More Fun than Cheating: Creative Course Design to Foster Student Engagement
Note: please RSVP before Thursday October 3, so we can help avoid food waste.
Day’s Schedule:
9:30 a.m. coffee and welcome
10 a.m. to 11:30 Morning panel: Transformations in History and the Present
Diana Anaya—English (“The Devil’s in the Details!”)
Celine Leboeuf—Philosophy (“How can I become a happier person? Live like Aristotle!”)
Amy Huseby—English (“Gamifying the Gothic”)
Dan Royles—History (“Connecting to the Past through Oral History and OHMS”)
Maria Gomez—Modern Languages (“Maria de Zayas and Gender Violence in the 17th Century and Today”)
11:45 to 1 p.m. lunch
1 to 2:30 Afternoon panel: Engaging Landscapes of Place and Mind
Nathalie Desrayaud—International Communications (“The International Travel Fair”)
Glenn Hutchinson—English (“Student Organizing & Op-Eds”)
Ebru Özer—Landscape Architecture (“Visualizing landform calculations”)
Peter Machonis—Modern Languages (“TalkAbroad”)
Judith Mansilla—History (“Applying Visual Thinking Strategy in the Classroom”)
Miami’s Unwritten Immigrant Histories
Most everyone has heard about the railroad tycoon Henry Flagler and “the father of Miami Beach” Carl Fisher. But Miami was also built by thousands of unsung immigrants and migrants -- from the Bahamian workers and African-Americans who at one time represented almost half of the city’s population, to the waves of Cubans who began arriving in the 19th century, to the thousands of Puerto Rican families who settled in the Wynwood neighborhood after World War II, to the Haitians who struggled for acceptance under the leadership of visionaries such as Vitier Juste. Today’s vibrant and diverse South Florida is rooted in the paradox of its forgotten immigrant founders and the legacy of segregation that determined which stories we would tell, and which we would forget. If you think you know all the Miami history there is to know, come be surprised as our panelists recount the unwritten and half-forgotten histories of the city.
Our Panel
Michael Bustamante, FIU: Assistant Professor of Latin American History at Florida International University, specializing in modern Cuba, Cuban-America, and the Caribbean.
Victor Vazquez-Hernandez, MDC: Associate Professor of History at Miami Dade College-Homestead whose specialties include the Puerto Rican experience in the United States.
Donette Francis, UM: Associate Professor and Director of American Studies at the University of Miami, specializes in Caribbean literary and intellectual histories, American immigrant literatures and African diaspora literary studies.
Carl Juste, The Miami Herald: Pulitzer-prize winning photojournalist Carl-Philippe Juste has worked for the Miami Herald since 1991, documenting international and national stories, including the forgotten Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery.
A Conversation with Carolina García Jayaram
What do leaders study as undergraduates?
It may not always be what you assume.
Come hear national arts leader, Carolina García Jayaram discuss the future of arts educa-tion, her leadership of some of the nation’s premier cultural organizations, and the surpris-ing choice she made as an undergraduate that helped get her to where she is today. García Jayaram will be in conversation with The Humanities Edge FIU director Ana Menéndez. The 30-minute conversation will be followed by a Q&A and a reception.
About Carolina García Jayaram: Over the past two decades, García Jayaram has led institutions and initiatives dedicated to supporting the nation’s most accomplished emerging and established artists. Before joining YoungArts in June 2016, García Jayaram served as President and CEO of United States Artists (USA), which she helped relocate from Los Angeles to Chicago. Her accomplishments while at USA included spearheading a $20 million operating endowment. Prior to joining USA, she served as Executive Director of the Chicago Artists Coalition (CAC), where she reestablished the 40-year-old organization into a vital resource for Chicago’s multi-disciplinary professional artists’ com-munity.
The Flea Film Screening and Discussion
Join us in being the first to screen the Miami-based movie, The Flea by our very own
MDC alumnus, Nicanson Guerrier!
A comedy that explores the socio-cultural themes which mark Miami for its unique diversity, problems and redemptive qualities, The Flea follows the day in the life of a flea market manager. Set in an indoor flea market, Quentin Parker must deal with customers, vendors, and his boss as he struggles to survive one more day on the job.
Post-screening Q&A
Discuss the film, screenwriting, and the creative process with the creator. Nicanson Guerrier will also share his journey in deciding to pursue his passion for the humanities, and monetize his gift of storytelling through film
Director, writer, producer Nicanson Guerrier was born in Freeport, Bahamas, December 22nd, 1979. In 2008, Nicanson, a Miami native, teamed up with local filmmakers to produce the independent film “Know Thy Enemy”. The success of his first film encouraged him to pursue a career in film so, Nicanson enrolled in Miami Dade College as a film major, where he learned the fundamentals of filmmaking. As part of the production team for live events such as Super Bowls XLI, XLIII, XLIV, Victoria Secret Fashion Show, America’s Got Talent, Xfactor; reality shows like Top Chef, The Bachelor, South Beach Tow, and Love and Hip-Hop Miami, Nicanson gained the experience to start his own entertainment company, Renmanent Entertainment. His second screenplay, “The Flea” is directed, written, and produced by Nicanson will be released in 2018.