Inequality in American politics
Posted in Boston College Authors
Tagged America, Political Science department, politics
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Choi event postponed
Please note that Susan Choi’s appearance has been postponed until Nov. 29.
Posted in Lowell Humanities Series
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Susan Choi’s newest novel
Author Susan Choi will give a reading from her forthcoming novel on Oct. 30 at 7 p.m. in Gasson Hall, Room 305. Choi is the author of The Foreign Student, which won the Asian-American Literary Award for fiction, and American Woman, which was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize. Her work has appeared in Vogue, Tin House, Allure, O and The New York Times and in anthologies including Money Changes Everything and Brooklyn Was Mine. Sponsor: Lowell Humanities Series.
Tattoos on the Heart
Father Gregory Boyle, S.J., founder and executive director of Homeboy Industries and author of the bestseller Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, will share his reflections on community and the sacredness of life through the lens of Ignatian spirituality, drawn from more than 20 years of work with formerly gang-involved and recently incarcerated men and women in Los Angeles. The event, scheduled for Oct. 25 in Robsham Theater, has reached capacity seating, but click here for more ways to watch. Sponsors: School of Theology and Ministry, Church in the 21st Century Center.
Baratunde Thurston: Race, media & Election 2012
Social commentator Baratunde Thurston, author of the New York Times bestseller How to Be Black, will speak on “Birth Certificates, Fact Checkers and the Art of Negrospotting: A Look at Race, Comedy, and Politics in the 2012 Election” on Oct. 25 at 7 p.m. in Fulton 511. Named one of the 100 most influential African Americans, Thurston is a popular speaker with a large following on Twitter and YouTube. He served as digital director for The Onion and co-founded the blog Jack & Jill Politics. Sponsor: African and African Diaspora Studies Program
Posted in Guest Authors
Tagged African and African Diaspora Studies, humor, media, politics, race
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Spiritual practices: old and new
Catholic Spiritual Practices: A Treasury of Old and New, co-edited by School of Theology and Ministry Associate Professor Colleen Griffith and Professor Thomas Groome, is the latest title from the award-winning Church in the 21st Century Center Book Series. The volume is a collection of essays by some of the most respected Catholic writers of today that offers “a treasury of formative practices that will vivify and nurture…spiritual life.” Much like athletic or musical talent, faith flourishes with practice, according to editors. “Practices are an enormously important though under-heralded aspect of our Christian faith,” said Griffith, director of spiritual studies at STM. The volume is organized into three kinds of practice: prayer, care and spiritual growth. Groome and Griffith also contributed essays to the volume, as did Barbara Anne Radtke, an instructional designer for C21 Online, STM’s continuing education program, who writes on spiritual practices in the digital age. “Our collection has treasures old and new,” said Groome. “I think everyone can find something here that they will find engaging and valuable to their ‘practice.’” Read more in the Boston College Chronicle.
From Rotella: a new book, a NYT book review and two columns
According to a New York Times book review by English Professor Carlo Rotella, Escape Velocity: A Charles Portis Miscellany — a collection of the author’s reporting, essays, short stories and drama– is a worthwhile read for Portis’ fans. Rotella, who also serves as director of BC’s American Studies program, has a newly published book of his own: Playing in Time: Essays, Profiles, and Other True Stories (University of Chicago Press). From the publisher: “The two dozen essays in Playing in Time, some of which have never before been published, revolve around the themes and obsessions that have characterized Rotella’s writing from the start: boxing, music, writers, and cities. What holds them together is Rotella’s unique focus on people, craft, and what floats outside the mainstream. ‘Playing in time’ refers to how people make beauty and meaning while working within the constraints and limits forced on them by life.”
Rotella also is a regular contributing columnist for the Boston Globe. His recent pieces reflect on the ingredients for a good education and the inspiration to be gleaned from the Rocky Marciano statue in Brockton.
Tip @ 100
Boston College is marking the 100th birthday of the late Thomas P. “Tip” O’Neill, Jr., a 1936 alumnus who rose from his modest North Cambridge neighborhood to become of one the most powerful figures in American politics, with a special course titled “Tip O’Neill and the Evolution of American Politics.” O’Neill was a member of Congress for 34 years and the Speaker of the US House of Representatives from 1977 to 1986. Shortly after he retired, he published his memoirs, Man of the House. He died in 1994 at age 81. The course is being taught by Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Professor of American Politics R. Shep Melnick, who recently received the 2012 “Lasting Contribution Award” from the Law and Courts Section of the American Political Science Association. This award is given annually for a book or journal article, 10 years or older, that has made a lasting impression on the field of law and courts. Melnick was honored for his book Between the Lines: Interpreting Welfare Rights, described as “seminal,” by the award committee which stated: “Noted for its exhaustive research and incisive analysis, Melnick’s book sets the framework for understanding statutory decision-making by lower federal courts. Between the Lines seamlessly integrates courts into the rest of the political system and has informed both research and teaching within the subfield of courts and law for almost two decades.”
Posted in Awards/Honors, Boston College Authors
Tagged Political Science department, politics
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