Harper College Honors Society meetings are held each Wednesday in L329. Business begins at 3:45pm and discussion begins at approximately 4:00pm.

BUSINESS: Officers and Chairs of Honors provide updates with Unfinished Business and New Business and members vote on motions before the group.

DISCUSSION: The latter portion (4pm-5pm) of each meeting is reserved for an open forum on topics of interest. These discussions are open to everyone, not just members of Harper College Honors Society. L329 is located on the upper floor of Building L, across the hall from the Honors/PTK office. Previous topics have included: 9/11 - Iraq; movies/film; transferring to other schools; illiteracy; marriage; consciousness; Pizza with a Prof.; international politics; what is art?; international food; pornography; "Food & Fun"; arranged vs. love marriages; losing humanity in technology; is IQ important?; freedom of speech; taste of cultures.

Spring, 2010 Honors Society Meetings (and a few other items/events)

Wednesday, Jan. 27    

Welcome back     

Wednesday, Feb. 3:

Dr. John Garcia will treat us to an Ethics-Bowl case study.  

Wednesday, Feb. 10:   

We will take photographs for the Harper College Library’s “research project,” we will take care of some business related to our (new and sharp!) Honors zip-up sweatshirts, we will take a minute or two to talk about upcoming Honors outings/events.  Finally, in the time that remains, we will finish Professor Garcia’s Ethics-Bowl case studies -- the ones we did not get to on Wed., Feb. 3.  Professor Garcia suggests that at last we may end up asking ourselves, “What is freedom?”

Wednesday, Feb. 17:

"The Paradox of Affluence. Subordinating Corporate Commercialism to the Sovereignty of the People."  This is an hour-long video that is part of Phi Theta Kappa's "Honors Seminar Series."  We don't have to watch the video for the full hour.  Maybe we can watch about forty-ish minutes, cut the cord, and then discuss/debate (?).  The video features Ralph Nader, the self-described " public citizen" and the many-times-over candidate for the U.S. Presidency.  It's a pretty interesting lecture/discussion on the degree to which corporations have -- in Nader's view, at least -- come to dominate our lives and even our thoughts.

Wednesday, Feb. 24:

Guest: Professor Perry Pollack, from Harper's Art Department.  Topic: Contemporary art.  Professor Pollack will use a blend of global images and (happily) images of his own work to help us understand a few important questions: What is art, especially contemporary art?  Should art be pretty?  Should art "make a statement"?  Should we use the word "should" in the context of art?

Saturday, Feb. 27:

This is the date of the HCIR Conference, which happens to be at Harper this year.  HCIR stands for "Honors Council of the Illinois Region."  At the conference, Honors Program students from schools around the state of Illinois -- Elmhurst, for example, and North Central College and Eastern Illinois University and Augustana, among many others -- will come and give presentations on a wide variety of topics, from science-oriented topics to philosophy to literature to political science and beyond.  A few of our own (Harper) Honors folks will be presenting!  The conference will be in the Avante building, and there will be hour-long sessions from 9 to 9:55 a.m., 10 to 10:55 a.m., 11 to 11:55 a.m., and 1:45 to 240 p.m.  If you’d like to help out at the conference -- or if you'd simply like to attend -- please let Mr. Wilson know.  (We have to have at least a decent sense of how many non-presenters will be there.)  We will get things rolling with a continental breakfast and tiny "welcome" session pretty early, at about 8:30 a.m.

Wednesday, Mar. 3:

"The Paradox of Affluence.  If You're So Rich, How Come You're Not Happier?  America's Difficult Relationship with Class, Material Success, and the Pursuit of Happiness."  This is another installment of the PTK "Honors Seminar Series" (see Wed., Feb. 10, above.)  The video features Ray Suarez, a reporter/investigator for National Public Radio, among others.  Indeed, why aren't Americans happier?  Are they happy at all?

Wednesday, Mar. 10:

Guest: Professor Barb Solheim.  Topic: Gender.  This topic is "by request" from more than one of our regular Honors Society attendees.  Initially, at least, we will discuss the ways in which society uses toys, colors, and even levels of eye contact and intimacy to shape young girls and boys into "women" and "men," respectively.  However, who knows where our discussion will end?

Saturday, Mar. 13:

We will be visiting the Illinois Holocaust Museum in the morning and early afternoon on this day.  Mr. Wilson has reserved a Harper van that seats about fifteen.  If you're interested in coming along, it would be nice of you to let Mr. Wilson know sooner than later, so that he can reserve a second van if he needs to.  We will be leaving campus at ten a.m. and returning by about three p.m.                     

Inspiration Cafe.  If you're interested, let Mr. Wilson know.  You'd meet Mr. Wilson at about 3:40 p.m. just outside of the Performing Arts Center, and you'd be dropped off at the Performing Arts Center parking lot by or before 8:00 p.m.  The Café is a place to cook for and feed some of Chicago's economically disadvantaged folks. 

Wednesday, Mar. 17:

"The Paradox of Affluence.  Loans That Change Lives: The Story of Kiva.org." This is the last spring, 2010 installment of the PTK "Honors Seminar Series" (see Wed., Feb. 10 and Wed., Feb. 24, above.)  This video features Jessica Jackley, the founder of Kiva.org, a pioneering person-to-person loaning site through which an individual (I myself, or you as well) can loan money -- sometimes a rather modest amount -- to an entrepreneur in a developing nation.  It's another truly interesting video; this one seems hopeful in its reminder that there is power in the hands of one globally-interested person . . . when he/she acts individually and not necessarily through government.

Wednesday, Mar. 24:

Spring Break!

Wednesday, Mar. 31:

Professor Linda Campbell will visit us for a discussion on the elderly in America -- an increasingly important issue in our society.  What is it really like to grow old in America?  What sort of care do elderly folks receive in an average nursing home or "assisted-living" facility?  Does America respect its elderly population?  What are the implications of an ever-growing number of Alzheimer's or dementia-related diagnoses?  What does the current health-care debate in Washington mean to America's elderly?  Professor Campbell, who teaches Developmental Psychology at Harper, will touch upon those and other questions in her visit.  PROFESSOR CAMPBELL'S VISIT IS STILL UNCONFIRMED AT THIS POINT.  MR. WILSON IS WORKING ON IT.

Wednesday, April 7:

Guest, Professor Bobby Summers, from Harper's Political Science Department.  Topic: Is the current American political system broken beyond repair?  Truly, with all of the rancor and "party politics" in Washington, is it actually possible to get anything of any substance done -- or even to have an honest, non-partisan negotiation?  Again, has democracy begun fail?

Wednesday, April 14:

Guest, Professor Charles Brown.  Topic: TBA

Wednesday, April 21:

Guest: Professor Helmut Publ, from Harper's Anthropology Department.  Topic: TBA.

Thursday, April 22:

This is the date of our "evening out" at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater to see The Taming of the Shrew.  We will leave campus at roughly 3:30-ish p.m. (it's a free bus ride), arriving at Navy Pier in the neighborhood of 5:00 p.m. or just before 5:00.  We will have dinner at Navy Pier (bring some cash), and the play starts at 7:30 p.m.  We'll be back at the Harper parking lot, in front of building "L," by about 11:15 p.m.  The Honors Program has reserved twenty tickets for this event.  If you're interested in attending, please contact Mr. Wilson, awilson@harpercollege.edu.

Wednesday, Apr. 28:

Nuclear Tipping Point, a new documentary. Nuclear Tipping Point is a conversation with four men intimately involved in American diplomacy and national security over the last four decades. Former Secretary of State George Shultz, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former Secretary of Defense Bill Perry and former Senator Sam Nunn share the personal experiences that led them to write two Wall Street Journal op-eds in support of a world free of nuclear weapons and the steps needed to get there. Their efforts have reframed the global debate on nuclear issues and, according to the New York Times, "sent waves through the global policy establishment."

Wednesday, May 5:

Food and fun!

Saturday, May 8:

Inspiration Café.  Please see the Saturday, Mar. 13 description, above.

Honors Society Discussion Topics for Fall, 2009

Our Honors Society meetings take place every Wednesday afternoon, 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in room L-329.

Wednesday, Sept. 2: This is our first meeting. We will greet one another and talk about running for an Honors Society office: President, Vice President, etc. Perhaps we will actually vote for our officers on this day (?).

Wednesday, Sept. 9: John Garcia, from Harper's Philosophy Department, will host a meeting on health care -- first by presenting an "Ethics Bowl" case related to health care, and next by moving into a more general discussion of the current (and sometimes very raucous) "public-option" debate. This is a nicely timed discussion: later in the evening (of Sept. 9), President Obama will be giving his much-anticipated health-care reform speech before a joint sessions of Congress (7:00 p.m. Central Time; you should tune in and listen).

Saturday, Sept. 12: Inspiration Cafe. If you're interested, let Mr. Wilson know. You'd meet Mr. Wilson at about 3:40 p.m. just outside of the Performing Arts Center, and you'd be dropped off at the Performing Arts Center parking lot by or before 8:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 16: Documentary: Devil's Playground. This controversial film, directed by Lucy Walker, probably shatters everything you think you know about the Amish. Focusing on nearby LaGrange County, Indiana, the film covers the Amish practice of "releasing" teenagers into the non-Amish world . . . with the hope that they will, of course, return and proclaim life-time devotion to the Amish Church. It's a pretty short film, so we should have time to view it and debate it.

Wednesday, Sept. 23: Professor Barbara Solheim, from Harper's Philosophy Department, will host a discussion on Stanley ("Tookie") Williams, one of the pioneers of the "Crips" street gang. Williams was convicted in 1979 of four murders. While in prison, Williams famously turned his life around, becoming an ardent and very busy activist against gang membership and perhaps altering (saving?) the lives of numberless young men over several years. Despite worldwide pleas for clemency, the State of California executed Williams by lethal injection in 2005. Dr. Solheim will lead a discussion of Williams' life and, of course, the always-delicate issue of capital punishment in contemporary America.

Wednesday, Sept. 30: Professor Veronica Mormino, from Harper's Geography Department, will introduce us to the fascinating life of Argentina's famous Eva Peron. Professor Mormino herself is pretty fascinating -- and exceptionally charismatic -- as you will see. This meeting will be a lot of fun.

Wednesday, Oct. 7: Topic: Censorship! Guest: Dr. Seema Kurup, from Harper's English Department. The always-lively Professor Kurup will venture through the list of banned/challenged classics (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/frequentlychallenged/challengedclassics/index.cfm) and discuss the ways in which some of these texts appear to defy mainstream cultural values. The irony, of course, is that many of the values that seem to be under attack are actually being championed in those texts. Toni Morrison's Beloved is too explicitly racist? Well, yes, that's an indictment against racism. John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men features scenes in which a mentally challenged man experiences patent cruelty? Well, is that because Steinbeck was an insensitive putz, or is it (much) more likely because he was hoping to jolt us awake to the challenges confronting the mentally challenged? Professor Kurup will help us to know (more deeply know) what we're banning . . . before we ban it.

Wednesday, Oct. 14: Professor Charlie Johnston, from Harper's Psychology Department, will address the ongoing controversy of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and how veterans of our wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are faring as they return home and try -- with varying degrees of success -- to re-adjust to their civilian lives. Professor Johnston may inject a bit of graphic film footage into our discussion.

Wednesday, Oct. 21: Professor Getachew Begashaw, from Harper's Economics Department, will host a discussion on the state of the U.S. economy. Given the affairs of the past year or so, there will be plenty to argue about. For example, is America capitalist in name, but socialist in fact (since the U.S. Treasury has bailed out so many banks, investment firms, etc.)? This will be Dr. Begashaw's first-ever visit to the Honors Society, and we are very happy to welcome him.

Wednesday, Oct. 28: No meeting. Mr. Wilson will be out of town, and he looks forward to seeing you on Nov. 4.

Wednesday, Nov. 4: Professor Linda Campbell will visit us for a discussion on the elderly in America -- an increasingly important issue in our society. What is it really like to grow old in America? What sort of care do elderly folks receive in an average nursing home or "assisted-living" facility? Does America respect its elderly population? What are the implications of an ever-growing number of Alzheimer's or dementia-related diagnoses? What does the current health-care debate in Washington mean to America's elderly? Professor Campbell, who teaches Developmental Psychology at Harper, will touch upon those and other questions in her Nov. 4 visit.

Wednesday, Nov. 11: No meeting. Harper is closed for Veterans' Day.

Saturday, Nov. 14: Inspiration Cafe. See the Sept. 12 description (above).

Wednesday, Nov. 18: Professors Kevin Long and Richard Middleton-Kaplan will be our guests; those gentlemen will host a discussion on the live-stage version of The Diary of Anne Frank and the terrifying issues this play raises. Professor Long is the Director of Harper's fall, 2009 theatrical production of The Diary of Anne Frank. Professor Middleton-Kaplan, who teaches Holocaust literature at Harper, is serving as the expert advisor to Harper's production of The Diary. Our Nov. 18 meeting will take place on the set of The Diary (we'll meet in our regular room, L-329, and then walk together to the Performing Arts Center.) If we're lucky, a few of Professor Long's actors might give us a brief excerpt performance. Surely this will be an unusually wonderful -- albeit haunting -- Honors Society meeting.

By the way, performances of The Diary of Anne Frank will take place in Harper's Performing Arts Center on Nov. 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, & 22. Friday and Saturday shows begin at 8:00 p.m. Sunday shows begin at 2:00 p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 25: Professor Greg Clemons, from Harper's Music Department, will passionately argue against the repeated attacks that K - 8 and high-school music programs suffer around the country. Whenever there's a tightening of the financial belt in any given school district, Professor Clemons (rightfully) laments, "Music is the first thing to go." We will discuss what a world without true investment in the arts would look like. We will address whether our priorities -- as a society that proclaims a keen interest in the education of its youth -- are academically solvent.

Wednesday, Dec. 2: TBA

Wednesday, Dec. 9: Food and fun!

Honors Society Discussion Topics for Spring, 2009

Our Honors Society meetings take place every Wednesday afternoon, 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in room L-329.

Wednesday, Jan. 28: This will be our first meeting of the spring, 2009 semester. We'll just regroup a little, do some planning for our spring outings, our Wed.-afternoon meetings, etc.

Wednesday, Feb. 4: The beloved and most reliable Professor John Garcia, from Harper's Philosophy Dept., will join us with a brand-new "case" ( a highly controversial/debatable topic drawn from a real-life instance) from the brand-new batch of 2009 (Ethics Bowl) case studies.

Wednesday, Feb. 11: Guest: Andy Kidwell, from Harper's Chemistry Department. Professor Kidwell is joining us to discuss what's called the Large Hadron Collider, a tool that helps scientists to look for the "God Particle," also known as the "Higgs-Boson" particle. This is a matter of some controversy among scientists, some of whom disagree vociferously with respect to whether the spectacular cost of the collider is, at last, a worthy expense and/or whether it can sound out meaningful findings. Here, in this description for our Wed., Feb. 11 discussion, I (Mr. Wilson) am writing words about which I have little or no idea, but I guarantee anyway that our hour together -- with Professor Kidwell at the helm -- will be truly fascinating. Prof. Kidwell promises to bring along some images for the big screen in L-329.

Wednesday, Feb. 18: Movie: Frozen River. The winner of the 2008 Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Frozen River tells the story of illegal immigration on the other U.S. border (between Upstate New York and Canada). While illegal immigration may be just that -- illegal -- this remarkable film reminds us that those who break the law aren't always "bad." Some, in fact, are quite good. For her performance, Melissa Leo, who plays the lead, has been nominated for a Best-Actress Oscar at the 2009 Academy Awards. It's a truly good and timely film that touches on socioeconomics, feminist concerns, Native-American concerns, and (much) more. Popcorn provided (free!), of course. You might bring along your own soda.

Wednesday, Feb. 25: On Wed., Feb. 25, attendees at the Honors Society meeting will be treated to a solo guitar performance by Steve Vasquez, one of Harper's outstanding faculty members in the Music Department. Steve will play both classic and contemporary pieces -- including, perhaps, one of his own compositions. We are honored that Steve has agreed to perform at our Feb. 25 meeting.

(Thursday, Feb. 26): This is the date of our cultural outing to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater to see Macbeth. Please see the main page of the website for more info.

Wednesday, Mar. 4: Professor Alicia Tomasian will treat us to a follow-up discussion of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which many of us will have seen -- live & in the flesh -- at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (@ Navy Pier) on Thurs., Feb. 26 (the date of the spring, 2009 Honors Cultural Outing). In essence, Prof. Tomasian will provide us with a lively overview of the play, the various characters in the play, the overall concerns of the play, (perhaps) a little of the play's history, and more. Dr. Tomasian is an expert on the literature of the English Renaissance, especially Shakespeare.

Wednesday, Mar. 11: For today's meeting, we WILL meet in our regular room (L-329) at 3:45 p.m. However, soon thereafter we will walk over to building "A," to room A-242 a/b, for the "Open-Mic" session. For the rest of the meeting, we will enjoy the "Open Mic," and some Honors students actually plan to participate. Please come! If you plan to arrive at the meeting a little late (i.e., after four p.m. or so), please go straight to room A-242 a/b. (A note: Mr. Wilson might be out of town on this day, but the wheels of Honors will roll just fine without him, and we're definitely meeting and going to the Open Mic, etc.)

(Saturday, Mar. 14): This is our first spring, 2009 Inspiration CafÈ outing. We'll meet at 3:30 p.m. just outside of the Performing Arts Center, and we should return to the Harper parking lot before 8:00 p.m. See the main page of the website (www.harpercollege.edu/cluborgs/honors/index.html) for more info.

Wednesday, Mar. 18: Guest: Professor Charles Johnston. Topic: well, basically the topic is mindless conformity & compliance. But more specifically, Prof. Johnston will address the ways in which situations determine our behaviors, thoughts, and feelings. Human history -- even very recent history -- is filled with instances in which folks have done frightful things simply because they were instructed, by some higher authority, to do so. Prof. Johnston will help us examine whether it's possible for a person to act as a purely independent being, someone who is not governed by environment, circumstance, authority, and more. Prof. Johnston will bring along a little film, maybe 30 minutes long.

Wednesday, Mar. 25: Professor Helmut Publ, from Harper's Anthropology Department, will visit us with a truly interesting presentation on land use in ancient American civilizations, with a special emphasis on Maya, Aztec, and Inca civilizations. Prof. Publ will bring some "media" (slides, of course, and other images), and we may finish by comparing/contrasting ancient uses of land with contemporary uses (or misuses?) of land.

Wednesday, Apr. 1: No meeting. Have a happy spring break!

Wednesday, Apr. 8: TBA

Wednesday, Apr. 15: The amazing Professor Richard Middleton-Kaplan (from Harper's English Department) will be with us to discuss nonviolence and peaceful activism. With our nation embroiled in two foreign wars and our daily lives saturated in media violence, we risk becoming so desensitized and cynical that we regard the quest for peace as naïve idealism at best, or futile passivity at worst. Yet some of the world's greatest thinkers and leaders gave their lives-many literally-to the quest for peace through non-violent activism. What did they know that we have forgotten? What can we learn from their active non-violence?

Wednesday, Apr. 22: Atheism! Professor Charles Brown, from Harper's Philosophy Department, will join us to discuss atheism. Who are the non-believers? What are the (many) reasons for an atheistic sensibility? Are atheists "bad"? Do atheists lack spirituality? Could a self-proclaimed, proud atheist ever be elected the office of the U.S. Presidency?

Wednesday, Apr. 29: On this date, we will be pleased to have guests from Harper's gay and lesbian alliance. The larger topic will be homophobia, and Harper Professor Kris Conroy will help to lead a round-table discussion on this important social issue. Hope to see you in L-329 on Wed., Apr. 29 at 3:45 p.m.

Wednesday, May 6: Movie: the cult classic, Harold and Maude. No one should proceed through college in America without seeing this film. Popcorn and soda provided free of charge, naturally.

Wednesday, May 13: Food and fun.

Honors Society Discussion Topics for Fall, 2008

Our Honors Society meetings take place every Wednesday afternoon, 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in room L-329.

Wednesday, Sept. 3: Welcome back! Or, just welcome (if you're a first-timer)! This is our first meeting of the 2008/09 academic year. We'll talk about electing our Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary in this meeting. (We'll hold the actual elections next week, Sept. 10.) As some of you probably know, we already elected this year's Honors Society President, Alyssa Morello, during the final meeting of the spring, 2008 term.

Also, we have an Inspiration Café outing coming up right away (Sat., Sept. 13), so we'll collect any volunteers (up to about four or five).

Also, Philosophy Professor John Garcia will be at our Sept. 3 meeting (and, we hope, all of our Honors Society meetings through the year). Prof. Garcia would like to get the Honors crowd more involved in Harper's "Ethics Bowl" competitions, which he will explain in much more detail. He will whet your Ethics-Bowl appetite by presenting two ethical "case studies": a) we'll look at how veterinarians can balance respect for the wishes of pet owners with concern for the best interest of pets, and b) we'll ask whether and how the government should decide who gets custody of a child. (We might have time only for one of those two dilemmas.)

Wednesday, Sept. 10: We'll have our election for three Honors Society officer positions: a) Vice President, b) Treasurer, and c) Secretary. If you're interested in one of those positions, you must be at the meeting, and you should be prepared to say a little something about why you'd like to be VP, Treasurer, etc. You don't have to have to be bubbly, and certainly you don't have to have a Powerpoint show; just be prepared to offer a little detail on what Honors Society activities you might like to initiate.

Also, Prof. Garcia will be back, this time to give us the lowdown on how to be a better "arguer" in an Ethics Bowl setting: how to move from an informal discussion of case studies to a more organized presentation of one's views, for example, or how to balance advocacy for a particular view with a careful consideration of multiple viewpoints.

Wednesday, Sept. 17: We'll have an Ethics Bowl competition, a debate between two teams of students, using the techniques and cases from Sept. 3 and Sept. 10. There is a Harper-wide Ethics Bowl competition in mid October, and we would love to see a team from the Honors Society. Perhaps such a team could compete and win!

Wednesday, Sept. 24: Obama vs. McCain! (Need we say more?) Professor Bobby Summers, from Harper's Political Science Department, will guest host this meeting. Professor Summers will not take a side, but you would be entirely free to take a side, naturally. We'll be sure to find out what the substantive (rather than obvious) differences are between Mr. Obama's candidacy and Mr. McCain's.

Wednesday, Oct. 1: On this day, we will watch the film called Sicko, directed by Michael Moore. This film is controversial for a number of reasons, not the least of which is its stinging indictment of the American health-care industry. Of course, Moore himself is a controversial figure — revered by some and detested by others. Sicko, perhaps, will encourage us to argue about health care, and it’s likely, too, to encourage us to argue about fairness and objectivity in documentary film-making. This is a “don’t-miss” experience. (Popcorn, free of charge, will be provided, but you might consider bringing your own soda.)

Wednesday, Oct. 8: We will finish watching Sicko, and then we’ll argue about it.

Wednesday, Oct. 15: What on earth is going on with the economy? The economy is dominating the news (in very negative tones) each and every day, and it seems even to be drawing attention away from the current run for the U.S. Presidency. Guest speaker Mark Healy, from Harper’s Economics Department, will come to discuss the scary economic picture in America.

Wednesday, Oct. 22: Professor Joshua Sunderbruch, from Harper’s English Department, will visit us to discuss the need for government regulation of the environment. With the growing energy crisis, more and more people are in favor of removing environmental protections (for example, the proposal to drill in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge). Likewise, in many ways potable water is going to become the next oil. Again, Dr. Sunderbruch’s will address the ways in which we should hold fast to some level of governmental regulation of natural resources, and his interest in the topic comes from the worry that people are prepared to put short-term wants (low gas prices, etc.) ahead of long-term consequences. Dr. Sunderbruch comes to us with the belief that long-standing protections are being reduced at an unacceptable rate.

Wednesday, Oct. 29: Poetry-writing, hosted by Professor Annie Davidovicz, from Harper's English Department. Prof. Davidovicz, who regularly teaches Introduction to Poetry (LIT 105) and Poetry Writing (ENG 222) at Harper, will attempt to inspire your brain's right hemisphere (the "creative" side) with a brief introduction to poetry, and with a small creative-writing exercise (all in the space of an hour or so). Yes, that means that each attendee will write his/her own poem. Perhaps we might discover that poetry is more fun -- and more important to human development -- than our poetry-phobic society sometimes suggests. Perhaps we'll find, in a brief hour, that poetry is a document of civilization, and that without poetry our souls would choke like flies upon the sun-baked, poisoned carcass of a nuclear swine.

Wednesday, Nov. 5: "The Medication of America"; guest host: Dr. Charles Johnston, from Harper's Psychology Department. Dr. Johnston will examine the "prescription drug culture" that characterizes much of the mental-health industry in the U.S. Of course there are medications used for a variety of mental health problems that are quite effective and beneficial; however, we will discuss the possibility that there is indeed too much dependency in America on medications, some of which work, and others of which fail entirely to deliver as promised.

Wednesday, Nov. 12: On this date, some Harper Honors Society folks will climb into a Harper van and take a trip to the Lydia Home, an orphanage in N. Chicago, near the junction of Irving Park road and the Kennedy Expressway. There, from about 3:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., we will help the kids with their homework (in all subjects). Basically our purpose is to tutor or provide whatever academic assistance might be wanted or needed. If you’re interested in going, you should secure a seat by contacting Mr. Wilson (awilson@harpercollege.edu); please note that the Harper van can hold a maximum of twelve passengers plus the driver. We will leave Harper’s campus at about 2:40 or 2:45, with a hopeful arrival at the Lydia Home of 3:25-ish p.m.

Wednesday, Nov. 19: Viola Performance by Henrietta Neeley, from Harper's Music Department. Come ready to listen, and there might also be time to ask some questions. If you appreciate and love music, it would be a sin, sort of, to miss this meeting.

Wednesday, Nov. 26: No meeting. Happy Thanksgiving.

Wednesday, Dec. 3: Macbeth! Well . . . we won't see the whole play or anything, but we'll visit a little with Shakespeare's Macbeth. Since the spring, 2009 Honors Society cultural outing will be a trip to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater (@ Navy Pier) to see Shakespeare's Macbeth, in today's meeting we will enjoy an introduction to this famous (and famously bloody) play, hosted by Dr. Alicia Tomasian from Harper's English Department. Professor Tomasian, who wrote a dissertation on Renaissance literature while earning a PhD at the University of Chicago, will say a bit about Macbeth's central themes, about the way in which Macbeth is still relevant to the world today, and perhaps about Macbeth's exceedingly interesting and infamous wife (Lady Macbeth).

Wednesday, Dec. 10: Food, fun, and happy holidays!

MEETINGS ARCHIVE

All meetings take place on WEDNESDAYS, from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., in room L-329 (that's building "L," room 329).

January 30: First meeting of the spring, 2008 term. In this meeting, we will (try to) set all of our ducks in a tidy little row.

February 6: TBA

February 13: Topic: the campaign for the 2008 presidential election. Guest speaker, Professor Bobby Summers, from Harper's Political Science Department. What are the "issues"? Who are the frontrunners? What is at stake in the next election? What are the real differences (if any) between the Republicans and the Democrats running for the Presidency?

February 20: Professor Andy Kidwell, from Harper's Chemistry Department, will join us to discuss environmental issues from a "chemical" point of view. To what extent has the field of Chemistry been responsible for environmental destruction? What is the field of Chemistry doing to support environmental initiatives? More generally, to what extent (if any) is it actually too late to stop environmental deterioration? (And some students would really love to know . . . is it really possible to operate a motor vehicle with fuel made from corn?)

February 27: Film: The Lives of Others (2006). It's a beautifully made film from Germany, directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. The film looks carefully and critically at East Germany, specifically East Berlin, during the later years of the Cold War. It's actually a pretty thrilling drama, but more importantly the film highlights the difficulty of being human (or humane) in the dehumanizing environment created and brutally maintained by the East Germany's secret police (the "Stasi"). And yet, can some manage somehow to find a little humanity anyway? The Lives of Others won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and the (recently deceased) lead actor, Ulrich Mühe, is truly wonderful as the film's increasingly confused Stasi agent.

March 5: On this day, we will discuss the previous week's film, The Lives of Others, with two faculty guests: Renate von Keudell, from Harper's German Department, and Sean Noonan, from Harper's Sociology Department. Prof. von Keudell will give a bit of background on cold-war Germany (and perhaps Germany in general); Prof. Noonan will, among other things, tease us with the question of whether the hyper-paranoid, police-state climate highlighted in The Lives of Others also exists here in America, even if only in subtler, "quieter" ways. Perhaps no one would say that there's a one-to-one correspondence between what one sees in The Lives of Others and what one finds in contemporary American life (?). However, would it be naïve to say that there are no similarities whatsoever?

March 12: Topic: the Moon! Guest speaker, Professor Paul Sipiera, from Harper's Astronomy Department. What is the Moon? What myths surround the Moon? Is it true, for instance, that the moon has the power to "influence" human beings in weird, irrational ways? (Let's not be hyper-rational and say "No" too quickly.) How important is the Moon to the Earth? What would happen (to the Earth) if the Moon should go away? Is the Moon slowly but surely spinning free of the Earth's gravity range, and if so, at what point will it slip away and disappear?

March 19: Mr. Wilson will follow up our Mar. 13 cultural outing to the Chicago Shakespeare Theater with some passages from and insight on Shakespeare's Othello.

March 26: No meeting (spring break).

April 2: Professor Mark Healy, from Harper's Economics Department, will visit us to discuss the current state of the U.S. economy. One possible sub-topic will be the crunch many Americans are now feeling due to the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

April 9: Topic: Literature of the Holocaust. Guest: Professor Richard Middleton-Kaplan. Of course much has been written about the Holocaust, and Dr. Middleton-Kaplan will spend an hour or so with us, helping us make sense of one of history's most harrowing living nightmares. Dr. Middleton-Kaplan, who developed a Holocaust Literature course at Harper, will introduce us to a bit of the literature surrounding this unforgettable event, which continues to resound painfully in the hearts and minds of millions.

April 16: Discussion topic: health care.

April 23: Professor Jason Peot, from Harper's Art Department, will be with us to discuss contemporary art in general and his own artistic work in particular. What is contemporary art? Equipped with images and expertise, Professor Peot will help us to understand. Most exciting will be Professor's Peot's presentation and discussion of his own excellent and highly regarded work, much of which has found its way into galleries and museums, and one of Jason's newest pieces was recently highlighted on Chicago Public Radio. For more information on Professor Peot and his artwork, please see www.jasonpeot.com.

April 30: TBA

May 7: On this day, the Honors Society crowd will actually climb in a van at about 3:30 p.m. and drive to the nearby Palatine Opportunity Center to help out for about two hours. We should return to campus by about 5:45 p.m. or so. We will not meet in room L-329 on this day. It will be a kind of combined Honors Society meeting / service outing.

September 5:
First meeting: in this meeting, anyone hoping to serve as an Honors Society officer (President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer) should come prepared to make a one- or two-minute "appeal" regarding why he/she would like to serve in an officer role. The group will actually vote during this meeting (Sept. 5); Professor John Garcia (Harper's new Phi Theta Kappa advisor) will also attend this meeting and speak about Phi Theta Kappa, the national Honors Society for two-year schools. Finally, at this meeting, students will likely put their heads together and consider what service and cultural outings they might like to tackle.

(By the way, if student X wishes to run for President, and if he/she sadly ends up not winning the presidency, he/she is indeed free to run for the Vice-Presidency. If student X wishes to run for the Vice-Presidency, and if he/she then does not win the election for VP, he/she is more than welcome to run for the Secretary position. Etc.)

September 12:
Topic: immigration. We will welcome Mary O'Leary, an immigration lawyer located in Evanston, Illinois, to our Sept. 12 Honors Society meeting, and Ms. O'Leary (a remarkably energetic and informed person) will guest-host the meeting. Naturally, she will have much to say about the current immigration controversies in the United States. Please come! We're very lucky that Ms. O'Leary will be joining us on Sept. 12.

September 19:
On this day, we will welcome Dr. Sam Rosenberg, Director of the Scholars Program at Roosevelt University. Dr. Rosenberg will be available from roughly 4:00 p.m. to about 5:00 p.m., and he will come with tons of information regarding Roosevelt University, in particular Roosevelt's Scholars Program.. Any student hoping to transfer to a four-year university in the spring of '08 or, of course, in the fall of 08 is highly encouraged to attend. (Over the past three or four years, many of Harper's former Honors Program students have transferred to Roosevelt with wonderful academic scholarships.)

September 26:
Film: Maria Full of Grace. This is film is sort of a follow-up to the September 12 meeting on immigration, but again . . . only sort of. It's a beautiful dramatic film (in Spanish, with English subtitles), and it does indeed address illegal immigration, though one would probably not wish to say that it is mainly or only a film about immigration. It's a truly good movie that features a wonderful performance by the female lead, and the film begins in a small village in Columbia and moves, somewhat dramatically, to the Spanish-speaking quarters of New York City. The film will begin promptly at 3:30 p.m. (in room L-329, of course).

October 3:
Topic: Alternative Medicine as a Pseudo-Science. Guest speaker: Professor Joshua Sunderbruch, from Harper's English Department.

October 10:
A musical performance: Tony Porter (cello) and Steve Vasquez (guitar). Please, please come! Don't miss this one.

October 17:
Film: Jesus Camp. This recent documentary takes a hard look at America's Evangelical Christian movement, especially where its influence on (very impressionable) children is concerned. It's an extremely controversial film that is surely bound to please some viewers and infuriate some others. Discussion of the film will bleed into our Oct. 24 meeting, which will be hosted by Professor Charles Brown, from Harper's Philosophy Department.

October 24:
Topic: religious extremism. Guest speaker: Professor Charles Brown, from Harper's Philosophy Department. This meeting will be a continuation, at least to some degree, of the Oct. 17 meeting. There are those who might say that religion is the worst idea ever invented. To what extent are they correct? To what extent are they mistaken?

October 31:
Documentary: The 1900 House; discussion to follow.

November 7:
Open Discussion Day. Speak your mind on whatever issues annoy/provoke/fascinate/enrage you. Mr. Garcia will bring some ethical brain-teasers to jump-start the conversation.

November 14:
A Panel of Professors Prompted by Pizza Propound Profundities Apropos of Their Professional Pursuits and Passions. Join us as we find out what set some key Harper professors on the path to their teaching/scholarly careers. How did they figure out what they wanted to do? What were the specific events/influences that got them started? What trials and obstacles did they meet along the way? Come and help us find out what makes these people tick--and chip in if you want a little pizza along the way. Scheduled to appear (so far): Prof. Paul Guymon, Prof. Helen Burroughs, and Prof. Sean Noonan.

November 21:
Join Dr. Ayala of the University of Illinois-Chicago and the "Center for Inquiry" as she meets with us to talk about skepticism as an intellectual value from a secular-humanist perspective.

November 28:
Topic: the Bill of Rights. Guest speaker: Professor Joshua Sunderbruch, from Harper's English Department. Dr. Sunderbruch will defend the Bill of Rights (and argue that the Bill of Rights has been scarcely respected as of late). Please come and argue with him.

December 5:
Honors Society Food-and-Games Day. Bring your favorite board game and challenge your peers to ferocious competition as we de-stress before the rigors of finals week.

Wed., Jan. 24
First meeting

Wed., Jan. 31
A visit from Dr. Joshua Sunderbruch, from Harper's English Department. Topic: The Value of Conflict. Turn on National Public Radio, and perhaps you'll hear a push for politicians (on both sides of the aisle) to "meet near the middle." We're often taught to resolve conflict, to compromise, but is this always the best way? Are we becoming, or have we become, a conflict-free society? Among other things, Dr. Sunderbruch will host a discussion on the benefits of conflict . . . and what can happen when conflict is dangerously absent.

Wed., Feb. 7
A visit from Dr. Aafif, Fulbright Scholar, Historian and Sociologist from Morocco. Dr. Aafif will address, among other things, male-female dynamics in Islamic society and the perceptions of the West (particularly America) across the Middle East. Dr. Aafif has studied extensively in Japan, and he has taught at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. He is a full-time member of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities at Mohammed V University in Morocco.

Wed., Feb. 14
Do Human Beings Have Free Will? We think we do, and perhaps we do indeed. But do we? Guest faculty members: Charlie Johnston, from Harper's Psychology Department, and John Garcia, from Harper's Philosophy Department.

Wed., Feb. 21
Film: Brothers. It's an exceptional and immensely powerful Danish film that starkly exposes the trauma of war and the delicacy of the bond between brothers. This film is disturbing and sometimes violent, though the violence is purposeful (not violence for the sake of violence). If you can stand a little realism in its more graphic variety, and if you can stand a film that looks critically at the presumed heroism of soldiers in war, you should appreciate Brothers. It's mainly in Danish, with English subtitles. It's just under two hours long, so we will begin the film at exactly 3:30 p.m., no later.

Wed., Feb. 28
What are business ethics? Are there ethics in business? Guest faculty member: Colleen Burns, from Harper's Philosophy Department.

Wed., Mar. 7
A visit from Professor David Richmond, from Harper's History Department. Is U.S. foreign aid always good? What are the effects -- the pros and cons -- of U.S. foreign aid, especially on our Latin American neighbors? With these and other related questions, Professor Richmond will spark some discussion and debate.

Wed., Mar. 14
An informational session on the Peace Corps, with Dr. Richard Johnson, from Harper's English Department. Dr. Johnson served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Burkina Faso, West Africa. He will speak about his experiences (and bring along some photos?), and he will answer any questions students/visitors might have about serving in the Peace Corps in the 21st Century.

Wed., Mar. 21
Environmental Discussion (and Action) in conjunction with the Harper Think Tank group. There will be a film later this same night: Inconvenient Truth, 7:00 p.m., in the Student Activities lobby of building "A."

Wed., April 4
A Cello Performance; guest faculty member: Tony Porter, from Harper's Music Department.

Wed., April 11
The Problem of AIDS in Chicago; guest speaker(s) to be determined.

Wed., April 18
Topic: Medical Ethics. Guest speaker: Dr. Kate Sunderbruch, M.D., Chief Resident of Pediatrics at Loyola University Medical Center.

Wed., April 25
TBA

Wed., May 4
Topic: the history of student activism in the U.S. Did you know that on May 4, 1970 -- at the apex of the protests against U.S. involvement in Vietnam -- four students were shot and killed by members of the Ohio National Guard at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio? Our discussion will shed light on that event and others, and we may address the health (or the absence) of student activism on American campuses today. Guest speaker: Professor Tom DePalma, from Harper's History Department.

Discussion Topics from Fall 2006

Honors Society discussions take place each Wednesday, from 3:45 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. in room L - 329. All are welcome!

August 30
First Meeting of the Fall, 2007 Term; John Garcia, from Harper's Philosophy Department, will also be at the second half of the meeting to drum up interest in the "Ethics Bowl," a new club/activity at Harper

September 6
Election for Officers

September 13
Free Speech . . . Should There Be Limits? Faculty Guest: Joshua Sunderbruch, from Harper's English Department

September 20
A Visit from Sam Rosenberg, Director of Roosevelt University's Scholars Program; Professor Rosenberg will bring a wealth of info (flyers, etc.) on Roosevelt's Scholars Program, and he will discuss the process of transferring from Harper to Roosevelt.

September 27
Is There a God? Faculty Guests: Charles Brown (from Harper's Philosophy Department), John Garcia (from Harper's Philosophy Department), and Kurt Hemmer (from Harper's English Department)

October 4
Controversies in Political Science; Faculty Guest: Bobby Summers from Harper's Political Science Department

October 11
Film: Grave of the Fireflies

October 18
Controversies in Astronomy; Faculty Guest: Paul Sipiera

October 25
Hi-Jacking the Environment: Political Rhetoric and Global Warming; Faculty Guest: Joshua Sunderbruch, from Harper's English Department

November 1
Dadaism; Faculty Guest: Perry Pollack, from Harper's Art Department

November 8
The History of Abortion in the United States; special guest: Dr. Kate Sunderbruch, M.D., Chief Resident of Pediatrics at Loyola University Medical Center

November 15
Immigration, Illegal Immigration, and Bi- Lingual Education; Faculty Guest: Jennifer Bell, from Harper's AE/LS Division

November 22
Thanksgiving Guitar Concert; Faculty Guest/Performer: Steve Vasquez (free pizza and soda!)

November 29
Is There Such a Thing as White Privilege? Faculty Guests: Kris Conroy and Laura LaBauve-Maher

December 6
"Mainstreaming Homosexuality"; Faculty Guest: Jessica Walsh, from Harper's English Department