We’ll be screening Born Into Brothels tonight at 7pm in the Skylight Room! It’s a documentary film about the children of prostitutes in Sonagachi, Kolkata’s red light district. The children were given cameras to film their own realities, much of which was used in the film. Snacks and an optional discussion afterwards!

Check out the trailer:

March Madness is here! The DH students have their “insanity” countdowns, and the team is rallying for the big finish! There are defenses coming up within the next few weeks so we’re cheering everyone on!

There are no traditional “March Madness basketball tournament” brackets here. We’re not eliminating anyone, and we’re not counting anyone out.  Unlike the basketball tournaments, we’re not pitting teams against each other, and we don’t expect defeats.  Instead, we’re preparing each of you for victory! You’ve been practicing, working hard, training, and positioning yourselves to win.  Here are some thoughts to keep in mind as you prepare for your respective championships:

1. You can do this! You’ve come too far to turn back now.
2. You’re brilliant. Have you been reading what you’ve written? Aren’t you impressed? Of course you have more to write, and more corrections are on the way. It isn’t perfect, but you’ll work to be sure that it’s accurate.  There is always room for improvement, even after the dissertation is bound and filed (even after you’ve published it in a journal), but take a couple of minutes to appreciate and celebrate what you’ve already achieved.
3. The lessons from this journey are becoming a scholar and writing a dissertation. You’ve learned about perseverance, persistence, and determination. To those characteristics, when you work with others along the way, you can also add connection, laughter, sharing, bonding, and friendship.  The DH blog has clear evidence of that connection: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/winter-challenge-2012/

Here are your rooms/training facilities at UMBC (for DH participants from UMBC, UM College Park, UMB, or those who have had consultations with Dissertation Coach Dr. Carter-Veale.)

• Friday,  March  9, 2012  from 8:30 to 11:45 AM and again from 1:15 to 5:30 PM Commons Room 318 (This room has a meeting being held between 12 noon and 1 PM, which means that everyone will have to leave for that allotted time.)
• Saturday, March  10, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM Commons 327
• Sunday, March  11, 2012 from 12 noon to 8:00 PM Commons 327

——————

• Friday, March 16, 2012 from  8:30 to 11:45 and again from 1:15 to 5:30 PM Commons Room 331(This room has a meeting being held between 12 noon and 1 PM, which means that everyone will have to leave for that allotted time.)
• Saturday, March 17, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM Math/Psy Room 102
• Sunday, March 18, 2012 from 12 noon to 8:00 PM  Math/Psy Room 103

——————

Thanks to the PROMISE team at UMBC and the UMBC Event staff for making arrangements for continuous operation of the Dissertation House. 

March Madness is here! The DH students have their “insanity” countdowns, and the team is rallying for the big finish! There are defenses coming up within the next few weeks so we’re cheering everyone on!

There are no traditional “March Madness basketball tournament” brackets here. We’re not eliminating anyone, and we’re not counting anyone out.  Unlike the basketball tournaments, we’re not pitting teams against each other, and we don’t expect defeats.  Instead, we’re preparing each of you for victory! You’ve been practicing, working hard, training, and positioning yourselves to win.  Here are some thoughts to keep in mind as you prepare for your respective championships:

1. You can do this! You’ve come too far to turn back now.
2. You’re brilliant. Have you been reading what you’ve written? Aren’t you impressed? Of course you have more to write, and more corrections are on the way. It isn’t perfect, but you’ll work to be sure that it’s accurate.  There is always room for improvement, even after the dissertation is bound and filed (even after you’ve published it in a journal), but take a couple of minutes to appreciate and celebrate what you’ve already achieved.
3. The lessons from this journey are becoming a scholar and writing a dissertation. You’ve learned about perseverance, persistence, and determination. To those characteristics, when you work with others along the way, you can also add connection, laughter, sharing, bonding, and friendship.  The DH blog has clear evidence of that connection: http://dissertationhouse.wordpress.com/blog-online-challenge/winter-challenge-2012/

Here are your rooms/training facilities at UMBC (for DH participants from UMBC, UM College Park, UMB, or those who have had consultations with Dissertation Coach Dr. Carter-Veale.)

• Friday,  March  9, 2012  from 8:30 to 11:45 AM and again from 1:15 to 5:30 PM Commons Room 318 (This room has a meeting being held between 12 noon and 1 PM, which means that everyone will have to leave for that allotted time.)
• Saturday, March  10, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 8:00 PM Commons 327
• Sunday, March  11, 2012 from 12 noon to 8:00 PM Commons 327

——————

• Friday, March 16, 2012 from  8:30 to 11:45 and again from 1:15 to 5:30 PM Commons Room 331(This room has a meeting being held between 12 noon and 1 PM, which means that everyone will have to leave for that allotted time.)
• Saturday, March 17, 2012 from 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM Math/Psy Room 102
• Sunday, March 18, 2012 from 12 noon to 8:00 PM  Math/Psy Room 103

——————

Thanks to the PROMISE team at UMBC and the UMBC Event staff for making arrangements for continuous operation of the Dissertation House. 

On Saturday, March 24, Constantine Vaporis, professor of history and director of the Asian Studies program, will lead a workshop for the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia (NCTA) at the University of Pittsburgh, aNCTA National Coordinating Site. The workshop will be entitled “Japan and its World: Late Edo Period and Today.”

The workshop will focus on the changes occurring in the late Edo period (mid-19th Century) especially the “opening” of Japan, and how this information relates to understanding Japan’s role in the world today.

Vaporis’ presentation will deal with four distinct topics:

• Challenges from Within
• Danger from Without
• Seeking Out the World
• Postwar Japan and Asia

More information about the workshop can be found here.

Vaporis works regularly with NCTA teachers in the Baltimore area.  Funded by the Freeman Foundation and launched in 1998, NCTA is a nationwide initiative to encourage and facilitate teaching and learning about East Asia in the K-12 curriculum.

Orange colored quartercards because we have Nickstalgia this weekend! Nickelodeon themed Saturday Morning Cartoons!

In working on a multitude of college campuses over the last several years, I have experienced an interesting trend among students and colleagues in being afraid or hesitant to talk about the successes–personally or professionally–that matter to them.

I’ve thought about how this trend might be explained, whether it’s simply borne out of a desire to not be “that person,” the insufferable, annoying self-promoter, or whether it’s a trend away from deep, spiritual thinking about one’s self. Often, I return back to an observation that in many of our communities, in which interactions are unfortunately less spontaneous, we simply don’t have the space to share our stories or our experiences–especially those things we’re most passionate about or most proud of.

If we don’t have that space, it just seems easier to hold on to that information, submerge it in our consciences somewhere, and basically, forget about it. Shying away from deeper, more spiritual thinking is wrapped up in the micro-political systems we navigate everyday, walking across campus, in classrooms, in The Commons, or even in Chipotle. Our natural inclination to follow norms, to not appear “too crazy” about something, governs us.

I’m writing this post, though, to subvert that inclination. We should absolutely have a place to reflect on what we do well, those powerful experiences that have shaped us and brought us here, and which form the foundations on which we are building everything else.  And we should be able to share these with each other.

So, consider this an opportunity to explore and hone your talents: what accomplishment in your life do you treasure the most and why? It can be as simple or as grand as it needs to be. Whatever it is, do yourself and all of us a favor and share it!

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