September 22, 2010 at 9:33 am
Not long ago, I read de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America. I am certain that if you took, on the one hand, an old-order Romantic and, on the other hand, what de Tocqueville predicts will happen to literature with the development of democracy—taking the common man as its subject, having a strong interest in the future, using more realist vocabulary—you would get me.
– French novelist Michel Houellebecq, in an interview with Susannah Hunnewell for The Paris Review, characterizing himself as belonging to a literary and intellectual tradition that includes de Tocqueville among other Core authors — elsewhere, he counts Nietzsche and Dostoyevsky among his influences.
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in Uncategorized
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Tagged books, de Tocqueville, quote
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September 20, 2010 at 1:36 pm
The light from Andromeda that is received by your eyes tonight left the galaxy well before humans were still relying on rock walls to be their art galleries.
– Daniel Hudon, Bluffer’s Guide to the Cosmos
Prof. Hudon, one of the able instructors in the Core Natural Sciences, is the author of Bluffer’s Guide to the Cosmos, published by Oval Books in 2009. As reviewed in BBC Sky at Night: “The latest in the wonderful Bluffer’s Guide series takes us on a whirlwind tour of the Universe… even the most expert astronomer will enjoy digging out these nuggets to convey at an astro convention, or to enliven dinner party talk. Buy, and enjoy!” A more detailed review appeared in UniverseToday. Here is a short Youtube trailer Prof. Hudon made for the book, and a video introduction for the book.
Prof. Hudon’s erudition and good humor are well-known among his students. The same qualities are found through this book. Whether you’re concerned with Black Holes or Big Bangs, Bluffer’s Guide to the Cosmo will prepare you thoroughly to do a little more than bluff through each one.
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in Faculty Publications
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September 20, 2010 at 9:40 am
Upcoming Core Lectures
CC101: Professor Gillman on Genesis II 9/21
CC105: Professor Whitaker on Waves 9/21
CC105: Professor Whitaker on Light 9/23
CC201: MFA Curator Frederick Ilchman on Michelangelo Buonarroti 9/21
CC203: Professor Richard Tuck (Harvard University) on States of Nature and Political Order 9/23
Announcements
- For CC101 students: The MFA audio and print guide is now available for download.
- The Core Writing Center is now open. Writing Tutors are available for half-hour appointments in CAS 129 Monday-Friday, from 10-1 and 2-4. Sign up for an appointment in CAS 119.
- The Greek Music Ensemble presents "Echoi" - Echoes of the Hellenic Musical Heritage. Wednesday, September 22 at 8:00 PM in the Tsai Performance Center. Student tickets are only $5 and can be purchased in the Core office (CAS 119) or at the door.
My Favorite Boston!
Join Core faculty on Fridays in September and October for fun walking tours in and around Boston. This Friday, September 24, Professor Hamill will take students to the Harvard Semitic Museum to view the exhibit The Houses of Ancient Israel, led by a guide of the museum. Pizza in Harvard Square will follow. Sign up in CAS 119. There is no cost for these events, but you will need to bring your BU ID and a pass for the T.
Coming Soon
On Wednesday, September 29, the Core Film Series presents God on Trial (2008). In this BBC film, Jewish prisoners in Auschwitz put God on trial for breaking the covenant. Based on Elie Wiesel’s play, The Trial of God. CAS room 224. Dinner at 6, film at 6:15.
Make sure to bookmark the Core calendar at http://bu.edu/core/calendar.
Get connected with Core!
Check out our new blog: http://bu.edu/core/blog
Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/BUCore
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/corecurriculum
Do you have any ideas, or comments about Core activities? Email Professor Kyna Hamill.
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in e-bulletin
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Tagged e-bulletin
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September 17, 2010 at 10:30 am
The Museum of Science is offering a free admission night for college students that present a valid student ID on Monday, September 20:
This exclusive evening features Omni and 3-D Digital Cinema shows, Theater of Electricity demonstrations, stargazing at the Gilliland Observatory, hot and cold experiments in the Suit / Cabot Lab, and live presentations. Students can also enter our annual raffle to win great prizes from Boston-area businesses. KISS 108FM will be on site playing music.
So go and have a great, science filled (and a little nerdy!) night, all for the price of a T ride!
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in Activities
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Tagged Core in the City, MoS, museums
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September 16, 2010 at 11:59 am
This above all, to thine own self be true,
And it must follow, as the night the day,
Thou canst not then be false to any man.
- Polonius, chief counselor to the king, in Hamlet by William Shakespeare, Act 1 Scene. NB: In view of the surging enthusiasm for the Doctor Who series, we would be remiss not to point out actor David Tennant's critically-hailed portrayal of the titular gloomy Danish prince for BBC television.
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in Analects
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September 15, 2010 at 4:53 pm
The Core loves hearing back from alumni on their lives since graduating from the program! Here are some highlights on people from classes past submitted this past spring and summer.
- TOM DASILVA (Core '08, COM '10) is a fresh graduate of BU and is currently interning as an assistant editor in a TV studio in Newton. He is currently working on several projects of his own, including designing and programming a video game, drumming in local bands, and editing home movies for his family and friends. He can be reached via Facebook or at tjdasilv@bu.edu.
- ANJALI LAI (Core '08, CAS '10) is splitting her time between the academic and professional world, and is driven by her passion for English Lit in both pursuits. While taking Comparative Literature graduate classes part-time at Columbia University, she is also working in Marketing/Communications for the New York Public Library's Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers, an international fellowship awarded to academics, creative writers, and visual artists who use the library collections and the city itself as inspiration for independent projects.
- ERIK CHARLES NIELSEN (Core '01, CAS '03) has appeared in several episodes of the popular comedy series Community, and is living in Los Angeles and performing stand-up comedy. From a comedy review blog: [Erik] got his comedic start in Boston, got a comedic break in Aspen last year, and ... even though he's technically acting in this sketch for Erik the Librarian, that the genius of Erik is that for everyone who doesn't get him or doesn't want to get him, there are plenty of other people (among them, comedians) who simply cannot stop laughing. Just watch the reaction from The Office's Mindy Kaling." Erik is on Twitter and Facebook.
- THOMAS POTTER (Core '96, SED '98) has been a French teacher in Wilbraham, MA, for the past ten years, excluding last year when he was in Dakar, Senegal teaching English. He keeps a blog at voyagespotter.blogspot.com, and can be reached at tpotter75@gmail.com.
We’d love to hear from you too! If you’d like to update us on what you’ve been doing recently, please send a short description to corealum@bu.edu, and it will be added to the EnCore classnotes page.
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in EnCore
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Tagged alumni, classnotes, EnCore
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September 15, 2010 at 4:46 pm
In a challenge to the meaning of the concept “physical constant” as it is taught in CC105, a team of astrophysicists, led by John Webb in the University of New South Wales, Australia are claiming they have discovered a kind of variability in a fundamental constant of nature (via SpaceDaily):
New research suggests that the supposedly invariant fine-structure constant, which characterizes the strength of the electromagnetic force, varies from place to place throughout the Universe. The finding could mean rethinking the fundamentals of our current knowledge of physics.
These results will be presented tomorrow [September 8, 2010] during the Joint European and National Astronomy Meeting in Lisbon, Portugal, and the scientific article has been submitted to the Physical Review Letters Journal. [...]
Webb's results imply that the fine-structure constant, which characterizes the strength of the electromagnetic force, might have different values depending on which direction we are looking in the sky, thus being not so 'constant' after all.
These results have yet to go through the rigor of peer review, so it is as yet perhaps premature to start burning those physics books. When asked about this recent finding, Prof. Hudon of our Core Natural Science faculty—an astronomer by training—had this to say:
“If true, it’s a fascinating result.”
A cautious but curious response! Keep an eye out, then, for further developments this challenge to the present paradigm.
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in Other Publications
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Tagged food for thought, nwes
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September 15, 2010 at 12:17 pm
He who learns
but does not think
is lost.
He who thinks
but does not learn
is in great danger.
-Confucius, Lunyu ("Analects") 2.15
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in Analects
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Tagged Analects, Confucius
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September 14, 2010 at 5:01 pm
Since the Sage does not contend
No one can contend with the Sage.
-philosopher Lao-Tzu, in the Tao Te Ching.
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in Analects
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Tagged Analects, Lao-Tzu
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September 13, 2010 at 11:42 am
Upcoming Core Lectures
CC101: Professor Zank on Genesis 9/14
CC105: Professor Marscher on Motions in the Sky 9/14
CC105: Integrating Forum #1: Is the World Deterministic? 9/16
CC201: Professor Corgan on Machiavelli’s The Prince 9/14
CC203: Professor Barfield on "The Desert & The Town" – Comparative Sociology 9/16
Get connected with Core!
Check out our new blog: http://bu.edu/core/blog
Find us on Facebook: http://facebook.com/BUCore
Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/corecurriculum
My Favorite Boston!
Join Core faculty on Fridays in September and October for fun walking tours in and around Boston. This Friday, September 17, explore the Boston Public Library and the murals of John Singer Sargent’s Triumph of Religion with Professor Lockwood. Ice cream will follow. Sign up in CAS 119. No cost for events, but bring your BU ID and a pass for the T.
Greek Music at the Tsai
The Greek Music Ensemble presents: "Echoi" - Echoes of the Hellenic Musical Heritage. Wednesday, September 22 at 8:00 PM at the Tsai Performance Center. Student tickets are only $5 and can be purchased in the Core office (CAS 119) or at the door.
Were you at the Core Fruit drop yesterday? Send your photos to core@bu.edu.
Make sure to bookmark the Core calendar at http://bu.edu/core/calendar.
Do you have any ideas, or comments about Core activities? Email Professor Kyna Hamill.
By CAS Core Curriculum
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Posted in e-bulletin
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Tagged e-bulletin
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