A World Beyond My Status

Social media encourages us to share a lot of information about ourselves with others. But it also makes it possible for us to learn about different people, different perspectives, and different ideas. At Piedmont this year, we want to explore the world outside our comfort zones.

 

We will focus on crossing boundaries. We will take a look at cultures around the world. Distances and social boundaries are shrinking due to technology, outsourcing, glocalization, and the international marketplace, making it more and more vital that we understand each other.

 

This year we will take a walk in someone else’s shoes. What is it like to be the other: male/female, professor/student, African American/Latino/white/Asian American, liberal/conservative, developed world/developing world, majority/minority, rich/poor, etc.?· We want the Piedmont Community to consider alternative perspectives throughout disciplines, genders, professions, cultures, politics, and so on.

 

Instead of accepting what we are told, the Piedmont community will be challenged to ignore the popular thought process and think for ourselves. We will promote multiple perspectives. We will embrace complexities such as global development versus global warming. As our understanding develops we will contemplate what actions we need to take.

 

This theme asks us all to reflect on new ideas, other perspectives—all the things we expect in a liberal arts education. This year we will ask ourselves: can I appreciate· A WORLD BEYOND MY STATUS?

2011 Theme Conference·

Wednesday, November 9, 2011, Demorest campus
Wednesday, November 16, 2011, Athens campus

Social media encourages us to share information about ourselves with others. But it also makes it possible for us to learn about different people, their perspectives, cultures, and ideas. At Piedmont this year, we are exploring the world outside our comfort zones. In our ever-shrinking world, with its global politics, international marketplace, and global warming, it is more and more vital that we understand The Other. Across disciplines throughout the college we will search out cultures, perspectives, and philosophies that are new to us and learn to think for ourselves about them.

 

This conference is organized for students and faculty to share what they are learning about A World Beyond My Status. We are planning a poster session for students, art exhibit, poetry slam, panel discussions and debates with students and faculty, and faculty presentations. We want to highlight the critical thinking students are doing and encourage more with this day devoted to our theme.

 

Click here to fill out the submission form

 

Related Materials

National Geographic Vital Statistics World Map

Allows you to view single statistics or compare two on population migration, meat consumption, deforestation, and political migration worldwide.

http://earthpulse.nationalgeographic.com/earthpulse/earthpulse-map

 

'The Other'

As we look outside ourselves with this new theme, this link provides something to think about. Who and what is 'The Other?' Why do we feel the need to separate ourselves? Are others really THAT different once we get past the superficial? While the link is created by Brooklyn College’s Department of English, try to see this concept through the eyes of different departments, specialities, and circumstances.

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/english/melani/cs6/other.html

 

The Civil Conversations Project

This links to a series of radio segments that focus on civil conversations between representatives of differing beliefs. Among those interviewed are: Vincent Harding, Civil Rights Veteran, who says lessons of the past speak to contemporary questions such as 'Is American possible?' ; Richard Mouw, leading Evangelical Educator, encourages other religious conservatives to political civility; and Sherry Turkle, director of the MIT Initiative on Technology and Self, challenges us to lead examined lives with our digital objects — actively shaping technology to human purposes.

http://being.publicradio.org/programs/2011/ccp-mouw

 

Can we love the stranger on Facebook?

This link is a thought-provoking look at the modern uses of technology, especially social networks. Are they the key to openning new pathways to diverse experiences or do they corner us further into "friend groups" that alienate us from others of different interests?

http://blog.onbeing.org/post/4413019671/can-we-love-the-stranger-on-facebook

 

Information Overload?

Information overload is not a·problem that developed with modern technology. In fact, the curious human mind has struggled for centuries with a conflicting desire to learn versus·an overwhelming amount of information. The key is organizing and finding quality. To learn more, listen to this interview with author Ann Blair as she discusses her new book "Too Much to Know: Managing Scholarly Information before the Modern Age." ·
http://www.ttbook.org/book/ann-blair-information-overload