning experience for its students. Steeped in tradition, the University prides itself on extraordinary faculty, world-class facilities and campus, award-winning academic and championship athletic programs. This summer, we open our doors to our community members and invite you to become a Minneiska Scholar.
This program is designed for adults who are looking to engage and reconnect with UW-Whitewater and with each other on thought-provoking topics on the UW-Whitewater campus. It is for our alumni, community members, and anyone with a desire to learn.
As a Minneiska Scholar, you will explore relevant and engaging subjects in sessions with some of UW-W’s best faculty members. You will meet other adults interested in lifelong learning and work together in small group discussions. Minneiska Scholars will tour the UW-Whitewater campus with special access to its newest and most innovative buildings and grounds, including our state-of-the-art athletic facilities. You will have an opportunity to spend the evening at a hosted dinner, optional activities, and stay overnight in a suite in our newest air-conditioned residence hall. Join us – have fun and learn something new!
Registration: $195/person
Includes overnight accommodations in Starin Hall (see below), 1 breakfast, 2 lunches, 1 dinner
Commuter Registration: $150/person
Includes 2 lunches, 1 dinner
Accommodations and Meals
Starin Hall is UW-Whitewater’s newest, suite-style, air-conditioned residence hall. Each suite has four private, individually-locked bedrooms, with a comfortable common space and divided bathroom facilities, shared by a maximum of 4 individuals per suite. Kitchens are equipped with refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and coffee maker. Meals that are included in the program fee are catered and will be held in facilities in the newly-renovated James R. Connor University Center at the heart of the UW-Whitewater campus.
Schedule (tentative)
Saturday, June 29, 2013
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
8:00-9:00 a.m. |
Registration / Move-in at Starin Hall |
9:15-10:00 a.m. |
Welcome and Opening |
10:15-11:45 a.m. |
Faculty-led Sessions |
12:00-1:00 p.m. |
Lunch |
1:15-2:45 p.m. |
Faculty-led Sessions |
3:00-5:15 p.m. |
Optional tours |
5:30-7:00 p.m. |
Dinner |
6:00-9:00 p.m. |
Optional Evening Activities – UWW Theater Show (tickets not included); Faculty guided lecture at UWW Observatory |
Sunday, June 30, 2013
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
7:00-8:00 a.m. |
Optional Morning Activities – guided nature walk; open swim |
8:00-9:00 a.m. |
Breakfast |
9:15 a.m.-12:00 p.m. |
Faculty-led Sessions |
12:15-1:45 p.m. |
Lunch and Closing Keynote Address |
2:00-3:30 p.m. |
Optional tours |
2:00-3:30 p.m. |
Check-out and completion of program |
Session Descriptions
Choosing Civility
This session will be based on the book Choosing Civility: The Twenty-Five Rules of Considerate Conduct by P. M. Forni. But it will not be just a philosophical discussion of abstract concepts. Instead, it will focus on the practical application of civility in everyday life. Important questions, according to Forni, include: What is civility? What are its basic rules? What does it mean to be ‘civil,’ especially in today’s world? Are we always supposed to be civil? How should we deal with the uncivil? This session will involve an active discussion of Forni’s 25 rules of civil conduct, involving case scenarios based on common situations and experiences. Instructor: Robert Gruber
How Do We Choose What We Buy?
Through interviews with class members, scholars in this session will design models for how they buy different types of products. The group will compare class-generated models of buying processes with the models researchers have developed. How do buying processes change when consumers buy large purchases such as automobiles, services such as house repair, routine purchases like groceries, or unplanned items? The scholars will visit a local retailer to see how marketing strategies attempt to influence their buying behavior. Do the strategies work? Are those strategies subtle or obvious? Will understanding marketing tactics affect how scholars make purchasing choices in the future? Instructor: Lois Smith
Listen Up! You’re Tuning Out!
Did you know that millions of dollars are lost each year due to mistakes made because someone didn’t listen? Add to that the many spouses, children, and grandchildren who feel misunderstood or the number of friendships that dissolve because someone wasn’t listening! We listen a book a day, speak a book a week, read a book a month, and write a book a year, and yet we take this most basic communication skill for granted! Do you want to become a better listener? Then this interactive session is for you! It will make you take a good look at yourself as a listener and will provide training in important skills that will transform you into the best listener you can be! Instructor: Barbara Penington
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction
All of us experience stress and most of us say that we would like to live our lives more fully and will less “distress” about stress. This workshop will provide you with a range of ideas and strategies for coping with stress in your life. It’s an experiential workshop – we’ll be talking together and practicing the skills throughout the session. The workshop is based on the mindfulness-based stress reduction program developed by Jon Kabat-Zinn to help adults cope with the pain and illness. Versions of these programs are now conducted all over the US and have been found to be helpful in reducing stress and improving satisfaction with life. As part of the workshop, you will be guided in ways to be aware of the thoughts, sensations and experiences that are part of your stress. We’ll practice techniques to increase your mindful attention and decrease distress. You will also receive resources for further practice and exploration at home. Recommended reading: “Full Catastrophe Living” by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Instructor: Barbara Beaver
Surviving the Holocaust: One Family’s Story
Ronald Berger recounts the story of his father and uncle’s survival of the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Poland and how he came to tell it. Berger’s father endured several concentration camps (including Auschwitz) as well as a horrific winter death march, while Berger’s uncle passed as a Catholic among anti-Semitic Polish workers and Partisans, eventually becoming an officer in the Soviet Army. Illuminating their experiences through the lens of sociological analysis, Berger challenges the conventional wisdom that survival was simply a matter of luck. By highlighting the prewar experiences, agentive decision-making and risk-taking, and collective networks that helped Jews elude the death grip of the Nazi regime, Berger steers a new course between condemnations of Jewish victims’ passivity and romanticized celebrations of their heroism. Instructor: Ronald Berger
Truth and the Media
The session title is a contradiction, right? It may not be, but it sure is hard to judge fact from fiction in our current media landscape, especially when the media is rife with b-s. Yes, I said “b-s!” And we will say the full word loudly and proudly in our class, not because it’s fun to say naughty words, but because b-s does have a specific definition and it is dangerously present in our media. We will analyze what “b-s” means in relation to truth, and view some prime examples of it in our political media. Instructor: Chris Calvert-Minor
Truth in Our Lives
Does truth really matter for living our lives? While truth may be overstated in some ways, it can be profound in other ways. In this session, we will explore the philosophy of Existentialism and uncover the ultimate truth for every human. Along the way we will see how Existentialists say that humans are different than rubber duckies, how the universe is both meaningless and full of meaning, and also how “you” may not be being “yourself.” Instructor: Chris Calvert-Minor
Faculty
Dr. Barbara Beaver
Dr. Barbara Beaver is a clinical psychologist and professor in the Department of Psychology. She has conducted research and training on coping skills and using mindfulness skills to reduce stress and live more fully. She has received awards for her teaching, including the UWW Roseman Award for Excellence in Teaching
Ronald J. Berger
Ronald J. Berger is Professor of Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. He has published widely on topics ranging from the Holocaust to criminology and disability studies. His recent books on the Holocaust include Surviving the Holocaust: A Life Course Perspective and The Holocaust, Religion and the Politics of Collective Memory.
Christopher Calvert-Minor
Christopher Calvert-Minor is an Assistant Professor in the Philosophy & Religious Studies Department. His research focuses on knowledge, objectivity, and rationality, and he teaches Existentialism, 20th Century Philosophy, Philosophy of Science, Truth and the Media, and Introduction to Philosophy.
Robert Gruber
Robert Gruber is professor and former department chair of accounting at UW-Whitewater. As a Fulbright Scholar, Robert taught at the University College Dublin (Ireland) and investigated environmental accounting and international financial reporting practices used by European corporations. He is an active member of the Wisconsin Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the American Accounting Association, and the Institute of Management Accountants.
Dr. Barbara Penington
Dr. Barbara Penington is a Professor in the Communication Department at UW-Whitewater. She earned her PhD in Family Communication from Marquette University. She currently teaches classes in Listening Behavior, Cross Cultural Communication, and Family Communication. She is a former recipient of the university’s W.P. Roseman Award for excellence in teaching.
Professor Lois Smith
Professor Lois Smith is Associate Dean of the College of Business & Economics at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. She has received the W. P. Roseman Teaching Award and the Wisconsin State Board of Regents Teaching Excellence Award. Lois enjoys testing consumer behavior models on her own erratic shopping behavior.
Special Notice
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater is committed to equal opportunity in its educational programs, activities and employment policies, for all persons, regardless of race, color, gender, creed, religion, age, ancestry, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, political affiliation, marital status, Vietnam-era veteran status, parental status and pregnancy.
If you have any disabling condition that requires special accommodations or attention, please advise us well in advance. We will make every effort to accommodate your special needs.
I understand that the University may take photographs and or videos of event participants and activities. I agree that the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater shall be the owner of and may use such photographs and or videos relating to the promotion of future events. I relinquish all rights that I may claim in relation to use of said photographs and/or videos.
