Austen Film Fest - Preliminary Lineup

PLEASE ALSO VISIT THE *NEW* UPDATED PAGE THROUGH THIS LINK!




As announced at the department retreat last week, we will be hosting a film festival in concert with the Theater Department's stage production of Austen's Pride and Prejudice, all of which coincides with the bicentennial of the novel's original publication:

AUSTEN FILM FEST

Thursday, 10/17 (7pm-9pm) Brown 1028 // Pride and Prejudice (Olivier/Garson,1940)

Friday, 10/18 (7pm-9pm) Brown 1025 // Pride & Prejudice (Knightley/Macfayden,2005)

Saturday, 10/19 (12pm-5pm*) Brown 1025 // Pride and Prejudice Marathon (Firth/Ehle,1995)


Monday, 10/21 (7pm-9pm) Brown 1025 // Bride & Prejudice (Rai/Henderson,2004)

Tuesday, 10/22 (7pm-9pm) Brown 1025 // Bridget Jones’s Diary (Zellwegger/Firth,2001)

Wednesday, 10/23 (7pm-9pm) Brown 1028 // Lost in Austen (Rooper/Cowan,2008)


*Please note that the special screening of the acclaimed BBC series runs as a marathon screening all through the afternoon – feel free to drop in at any time, or indulge in the whole series if you can!

Also note that the first and last screenings of the festival will take place in Brown 1028; all the others will be in Brown 1025.

The times listed are those for which we have the rooms reserved—most films will be approximately 2 hours long, with the exception of the Saturday marathon and the two final films: Bridget Jones runs shorter, at close to 90 minutes, and the Lost in Austen mini-series runs longer, about 150 minutes (in three 50-min. episodes).

A short post-film discussion will follow each screening for anyone who wishes to stay afterward.

We're also planning to have a host of themed prizes awarded at each event, including DVDs and Austen memorabilia, so don’t miss out!

SSS Fall Party Welcomes Department Grads

Thanks especially to hosts Beth Bradburn and Paul Laferriere for helping the English Department's Scholarly Speakers Series welcome our new graduate students (and celebrate our already great group of existing students) yesterday.

It was a great way to remind us of the benefits of conviviality and to catch up on what everyone's been up to since last semester.

We look forward to seeing you all at this year's exciting events, which feature distinguished faculty with a wide variety of specialties ranging from medieval history to contemporary theory. More details on our Fall lineup will follow soon!

Interdisciplinary Work Group in Digital Humanities

Announcement of Center for Humanities

Interdisciplinary Work Group in Digital Humanities

During the fall 2013 semester, the University Center for Humanities will be hosting series of discussions to explore the possibilities of incubating and establishing a more centralized and viable digital humanities presence at WMU.  Moderated by Kate Langan (Asst. Professor, University Libraries) and Ilse Schweitzer VanDonkelaar (Doctoral Associate for the Graduate College and English department), the interdisciplinary work groups are a chance for interested  faculty, administrators, staff, and graduate students to assemble and identify campus-wide expertise and partners.

Recent years have seen a steady increase in the visibility, viability, and innovation of digital research at universities, national organizations, and libraries around the world. In broad terms, digital humanities is the intersection of computing technology and the traditional humanities-based disciplines, such as literatures and languages, cultural studies, history, social sciences, and philosophy. More specifically, digital humanities is seen as how technology and computing change the way scholars interact with, analyze, present, and teach from digitally enhanced materials.

The interdisciplinary work group will 4 times over the semester to assess the opportunities for supporting digital humanities projects at Western and to develop an outline of recommendations for supporting these efforts.

All sessions meet in the University Center for the Humanities (2500 Knauss Hall):  

Wednesday, September 18, from 5-7pm: Defining WMU’s Vision and Mission in the Digital Humanities

At this meeting, our primary objectives will be to define a vision and mission statement on the Digital Humanities for WMU. We will hear presentations from scholars involved in current and past DH projects.  Guest speakers and presenters will include: Mitch Katchun (History), Eve Salisbury (English), Sue Steuer (Libraries), and Todd Kuchta (English).

October 16th, 5-7pm: Navigating the Digital Diaspora: Identifying Opportunities and Expertise across Colleges and Disciplines

November 20th, 5-7pm: Digital Humanities in the Classroom: Implications for Teaching and Learning

December 11th, 5-7pm: Who’s Afraid of the Digital Wolf? How to Implement a Digital Humanities Project from Start to Finish.

Members of the university community are welcome to attend and participate.

Questions and RSVP: kathleen.langan@wmich.edu or (269)387-5823. Please indicate which session(s) you wish to attend. For further information, visit http://libguides.wmich.edu/dighumworkgroup

GWST/Women's Caucus Fall Reception

All department members are welcome at the upcoming Fall Reception hosted by the WMU Women's Caucus, which will take place on Wed., Sept. 18, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. at the Oaklands. Come enjoy some refreshments and good conversation with colleagues old and new!