Fall Symposium Day 2014

Identity

Symposium Day starts with student/advisor meetings (at 9 a.m.) followed by four sets of concurrently scheduled presentations, discussions and performances from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. One featured speaker is scheduled during each concurrent session.

Concurrent sessions are structured to be one-hour, but Symposium Day organizers also encourage breaking outside those boundaries. The event is intended as a day of modeling and exploring the diversity and expression of what identity means.

Schedule overview

9-9:45 a.m.    
Advising group meetings

10-11 a.m.    
Featured speaker I/Session I

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m.    
Featured speaker II/Session II/ lunch on your own

12:30-1:30 p.m.    
Featured speaker III/Session III/lunch on your own

1:45-2:45 p.m.    
Featured speaker IV/Session IV

3-4 p.m.    
WAUG live broadcast discussion and all-campus reception, Quad (rain location: College Center)

5-9 p.m.    
WAUG concert, Quad (rain location: College Center)

Extended Sessions

Expressing Identity through Activism: Clothesline Project Shirtmaking
Jane Simonsen, History and Women's & Gender Studies; Students enrolled in WGST201: Women and Change
Olin 101, 102, 103

Gender-based violence deeply affects the identity of all those who experience it, directly or indirectly. The Clothesline Project allows members of the Augustana Community to express support for the effort to end violence on campus and in the community by making a T-shirt to hang on the Clothesline in October. Take a few minutes—or an hour—to make a shirt. Information, shirts, and art materials available on-site.

ProFair Jobs and Interships Fair
Judy Campos, Career Development
Pepsico Recreation Center

While not formally a part of Symposium Day, ProFair connects our students and alumni to prospective employers (both local and national) for internship and job opportunities.

9-9:45 a.m. advising group meetings

Students meet with their academic advisors in assigned rooms.

10-11 a.m. Session I

Featured speaker: Anton Treuer, professor and director of the American Indian Resource Center in Bemidji, Minn
Everything you wanted to know about Indians but were afraid to ask
Center for Student Life, Gävle Room

What have you always wanted to know about Indians? Do you think you should already know the answers—or suspect that your questions may be offensive? With informed and engaging, matter-of-fact responses to your questions, both thoughtful and outrageous, modern and historical, Ojibwe scholar and cultural preservationist Anton Treuer gives a frank, funny, and sometimes personal tour of what’s up with Indians, anyway. What is the real story of Columbus? Why are tribal languages important? What do you think about the mascot debates? White/Indian relations are often characterized by guilt and anger. Everything You Wanted to Know about Indians but Were Afraid to Ask cuts through the emotion and builds a foundation for true understanding and positive action.

Discovering vocation by listening to sociological ghosts and embracing quirky aloneness
Invited speaker: Walt Jacobs, Dean of the College of Social Sciences & Professional Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside
Hanson 304

Walt Jacobs is Dean of the College of Social Sciences & Professional Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Prior to assuming that position he was a sociology professor at the University of Minnesota, and before that he was an electrical engineer. While an undergraduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology he ignored the call of non-engineering careers, and walked a narrow pathway he established for himself in high school. In graduate school he began paying attention to sociological ghosts, the invisible collective forces that have strong influences on individual decisions. While a young professor he began to identify as a “quirkyalone,” a person who prefers being single to dating just for the sake of dating. Now also a “quirkytogether,” Jacobs will discuss how a new pathway emerged that enabled him to acknowledge a true vocation, and will share tips about how others can do the same.

Being a monosexual, cisgendered heteromontic: The language of sexual, gender, and romantic identity
Alice (Elise) Roberson '16, (Gay/Straight Alliance)
Jacob Hoagland '16, Jessica Phillips '18, Linnea Gascoigne '18, Anna Serafini '18 and Hanna Anderson '15 (AugiEquality)
Evald Great Hall

Come learn the language of sexual and romantic identity. Times have changed and how we can identify our sexual and romantic behaviours have changed along with it. From asexual and aromantic to pansexual and polyromantic, this session explores the sexual, romantic, and gender spectrum, and the language we can use to better understand who we are and how we can identify ourselves to the world.

Self vs non-self: A look at tissue-typing & how your immune system recognizes self
Dara Wegman-Geedey, biology
Hanson 102

Ever wonder what they mean on medical TV shows when they say "We've got a match!"? Your driver's license says you're a registered organ donor, but do you know what tissue-typing is? How can the human immune system recognize a transplanted organ as "non-self?"

In this session, we'll explore these ideas using analogies and images so that everyone, especially non-scientists, will learn the basics of the unique ID badges read every day by our immune system cells.

We may Knot be the same, but we sure Tie together nicely (Postponed until Winter Symposium)
Lauren Chlebanowski '15, biochemistry

Do you think identity is a choice? Do you like making bracelets or want to learn how? Then come spend an hour learning about and discussing the many different ways we identify ourselves as human-beings while making a pretty sweet bracelet along the way. From gender to religion, hair color to sexual orientation, how do you identify yourself?

Divergent: The clash of your identities
Michael Edmondson, Career Development
Hanson 305

Does your online identity clash with your offline identity? How divergent are you identities? Learn how to create symmetry between your two identities in order to launch and navigate your career in today's chaotic global mafrketplace marked by underemployment and unemployment.

"Is your country a he or a she in your mouth?"
Poetry reading on identity
Rebecca Wee, English/creative writing
Elena Leith '18, Ally Scudder '18, Kayla Jackson '17, Sally Kenney '15, Kaitlyn Czerwonka '15, Charlie Daugherty '15, and Jason Carey '17
Old Main 132

Are you a pen or a song or a sycamore? Small, brave, lost, alone, wicked, in love? The students of ENCW201 — Writing Poetry — invite you to join us for a poetry reading to celebrate issues of identity. Class members will read original and/or published poems and we welcome attendees to bring poems to share as well. We want to spend an hour with the music of many voices. Please come to listen and/or read with us.

Shifting identities in unplanned ways
Members of Heywire: Paul Landahl '15, Angela Rembles '16, Brendan McBride '16, Camilo Duarte '17, Erin Dunne '16, Jaylen Marks '17, Joshua Pride '17, Sydney Crumbleholme '17, Joshua Wielenga '16, Anne Mitchell '17, Gbadebo Balogun '17, Jacob Kilburg '17, Jessica Holzknecht '18, Keenan Odenkirk '18 and Uxmar Torres '18
Old Main Forum

Using the techniques of Improvisational theater, Heywire will explore the characteristics of "identity." By understanding how identity changes, we can better recognize the physical and psychological implications. Acting as different people will also help us relate to identities other than our own. The themes of Symposium Day will be presented by replicating real life people and scenarios in a performance and workshop setting.

Taking root in a rootless world
Tim Muir, biology; Jason Mahn, religion; Jane Simonsen, history, women and gender studies
Olin 305

No matter how global our community becomes, each of us aspires to find our own place in the world. Your place is more than just a location; your place comprises local history, ecology, and spirituality. Most importantly, your place helps define you. So, what happens when it becomes harder and harder to find your place? Come discuss with us how place and identity are intertwined through the lens of history, biology, and religion.

Identity among Immigrants to the United States: Three Case Studies
Marsha Smith, sociology, anthropology and social welfare, Asian studies; Matthew Whittle, sociology, anthropology and social welfare; Chris Strunk, geography
Olin Auditorium

The focus of this session is to explore some of the issues the ways in which cultural identities are transformed or maintained as immigrants from diverse communities settle in the U.S. Specifically, presentations will deal with issues facing Oaxacan immigrants, Bolivian, and Iu Mien Laotian refugees who have settled in the U.S. Dr. Whittle's presentation is titled:“’I Am Pableño’: The importance of hometown connections for Oaxacan (Mexico) immigrants in the US”. Dr, Strunk's presentation is titled:“Identity across Generations: Being American, Bolivian, and Cochabambino in Washington D.C..” Dr. Smith's presentation is titled:“Iu Mien, Mien or Pan Asian?: Dilemmas of Iu Mien Identity among first and second generation Laotian Refugees in Northern California.”

Language and Identity 1
Lisa Seidlitz, World Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Jonathan Cayer, WLLC (French); Carrie Hough, anthropology; Steve Klien, communication studies; Matthew Weeks, psychology
Co-moderated by Allison Haskill, Communication sciences and discorders
Wallenberg Hall

The way people use language can reflect who they are. People might speak and write differently based on their age, their political beliefs, their country of origin, or their ethnicity. In this panel discussion, faculty members from a variety of disciplines will discuss the inter-relationship of language and membership in various groups.

11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Session II (or lunch on your own)

Featured speaker: Donna Freitas, author and non-resident research associate at the Center for the Study of Religion and Society at the University of Notre Dame
The Hookup Generation?
Center for Student Life, Gävle Room

American college students today will talk a good game about how much they love that hookup culture has come to define the social aspect of their college experience--in public. But in private they tell another story. During this lecture, professor Donna Freitas will discuss the findings of her research on students’ attitudes with respect to hookup culture, sex, romance, and dating on college campuses, and how a pervasive interest in spirituality fits into this mix. She will talk about the powerful--though often private--yearnings among men and women to find love despite the dominance of hookup culture, as well as the desire for something (anything) other than hooking up during the college experience.

Corporate identity and citizenship at John Deere – Committed to those linked to the land
Invited speaker: Mara Sovey, President, John Deere Foundation and Director, Global Citizenship, John Deere International
Pareena Lawrence, Provost and Dean of the College, professor of economics
Olin Auditorium

Why worry about corporate citizenship as part of a company identity? An overview of how Deere’s citizenship efforts build on and complement Deere’s strategy and commitment to those linked to the land.  At Deere, citizenship is more than just providing money.   The session will provide an overview of Deere strategy, metrics and goals related to citizenship investments and volunteerism initiatives across the globe.

Language and the presentation of identity
Rukmini Girish '15, creative writing, sociology; Indian immigrant
Evald Great Hall

Examining four multicultural memoirs and drawing on the presenter's own experiences as a multilingual writer and immigrant to the United States, this session will facilitate discussion about how the use of language demonstrates identity and community membership.

Zombie Apocalypse - a molecular identity crisis
Pamela Trotter and Patrick Crawford, chemistry
Hanson 102

Difficulty walking, tremors, inability to speak, personality changes, neverending insomnia...sounds like a page from a zombie novel! Yet, these sorts of symptoms are observed in neurodegenerative diseases such as Kuru, Fatal Familial Insomnia, Alzheimers, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob. Proteins termed "prions" that have become misfolded (that is, lost their "molecular identity") are implicated in these illnesses. Using video, group activities and discussion, this session, intended for all audiences, will delve into how a loss of molecular identity can lead to brain damage.

The many identities of your major
Kevin Carton and Alex Washington, Career Development
Alumni panelists: Matt Pelton '10, Program Director for African Awards for Entrepreneurship (Majors: accounting, finance and international business); Erin Platt '92, Marketing and Communications Manager at Unity Point Health (Major: English); Kevin Tracey '10, IT Business Analyst at John Deere (Major: political science); Javier Perez '97, Commercial Broker at Ruhl Commercial Company (Major: communication science and disorders); Marc Hayes '08, owner of Top Notch Productions (Major: business administration, management and finance)
Hanson 304

Come meet Augustana alums who have pursued a career path they did not anticipate when choosing their major as students. This is an opportunity to better understand how a liberal arts education prepares students for landing careers in today's hyper-competitive global economy. Through engaging with the alumni panel, attendees will learn how our alums have successfully entered into professional fields which, at first glance, may not seem to correspond directly to their major but relate strongly to their interests. As a follow up to the session, attendees will be invited to join us for a walk over to ProFair to discover the numerous employers interested in recruiting all majors.

Augustana volunteering 101
Keri Bass, Career Development (Volunteer and Community Service)
Hanson 305

How can working for free earn you so much? Through volunteering, students are able to connect to this community and others in a way that is meaningful and relevant to the needs of our community. This workshop will help you or your student organization learn about opportunities for volunteer service at Augustana and how that can become a meaningful and important part of your college experience.

Identity or identities?: How writing expectations within the disciplines shape a writer's sense of self
Virginia Johnson and Lucas Street, Reading/Writing Center
Co-moderators; Kathy Jakielski, CSD; Brian Katz, mathematics; Jennifer Popple, theatre, women and gender studies; Michael Scarlett, education
Old Main 132

Students often wonder why the way they write for instructors in one discipline does not fulfill the expectations of those in a different discipline. Why don’t English majors write like Biologists, for example? And where in academic writing is space for the writer’s own voice? Augustana faculty members from five different departments will explain some of the writing conventions in their fields. Then panelists and audience members will be invited to share stories as well as to discuss the extent to which writing for a particular field shapes a writer’s identity.

Identity and Ethnicity in Multi-ethnic Families
Eric Stewart, religion; Mike Egan education; Chris Marme, economics; Mamata Marme, business administration
Olin 305

Data from the most recent US censes show that, between the year 2000 and the year 2010, people who identified themselves by more than one ethnic category rose 32%. In this session, we will consider what such multi-ethnic identities mean within ethnically-blended families. Members of the faculty will discuss their own experiences living in multi-ethnic families, and we will discuss how such demographic trends might change the ways in which we conceive of the relationship between ethnicity and identity.

Invention from one generation of Pueblo artists to another — as seen in Augustana's Olson-Brandelle North American Indian Art Collection
Megan Quinn, studio art
Tour starts on CSL fourth floor by information desk

A tour of selected pieces in the Olson-Brandelle North American Indian Art Collection. The tour and discussion will highlight the visual invention between generations of potters. Augustana College's collection is unusual as Kent Olson took special care to collect the work of many generations of several famous families of Pueblo potters.

Language and Identity 2
Lisa Seidlitz, World Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Jonathan Cayer, WLLC (French); Carrie Hough, anthropology; Steve Klien, communication studies; Matthew Weeks, psychology
Co-moderated by Allison Haskill, Communication sciences and discorders
Wallenberg Hall

The way people use language can reflect who they are. People might speak and write differently based on their age, their political beliefs, their country of origin, or their ethnicity. In this panel discussion, faculty members from a variety of disciplines will discuss the inter-relationship of language and membership in various groups.

12:30-1:30 p.m. Session III (or lunch on your own)

Featured speaker: Matthew Pelton '10, program director of the Africa Awards for Entrepreneurship program of the African Leadership Network
Making values-based decisions, earning opportunities and embracing adversity as a young professional
Center for Student Life, Gävle Room

What are your values? What are your passions? Have they changed or been confirmed over time? The professional world will challenge you and inspire you in ways you might not yet know. In this session, recent alumnus Matt Pelton will share his personal story and insights on how to incorporate your values and passions into your careers and daily life as a young professional. After graduating from Augustana, Pelton began an accelerated accounting career at the Governmental Accounting Standards Board and KPMG before pursuing his passions and international interests at the African Leadership Network. Before he begins graduate studies in Spain, join him for an interactive discussion on balancing professional aspirations and personal interests with realistic expectations as you begin your careers.

So you want to know yourself better? Here's what to do in college
Mark Salisbury and Kimberly Dyer, Institutional Research and Assessment
Evald Great Hall

Developing a deeper understanding of yourself is a fundamental goal of college. However, this kind of growth isn't inevitable and it doesn't happen by accident. Fortunately, we have the data from freshmen and seniors that allows us to identify the experiences that help students make the largest gains in understanding themselves. In this session we will share the findings from our own data and discuss the implications for students who want to know themselves better.

Our mediated selves: Identity in the Digital Age
Ellen Hay, Jared Schroeder, Ian Davis, Sharon Varallo, Steve Klien, Dave Snowball, Carolyn Yaschur and Wendy Hilton-Morrow, communication studies
Hanson 102

What are your Selfies saying about you? Is your Facebook page “one gigantic identity claim” (Ouellette, 2014)? How have your views of self been influenced by mediated messages? Identity is influenced by the messages we receive from others, many of which come in mediated form. In turn, as we send messages to others, we shape how we present ourselves. We make choices about what we say and how we say it. This panel of Comm Studies and MJMC faculty will explore how today’s mediated world influences the formation and expression of identity.

Breaking down the image of identity stereotypes
Eric Mathis, art
Hanson 304

This lecture would discuss how we use imagery and stereotypes to create a vision and an understanding of ourselves and others, and whether these ideas are or should be relevant. What are the potentially good or bad possibilities when adhering to such ideas, and how do we utilize them appropriately? How does this relate to my identity?

Landscapes and bodies: What Swedish art can teach us
Benjamin Mier-Cruz and Paul Peterson, World Languages, Literatures and Cultures (Scandinavian); Claire Kovacs, Teaching Museum of Art
Augustana Teach Museum of Art

Augustana's new Charters Collection of Swedish Art offers an unparalleled glimpse not just into the artists who shaped modern Sweden, it also provides a different way of seeing the world around us and our place in it. This session will offer an introduction to the collection, as well as an introduction to the ways in which national identity is expressed through art.

Identity of third culture kids: How location defines you
Michaila Cooper '17, vice president of Augie International and a Global Ambassador; Savi Jayawardana '17, president of Augie International and a Global Ambassador; Adiba Hasan, Augie International
Old Main 132

An open discussion about how Third Culture Kids identify with their environment. A Third Culture Kid is, "A person who has spent a significant part of his or her developmental years outside the parents' culture. The TCK builds relationships to all of the cultures, while not having full ownership in any. Although elements from each culture are assimilated into the TCK's life experience, the sense of belonging is in relationship to others of the same background." (David Pollock).

Qui suis-je? Identity in Renaissance France
Taddy Kalas, World Languages, Literatures and Cultures; Students in French 301
Old Main Forum

The students of French 301 will present their understanding of the visions of identity that they have seen in the works of Ronsard, Du Bellay, Labé, Montaigne, and Pascal. All presentations will be in English.

Pretty funny for a ___ ____
Margaret France, English; Sebastian Pagliarello '17, Seth Hardcastle '16
Olin 305

This session features live and recorded stand-up comedy in which the humor derives directly from the identity of the performer. These will be the catalyst for a broader discussion of identity-based humor, its appeal, and its consequences.

Transgendered persons: The challenge of identity
Ruth Ann Johnson, psychology; Shara Stough, psychology and neuroscience
Olin Auditorium

The successful HBO series "Orange is the New Black" has recently brought transgender persons into the spotlight with its inclusion of a transgender woman, played by Laverne Cox. What does it mean to be transgendered and what is life like for people who live outside the gender identity binaries of male and female/masculine and feminine? Is the binary classification really adequate for anybody? We cannot directly speak for these individuals, but hope to increase awareness and understanding of trans experience(s) through video interviews and discussion of empirical research.

1:45-2:45 p.m. Session IV

Featured speaker: Sturla Ellingvåg, historian and explorer
DNA, history and identity: Searching for connections around the globe
Center for Student Life, Gävle Room

Using new technologies, such as DNA in history research, poses a lot of interesting challenges. On the one hand it is now possible to make many new revelations about our prehistory that will certainly change much of our view of history in the coming years. On the other, this is not in everyone's interest as it could break up century old boundaries and deeply challenge identities. Also, work on interesting projects like Alexander the Great, Christopher Columbus and Vikings in Africa, America and the Caucasus Mountains, attracts attention from many people seeking identity. In this talk Ellingvåg invites the audience to learn more about and discuss how historians try to meet all the fuss about identity.

Let's go for a walk!
Urid Pacillas '17 and Selena Gonzalez '17
Evald Greay Hall

By asking a series of questions, participants will be able to see how our backgrounds and situations have shaped our identity. In regards to privilege, economic and social factors play a role. The participants will be standing in a line and holding hands, taking steps according to the statments we say.

Expectations Confounded — Lesbian Identity
Thomas Bengtson, mathematics and computer science; Margaret France, English
Hanson 102

We will view and discuss two short videos, Triple Minority (directed by Amber Sharp) and Such Great Joy (directed by Michelle Kramer). These shorts deal with lesbian identity. In Triple Minority the lead character is a southern black lesbian with a Baptist minister father. Such Great Joy takes a comedic look as a young Jewish lesbian comes out to her family.

Doctor Who, exactly?
Cecilia Vogel, physics and astronomy; Mamady Souma '17 and Jacob Herman '17
Hanson 304

We will use clips from the TV series, Doctor Who, to illustrate issues of identity and begin discussion of the question, "What is it that defines who you are?" Is it your physical being? Your personality? Your memories? Science fiction allows us to imagine situations that challenge each of these definitions.

What got so many Brazilians riled up before the 2014 World Cup?
An examination of the state of affairs in Brazil.
Mariano Magalhaes, political science; Rachel Brewer '16 (business), Adam Populorum '15 (business), Teal Anderson '15 (biology), Reed Peters '16 (business), Kailey Vitale '16 (biology), Astin Moravek '15 (education), Yessinia Gutierrez '15 (biology/Spanish), Wendy Guadarrama '16 (business), Michelle Bautista '15 (business), Ryen Merhar '16 (busines), Joe Wood '15 (political science), Jacob Hoaglund '16 (business)
Hanson 305

In this session students who will be participating in the Brazil Term study abroad program during the second half of the Fall term will present information on the state of affairs in contemporary Brazil. Issues to be discussed include public health, economic performance and public transportation. Using these issue areas students will also assess the quality of democracy in Brazil.

Philosophic Identity
Andy Pezza '16, philosophy
Old Main 132

Are you the same person you were a couple weeks ago? A few years ago? Do you continuously exist through time? This topic explores human identity through philosophical literature and theory.

African students: Homeland identity, identity on campus and observations of American identities
John Pfautz, music; Haimi Dagnew '18 (Ethiopia), Wilma Nnoke '18 (Cameroon), Zineb Zirari '18 (Morocco), Nofisat Eletu '18 (Nigeria) and William Fabyan '18 (Ghana)
Old Main Forum

Students from different African countries give us a window into their observations of Augustana thus far. Four students, each from Ethiopia, Ghana, Cameroon, and Morocco, will share photos of their families and communities and lead a discussion in hopes of creating a better understanding of international student cultures among American students at Augustana. The focus will be on homeland identity, identity on campus, and what they observe as the American "identities." One goal point is to develop a better language for open communication.

Hidden identities: How normative culture in the United States' workplace leads some employees to change or hide their true identities
Kelly Pledger Weeks, business; Paul Croll, sociology; Brittany Lewis, political science and women's and gender studies
Olin Auditorium

Our jobs and careers often play a big part in our personal identities. However, many employees feel the need to hide their true identity or assimilate to the majority identity in corporations in order to fit in. This session will explore personal experiences with white privilege, the co-option of the term "diversity" in corporations, spanning the differences between work and home identities, and the effects all of these issues have on employees in the workplace.

WAUG live broadcast schedule

WAUG will broadcast featured presenters and conduct live interviews between sessions on stage in the Quad, near CSL (rain site: College Center).

Full WAUG schedule and descriptions

Interviews
11:00-11:15 a.m. - Jacob Bancks: Impressionism, Modernism, Minimalism and Postmodernism
12:15-12:30 p.m. - AugiEquality
1:30-1:45 p.m. - Jane Bahls with Keri Bass: Water to Thrive
2:45-3 p.m. - Interviews with alumni

Other live sessions
Identity roundtable discussion and reception
WAUG's Sam Dunklau '17, faculty and guest panelists
Lower Quad

A discussion of the day's presentations, identity, and Augustana College. Free food and drinks will be available.

WAUG Live: student concert
Lower Quad

Various Augustana College bands will perform.