In case you need more material, I have three suggestions:

The Bonesetter's Daughter, Amy Tan - a girl deals with her caregiver's suicide

Durable Goods, Elizabeth Berg - a daughter deals with her mother's unexpected death

The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger - I haven't read this one, it was just recommended to me, but I think it is a husband dealing with a wife's unexpected death

 

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Here are the topics I am tentatively looking at, depending on which ones flush out better.

 

Pre-death rituals

 

Comforting/self-disclosure

Social support

Pre-planning services

 

Immediate post-death rituals

 

Adolescents’ reactions to parent’s funeral

Adolescents’ bereavement over time/externalizing & internalizing behaviors

Parents’ reactions to news of child’s death

Grief

Obituaries

 

Long-term post-death rituals

 

Grieving if death seen as preventable vs. not preventable

Website memorials

Letters/communications to the deceased

Religious services/prayers

Anniversary of death

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So what we've decided on is Expected vs Unexpected Death, which is the better death for both the dying and the survivors.  I'll just post the quick sketched outline I've been mulling over.

I. In literature, what depiction of death is more prevalent and more sympathetic and engrossing.

II. East of Eden by John Steinbeck (expected death)

    A. Dying process of Samuel Hamilton

    B. Funeral and aftermath for survivors

    C.  meaning of his death, how it reflects his life

III.  The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (sudden death)

    A. Death of Jay Gatsby

    B. Funeral and aftermath

    C. meaning of his death, his legacy

IV.  Which death is depicted as the better/more desirable/admirable.  (I'm leaning towards the expected)

V. Conclusion, tying in how prevalent death is in literature and culture, even from a young age (Bambi, Charlotte's Web, Where the Red Fern Grows, etc.).  Literature builds the expected death as the meaningful death, better for all.

 

Any thoughts you all have will be apprechiated.  I am still trying to find a better example of the sudden death.  The Great Gatsby works because he is murdered and there are a few pages describing his funeral.  I am going to flip through Little Women to see if that can fit better so I'll see how that goes.  See ya!

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I remember last week we also spoke about why we eulogize a person. Is it for us or truly to remember them. Which takes us into the whole 'who are we remembering?' deal. What's the function of making them a "better" person? What reason do we have for this?

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So just to post and explore our topic and different ideas, and for Betty's benefit, here's a little bit of what we discussed.  We are still on the topic of eulogizing but it is such a rich topic.  One potentially specific question I thought we might be able to use was 'who do we eulogize at death/funeral'.  Is the person we are eulogizing the "true" person or an idealized portrait?  Is it the eulogizer's idea of the person?  Do we ignore or augment certain aspects of the person?  If it is an old person or troubled person, do we ignore the bad, focus on the good?  If it is a young person, how do we focus on what little life was lived or instead do we mourn what could have been?

Any other thoughts?

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Ok, I updated the wiki with the last version of the proposal.  Also I thought I would post some of the information from yesterday so that Cathy can know whats going on.

The final project will consisit of 5-6 pages written by each person in the group along with (still a bit unclear about this part) 3 pages for the intro and conclusion.  Not sure whether this means 3 pages together or 3 pages for each.

Some suggested topics were as follows:

Death Rituals and different traditions for different cultures/religions

Death in the secular age, do we still need to mourn and grieve?

A literary anthology of death literature

The lecture yesterday reinforced my interest in exploring the eulogy/eulogizing of the dead.  Is it a cathartic experience?  Do we do it because we want to have a positive memory of the dead to hold onto?  How much of it is for the deceased and how much of it is for the survivors.  What exactly do people mean when they state that "this is exactly what the deceased would have liked"

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Proposal for a Student-Organized Transdisciplinary Conference 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Submitted by:

Catherine Nylin, Social Psychology

Catherine.Nylin@cgu.edu 

D. David Kim, Religion

DongHyun.Kim@cgu.edu 

Anthony Shin, Literature

AnthonyShin@gmail.com 

Betty Tanius, Developmental Psychology

Betty.Tanius@cgu.edu

 

Title/Theme: Poverty in the Land of Prosperity

Date: Saturday, February 10, 2007

Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Location: Burkle Building, Claremont Gradute University, Claremont, California

Purpose: To start a transdisciplinary dialogue concerning poverty in America. To raise and answer questions such as: How do we learn about poverty culturally? What are the religious aspects or implications of poverty? How are economics related to poverty? In what ways does the government system influence poverty? What are the psychological implications of poverty, especially for women? In what ways can we address issues of poverty?

Overview: Invited speakers will give presentations on poverty in America according to their own disciplines and research experience. Following presentations, CGU students will constitute a student panel that will present their own research and then lead a public discussion. During lunch, poster presentations will be set up to showcase student research projects or papers that address the topic of poverty from their own disciplines. The student author will be available to answer questions as attendees browse the presentations. A second session of speakers and the last student panel will follow.

Schedule:

8:30-9:00 Conference registration

Attendees and speakers will register at a table to receive name tags and conference materials. Refreshments and beverages will be served as attendees register and socialize.   

9:00-9:45   Gina Lamb, Ph.D., Pitzer College, Media Studies

Proposed Topic: In what ways do the impoverished see their lives reflected or distorted in the media? How does their personal work and voice inform us about the experience of poverty in America? 

9:45-10:30   Pamela K. Brubaker, Ph.D., Cal Lutheran University, Economics & Ethics

Proposed Topic: Neo-liberalism's contribution to poverty both globally and in North America analyzed from socio-economic and religious ethical perspectives. A discussion of policy proposals aimed at overcoming poverty in North America will follow. 

10:30-10:45   Break with refreshments and beverages 

10:45-11:45   Student Panel #1

Conference facilitator Dong Hyun Kim will introduce a panel made up of three CGU students from three different disciplines. This panel's students will present research from their field dealing with the experiences of the impoverished in America. Following presentations, the facilitator will start a dialogue about how our understanding of the experience of poverty is enriched by the different perspectives. The audience will then be asked to respond to the views, adding their perspectives.  

11:45-1:15    Lunch

Attendees will have time to purchase their lunch and then walk through the poster presentations. Presenters will be served a catered lunch that is sensitive to their dietary needs.

 

1:15-2:00      Heather Bullock, Ph.D., UC Santa Clara, Psychology & Women’s Studies

Proposed Topic: An overview of the psychological and emotional ramifications of living in poverty. The ways in which self-concepts and goals are shaped by economic situations and environment.   

2:00-2:45     Jeff Thomas, Claremont School of Theology, Pastor and Religion Student

Proposed Topic: Impact of poverty on the inner city's underprivileged persons in and around Los Angeles' Skid Row.  Addressing the religious needs, physical challenges, and counseling strategies involved in overcoming the effects of inner city poverty. 

2:45-3:00     Break with refreshments and beverages 

3:00-4:00      Student Panel #2

Conference facilitator Dong Hyun Kim will introduce a second panel of three CGU students from three different disciplines. This panel's students will present research from their field dealing with efforts and progress in addressing the needs of the impoverished in America. The audience will be asked to respond to the views, adding their perspectives. Attendees will then be asked to focus on how the different areas can all contribute, together, to alleviating poverty.   

Planning Timeline:

11/10/07        CGU Call for student panelists: students will be recruited through department announcements, flyers, and e-mails to present their research dealing either with the topic of the experiences of the impoverished or efforts in reducing poverty in America. All interested applicants will be asked to turn in a resume and a presentation proposal, which will be reviewed by the conference organizers and a member of the faculty. 

11/10/07 CGU call for student poster presentations: students will be recruited through department announcements, flyers, and e-mails to present their research dealing with the general topic of poverty in America. These projects or papers will be turned into a poster presentation form intended to describe the work, research, conclusions, connections, etc. of their paper or project. Attendees and presenters will be invited to view these poster presentations throughout the day and given the opportunity to dialogue with the author during lunch. All interested applicants will be asked to turn in a resume and a project abstract, which will be reviewed by the conference organizers and a member of the faculty. 

      Speakers and facilities confirmed 

Travel arrangements made for out of area speaker (Heather Bullock, Santa Clara) 

12/10/07        Student panelists and poster presenters chosen, orientation meeting scheduled  

1/10/07           Conference volunteers organized: about 10 CGU students will be recruited through e-mails and flyers (see list of responsibilities below) 

                     Conference publicity: e-mails sent to CGU and Claremont listserves, notifications sent to departments, and flyers and posters created and posted. 

1/27/07         Conference materials prepared: packets to be distributed during conference registration will include the itinerary, Claremont maps, presenter bios, information on CGU, and any material that speakers would like distributed 

      Catering confirmed 

2/09/07 Refreshments made by volunteers, beverages and utensils purchased 

Planning Responsibilities:

Dong Hyun Kim:      speaker confirmations, conference facilitator

Catherine Nylin:         refreshments and beverages, organize volunteers

Anthony Shin:           publicity, issue call for proposals and abstracts

Betty Tanius:              facilities arrangements, catering

CGU volunteers:      A/V coordination, transportation arrangements, thank-you baskets, conference material preparation, registration table attendance

Budget:

Travel for Dr. Bullock: flight @ $175, hotel @ $125    $300

Honorariums: 4 speakers @ $150 each                                                 $600

Thank-you baskets: 4 speakers @ $25 each                        $100

Conference materials: registration packets & publicity    $200

Catered lunch: 10 speakers & student presenters @ $15 each  $150

Refreshments to be baked by CGU volunteers    $100

Coffee, water, and beverages for attendees & presenters   $50  

TOTAL                                                                    $1500

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Invited Speakers 

Gina Lamb is a Los Angeles artist /activist/teacher who has worked collaboratively with inner city youth for the past sixteen years to foster their voices/vision through independent media arts production. Projects have dealt with race, gender identity, sexual orientation, class and immigrant issues and have been presented nationally in museums and galleries and broadcast on television. Lamb directs the Digital Arts Lab at REACH LA, an arts and action center for youth where they utilize media arts to address social issues that emphasize dialogue within their urban peer community. She also currently teaches in the Media Studies Department at Pitzer College. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Student Organizers

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Hey guys, I have reviewed your conference proposal and suggested comments are listed below. Before getting into the specific comments, consider an overall key thought. You guys have assembled a nice skeleton proposal that meets the basic requirements in satisfactory fashion. However, as is so often the case, the devil is in the details. As you fine-tune your proposal, look for opportunities to expand or dig deeper, so that the review committee has every opportunity to see your respective transdisciplinary insights into the topic of poverty.

1. Your statement of purpose is clear and direct, however, it reads as a standalone item. As you review the rest of your proposal, be sure to note how the various speakers and panels will address the questions and concerns raised in your statement of purpose. If possible, at the end of the statement, consider adding a few targeted transdisciplinary goals for the conference that go beyond simply starting a dialogue and answering questions. Since your group has such a nice transdisciplinary balance, consider having each contributor write a paragraph touching on how their respective discipline (psychology, philosophy, literature…) could elucidate the topic of poverty, thus yielding new insights.

2. I strongly recommend beefing up your schedule by adding short paragraphs explaining the themes and topics each speaker and panel will focus on and what the essence of their transdisciplinary contribution will entail. Simply listing the name and title of a speaker or the “Student Panel #1” will not cut it with a review committee. They want detail, specifically transdisciplinary and scholarly detail.

3. In your planning timeline, you may want to consider having a student call for papers, which they will present as part of the panels. That way you are enhancing the research component of the conference. Secondly, what do you mean by “poster” presentations? Do you mean “posted” presentations?

4. On your budget, be sure to go into more detail, as this is typically what review committees want to see. Note “in-kind” donations (lunch and refreshments can often be provided by sponsors), and be more specific in itemizing all expenses (itemize travel and honorariums, for example.). For conference materials, you are going to want to spend more money on printed posters, conference bulletins and other print materials.

If you have any further questions, feel free to e-mail me (tyler.reeb@cgu.edu) or meet Tom and I at Hagleburger’s this Wednesday from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Cheers,

Tyler

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