Winter Term 2018 will offer students a broad array of opportunities to explore these themes throughout the next month.
With students returning to campus or embarking on global education programs around the globe, Winter Term 2018 is now underway at Elon.
Typically, Elon offers a lineup of events throughout the month-long term that fall under a central theme. This year, the university has chosen to focus on four themes — Health, Intercultural Engagement, Media and Politics. Students are offered an array of disciplinary and interdisciplinary opportunities to explore these various themes both inside and outside the classroom. Learn more about the themes here.
Winter Term will provide a unique experience throughout the next month for students, faculty and staff, from the courses offered during the term arranged around these themes to the events around campus that build up the various aspects of these themes,
Among the events this month are the wInterfaith Lunch Series that includes the opportunity for members of the faith community to share what they believe, performances of the funny and heartbreaking play "Moment," and events to celebrate the life and legacy of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
On Monday, Jan. 8, the university will host a variety of "mini-seminars," with students, faculty and staff signing up to read a piece of scholarly work and then attend an hour-long critical reflection session led by an Elon faculty member. The focus is on creating academic discourse on the themes being explored this term with members of the Elon community reflecting together.
The seven mini-seminars require advance registration. The hour-long discussions begin at 4:45 p.m. in various locations in Alamance Building, and will be followed by a reception.
Elon will also host Best-selling author, social entrepreneur, and motivational leader Wes Moore on campus on Jan. 10 as he delivers the annual Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture. Tickets are now available at the Center for the Arts box office for the event, which will begin at 6 p.m. in McCrary Theatre.
The full list of events and mini-seminars can be found here and is also included below. Those events with limited capacity include a link to register.
Thursday, January 4
“Children: Our Colorful Future”
Isabella Cannon Room, ongoing viewing
Second photo exhibition by LUPE – Latinos Unidos Promoviendo la Esperanza portraying children as they are today, then projected into the future as the productive adult professionals they might become. This installation is a visual sample of how we all are intertwined and the vital importance of children to Alamance County, to North Carolina, to the United States and to the world.
Monday, January 8
Lunchtime Discussion for Faculty and Staff: “Can Religion and Spirituality Find a Place in Higher Education?”
Numen Lumen Pavilion, Room 201, Noon to 1 p.m.
The Religious and Spiritual Life Committee invites you to a lunchtime discussion of the article by Peter Laurence, “Can Religion and Spirituality Find a Place in Higher Education?” Laurence encourages faculty to “envision a whole new place, a whole new space and role for spirituality in higher education… as an essential element of the larger task of reorienting our institutions of higher learning to respond more adequately to the challenges the world presents us now.” Lunch will be provided. Please contact Bill Anderson at banderson11@elon.edu with questions and for a copy of the article.
Sponsored by the Religious and Spiritual Life Committee
Winter Term Community Seminars
Alamance Building, 4:45 to 5:40 p.m.
Faculty members will host university-wide seminars and each session will focus on a topic and short reading that the faculty member has chosen for its insightful, thought-provoking or transformative potential. The aim is for faculty and students to examine and learn from critical academic discourse on topics related to one or more of our themes, then reflect together on the importance of this intellectual work for transforming our campus and communities.
Toward a More Empathetic Ethics of Story-Keeping, facilitated by Libby Coyner – register here
Young, Depressed, and Black: A Comparative Exploration of Depressive Symptomatology Among Black and White Collegiate Women, facilitated by Buffie Longmire-Avital – register here
Can Religion and Spirituality Find a Place in Higher Education?, facilitated by Jan Fuller – register here
Coming to Terms with the 2016 Election: Turning Mistrusts into Resistance and Reconciliation, facilitated by Naeemah Clark – register here
Decolonizing Knowledge Production: Possibilities and Problems, facilitated by Sandy Marshall – register here
Designing Services using Experience Mapping, facilitated by Dawan Stanford – register here
Within-Group Diversity: Encounters of Race, Racism, and Ethnic Otherness in Search of Belonging, facilitated by Eleanor Finger – register here
Wednesday, January 10
wInterfaith Lunch Series: Buddhism
Elon Community Church’s Community Center, 11:30 a.m.
Are you curious about different world religions, traditions, and spiritual worldviews? This lunch and learning will offer personal and educational perspectives from practitioners of Buddhism. Food is provided, students eat free, fac/staff/community members pay $8. Register here.
Sponsored by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life; Elon Community Church
Wes Moore, “The Other Wes Moore”
McCrary Theatre, 6 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Lecture
Best-selling author, social entrepreneur, and motivational leader, Moore is a Rhodes Scholar who founded the education technology startup, BridgeEDU. His first book, The Other Wes Moore, offered insight into the mentors and support networks as he grew up that kept him from falling into a life of crime and drugs. Admission: $13 or Elon ID. Tickets available at the Center for the Arts Box Office.
Thursday, January 11
Human Library
Belk Library, second floor – 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The Human Library Project is designed to create understanding and dialogue across people. Individuals volunteer as “Human Books” and attendees “check out the book,” and they have a one-on-one conversation. Human Book volunteers represent diverse walks of life and identities across race, religion, family background, sexual orientation, gender, profession, hobbies, class, disability, skill set, and additional aspects of what it means to be human. Elon students, faculty and staff are welcome! Arrangements for classes can be made ahead of the event; please contact Maggie Castor at mcastor@elon.edu to do so.
Sponsored by Belk Library, Colonnades Neighborhood Association, and Gender and LGBTQIA Center.
Saturday, January 13
Adapting Stephen King
LaRose Digital Theatre, 7 p.m.
“Asheville Movie Guys” Bruce Steele (Asheville Citizen-Times) and Edwin Arnaudin (Mountain Xpress) bring their popular hosted screening series to Elon for a double feature from the Master of Modern Horror! Examining the classic Stephen King adaptations "Carrie" (directed by Brian De Palma, 1976) and "Stand by Me" (directed by Rob Reiner, 1986), two of North Carolina’s leading film critics discuss the best-selling author’s lasting influence and impact on contemporary popular media: from binge-worthy series such as "Stranger Things" and "American Horror Story" to the recent record-breaking box office return of "It".
Sponsored by College of Arts and Sciences
Sunday, January 14
Martin Luther King Jr. Church Service
Elon First Baptist Church, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration- “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
This event welcomes welcome Elon students, faculty, staff, and community to join us in fellowship at Elon First Baptist Church to celebrate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. After the service there will be continued fellowship, fun, and games.
Sponsored by Elon First Baptist Church, Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education
Monday, January 15
Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service- Elon Law School
Greensboro, precise location and time to be determined
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration- “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
Join the Elon School of Law in Greensboro for a day of service to commemorate the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Contact Jennifer Gibert Mencarini at jmencarini2@elon.edu for more information.
Sponsored by Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education; Elon School of Law; Black Law Student Association; Elon Law Pro Bono Board
Tuesday, January 16
Martin Luther King Jr. College Coffee- The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness
McKinnon Hall, time to be determined
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration- “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
Elon University’s Office of Student Involvement will be sponsoring a special “Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness” College Coffee. We invite the campus community to attend and commemorate the life and legacy of one of the world’s most inspiring human rights leaders. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information.
Sponsored by Center Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education, Residential Campus Dining and Engagement; Student Involvement
“The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness: Using the Law to Build a Movement” – Law School Keynote Address by Dean Emeritus/Professor George Johnson
Elon University School of Law, 201 N. Greene St., Greensboro, Room 207, 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration- “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
Dean Johnson’s address will focus on how lawyers used innovative legal strategies during the Movement, and how contemporary law students and lawyers can build upon that legacy as we continue to address societal inequality as a nation and a profession. Contact Jennifer Gibert Mencarini at jmencarini2@elon.edu for more information.
Sponsored by Elon School of Law
Wednesday, January 17
wInterfaith Lunch Series: Interfaith Panel on Civil Engagement, Social Justice, and Anti-Racism
Elon Community Church’s Community Center, 11:30 a.m.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration- “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
This lunch and learn will feature a special panel focused on social justice for MLK week. Food is provided, students eat free, fac/staff/community members pay $8. Register here.
Sponsored by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life; Elon Community Church
Martin Luther King Jr. Circle of Hope Dialogue
McKinnon Hall, 3:30 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration- “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
The Circle of Hope Dialogue Series is a campuswide effort to engage faculty, staff and students in dialogue around contemporary race relations in the 21st Century. Informed by excerpts from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s essays and writings we invite you all to join us for insightful conversation. Contact Brandon Bell at bbell5@elon.edu for more information.
Sponsored by Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education
Peggy Orenstein, “Girls & Sex”
Lakeside Hall, 6 p.m.
Lauren Dunne Astley Memorial Lecture
While the media has focused — often to sensational effect — on the rise of casual sex and the prevalence of rape on campus, Peggy Orenstein provides comprehensive and in-depth information with which to understand, and navigate, our complicated new world. Her powerful reporting opens up a dialogue on a potent, often silent, subtext of American life today.
Sponsored by Women’s/Gender and Sexualities, Studies, Dean of Elon College, the College of Arts & Sciences, Public Health Studies and Kappa Omicron Nu (the honor society for Public Health and Exercise Science majors).
Elon Law School Community Dialogue: Contemporary Race Relations
Elon University School of Law, 201 N. Greene St., Greensboro, Room 105, 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration- “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
Join law students working toward restorative justice as they lead a community dialogue focused on contemporary race relations at the law school and in the larger community. Contact Jennifer Gibert Mencarini at jmencarini2@elon.edu for more information.
Sponsored by Elon Law SBA Diversity Committee; The Black Student Union; Center for Race, Ethnicity and Diversity Education
Thursday, January 18
Martin Luther King Jr. Interfaith Service
Sacred Space, Numen Lumen Pavilion, Noon
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration- “The Rising Tide of Racial Consciousness”
Much of MLK’s work was rooted in his role as a religious leader. While he was a Christian minister, he also stood in solidarity with leaders from other faith traditions and worldviews. Join us for a multifaith service that honors the spirit of MLK and his life, passion, and principles, as well as the relationship between multifaith engagement and social justice. There will be music and reflection from multiple traditions. The service will last 30 minutes.
Sponsored by Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life; Center for Race, Ethnicity, and Diversity Education
Friday, January 19
Hasan Minhaj’s "Homecoming King" – Comedy Screening and Panel Discussion
McEwen Theatre, 6 p.m.
A screening of Hasan Minhaj’s comedy special followed by a panel discussion with Professors Ariela Marcus-Sells (Religious Studies), Jessica Carew (Political Science), and Naeemah Clark (Communications)
Friday-Monday, January 19-22; Tuesday-Saturday, January 30-February 3
"Moment," Directed by Kim Shively
Roberts Studio Theatre, Scott Studios at Arts West, Monday-Friday 7:30 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. (with additional 7:30 p.m. performance on Jan. 20)
"Moment" is a funny and heartbreaking play about family trauma. When a son returns home after a long absence, the implications of his past behavior resonate through his bewildered family. The play deftly dramatizes a failure of the juvenile justice system—too often young offenders are given life skills classes, counseling services, or supportive release even as their traumatized families receive little support. What happens when a rehabilitated young offender returns home to a family still trapped in the past? Admission: $13 or Elon ID. Reservations are highly recommended and will be taken beginning January 12 by calling the Roberts Studio Theatre Reservation Line at (336) 278-5650.
Sponsored by Department of Performing Arts