L S Graduate Liberal Studies at Georgetown Volume 9 Number 2 Fall 2011 In This Issue — l Commencement 2011 l New DLS Director l DLS Profiles l Program News and Events About Graduate Liberal Studies at Georgetown Each time Dean Ridder and I meet to discuss the next issue of Graduate GRADUATE Liberal Studies, one of our favorite tasks is to go through the news that alumni, faculty iberal tudies L S and students have sent during the prior months. Over time what has caught our AT GEORGETOWN attention is the significant number of publications that Liberal Studies students and alumni have generated. The diversity and depth of the projects, books and articles EDITOR never fails to impress us. As a result, we decided to undertake the task of compiling a Sandra Vieira list of as many Graduate Liberal Studies student and alumni publications as possible so we can eventually showcase the very substantial level of literary talent this pro- WRITERS gram produces. Frank Ambrosio Deans Ridder and Ambrosio disseminated several emails asking for all students James Benton Robert L. Manuel and alumni to provide a list of their publications. Thank you to those who responded. Anne Ridder The variety of publication topics we received to date has been impressive. Graduate Erica Seamon Liberal Studies authors have been published on topics as rich and varied as: Aristotle, Anthony Tambasco Kant, and Sartre, the Korean peninsula, psychoanalysis, landmines, chemical regulation, Sandra Vieira poetry, nuclear crisis, the Urdu language, library science, human and political rights, family genealogy, campus security, Muslims and Mennonites, the “green movement,” the PHOTOGRAPHER Civil War, World War II, Maxfield Parrish, Special Forces and ethics. Jonathan Henry Anne Ridder The last topic brings me to the Graduate Liberal Studies event series for fall 2011. The series is entitled “Fall Focus on Ethics in the Professions.” On September th COPY EDITOR 30 the Program will feature Barbara Barski-Carrow MALS ’83, Ph.D., and her book Claudia Phelps Dealing with Trauma in the Workplace and on November 16th, Lester Myers, Ph.D., discusses Sustainable Business in a Global Economy. DESIGNER Graduate Liberal Studies has scheduled two of our very popular Philosophy Rosemary Henry Roundtables for this fall. Last year’s series featured philosophical discussions of issues of self-sacrifice, the value of a life of detachment (Buddhism, Stoicism) versus a life ©2011 GRADUATE LIBeral StudIes of exultation (Romanticism), “matters of the head and heart” in theology and litera- Degree PROgraM, SCHOOL OF CONTINUING StudIes, ture and what role luck plays in morality. This academic year’s Roundtable topics GEOrgetOWN UNIVersITY. Requests for permission to quote from promise to be as intriguing, thought-provoking and challenging. Watch your inbox articles must be sent to: for emails from the Graduate Liberal Studies office. Make your reservation quickly as Anne Ridder, Georgetown University openings fill up fast! Box 571011 Washington, DC 20057-1011 Beginning on page 6, we feature our annual Commencement 2011 photo collage. To all the graduates of 2011, congratulations! Finally, despite the incredibly varied list of publication topics listed above, we would like to amass as complete a list as possible. Therefore, those of you who did not respond to the first round of emails, I ask you to send us your list of pub- lished works to [email protected] or [email protected]. facebook.com/Georgetown. University.Graduate.Liberal. Studies Enjoy. Sandra Vieira 2 Graduate Liberal Studies AT GEORGETOWN Dean’s Message Welcome to a new academic year. Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath, and In June, I hosted an SCS all-staff retreat through discussion, the staff came to see to reflect on the past year’s accomplish- that individuals, organizations—even ments and to prepare for the future. schools—continue to change and in- While I commented on the enormous novate when the rational side of people growth of SCS in new programs, in is given clear direction, when they are international outreach, and in custom- brought on board emotionally, and platform that SCS is launching, that en- izing education to the needs of many when situations are made conducive for ables the involvement of students and diverse communities, I also noted that helping people to see and feel involved alums—and other interested partici- the school cannot expand inexhaust- with the projected change. pants—in the sharing of ideas, strate- ibly, but must, nevertheless, continue I hope that students and alumni gies, and a host of other things that are to maintain its freshness and creativ- will continue to see innovation in available within SCS and can have an ity. This becomes harder as the school Liberal Studies as in all the other SCS impact in the real world around us. We becomes larger and routine begins to programs and will themselves be part of will send further information about how take over. Therefore, I put the focus of the innovation by engaging in situations to engage in SCS IMPACT at the time the retreat on cultivating an innovative that will facilitate their own creative of its launch. culture within the school. Through the thought and will make them feel part of Best regards, good graces of our speaker Scott Case, the innovative process. One of the new Robert L. Manuel through a bestselling book, Switch: projects that I would like to call to your Associate Provost and Dean of How to Change Things When Change attention is SCS IMPACT, a web-based the School of Continuing Studies Director’s Notes the writing of their theses. First, we are methods so that we can facilitate the going to ask faculty who have students final acceptance of their theses. You will taking their first course in the program also notice that we are condensing the One thing I have enjoyed about to indicate at the end of the semester magazine and focusing on giving it some being in academia is that each school whether a student should be referred distinctive content that will not dupli- year brings a fresh start and new pos- to the Writing Center to sharpen skills. cate what we have on our social media, sibilities. The same may be said for The other practice we are implement- including our new Facebook site. Finally, administering Graduate Liberal Studies. ing is to have students write a reflective we continue our annual lecture series, First, I would like to welcome Frank Am- paper after the sixth course, integrating this time focusing on human values in brosio, now newly appointed as the full- their studies to that point and suggest- one’s profession. Read on to get the time Director of Doctoral Studies. Then, ing a thesis topic that might come out details. Enjoy the issue. as we anticipated in previous issues, of these studies. Another new thing we Anthony Tambasco I’d like to refer students to some new are doing is setting up new procedures Associate Dean of Graduate Liberal Studies practices that will help them prepare for to help students master proper citation 3 Director DLS Program, Frank Ambrosio, Ph.D. In the last issue of the Liberal Studies it might be) can be nimble (in reaction to the road. He said that his bosses thought Magazine, I offered a perspective on the change), creative (with respect to coming up that he was doing a great job, but he had Doctor of Liberal Studies degree, as distinct with new ideas) and proactive (whenever misgivings. That was the first murmur that I from a traditional Ph.D., as an interdisciplinary possible). Managers want workers who can heard of what later became the cascade of education directed toward leadership in see change coming and help the enterprise events leading up to the mortgage crisis and fostering effective values reflection primarily remain viable. financial collapse of 2008! outside of academe. I was delighted to Why should adults who are currently The recent earthquake, tsunami and receive a response to my thoughts from Dr. at work, seek to come to Georgetown nuclear reactor leaks and malfunctions Gladys White, faculty member of the Liberal and work on the DLS? One reason is in Japan, and the resulting high levels of Studies Program and also a faculty member because the interdisciplinary base will help radiation in the Pacific Ocean etc., is just the at the Foundation for Advanced Education them to anticipate, recognize, respond to type of multifaceted calamity that defies the in the Sciences at the National Institutes and capitalize upon the unexpected when odds and calls for broad based forecasting of Health. She teaches global bioethics, it occurs (the Black Swan as described in the that recognizes Taleb’s Black Swan for what workplace ethics and cyberethics. I wanted to book by the same name by Nassim Taleb). it is. This problem transcends disciplinary share with you her perspective, which I take The project of one of the DLS students with boundaries. The sort of person who will to be an important complement to my own. whom I am working now, Joe Schittone, is be able to come to the aid of the human The following is an excerpt of her comments: in many ways a good example of this. He is community in the wake of such a disaster “ I very much appreciated and liked trying to alert the world to what is coming is not just the engineer, the geologist, the your article about DLS studies and the with respect to a shortage of water and all meteorologist or an assortment of types of preparation/creation of the public intellectual. that this may bring! The Black Swan as Taleb professionals but rather a leader (with vision) But the role of the public intellectual is a explains it is a highly improbably event with who, although not expert in each of these bit static.