Honors Program Lecture Series

Bemidji State University

Bemidji, Minnesota

The Honors Program sponsors a series of lectures each year designed to promote scholarly discourse among the faculty and to cultivate new intellectual interests among students.

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 Series. Stay tuned for the 2008-2009 lineup of

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Descriptions of Past Lectures

Professors Hauser and Gibbon each read 1-2 poems and discussed the poems' origins and the process of writing them. Poems reproduced in a booklet were distributed as a handout to the audience.

In 1979, Jeanette Smith was charged with open murder in the stabbing death of her estranged husband. The case was groundbreaking at the time because most women who killed abusive partners employed the insanity plea in their defense. Attorney Janet Prater and civil rights lawyer, Dean Robb, acted as co-counsel in the defense of the Smith case. In this presentation, Professor Prater talked about the classic case that began her specialization in the area of domestic violence. There was also discussion about how changes in response to domestic violence continue to make a difference in the lives of victims/survivors or domestic violence.

Rural women tend to be physically inactive and are at a higher risk for obesity. A case study has been done in two rural communities with populations of less than 1,000. The purpose of the study was to describe and explain 1) the perceptions of rural women regarding rural built environments conducive to physical activity, and 2) what influences availability, accessibility and maintenance of these built environments for physical activity of rural women. This presentation looked at the findings of the case study and what can be done through local, state and federal policies to assess the needs of rural communities.

Sheet metal stamping failures consist of either tearing or wrinkling. good parts are produced when the strain energy is effectively distributed during the forming process such that tears and wrinkles are avoided. A recently developed method for more directly controlling the distribution of forming energy in a stamping operation is based on an extension of electromagnetic impulse forming. This presentation focused on the basic design approach of the multiple pulse technique along with some initial forming results.

Understanding the impact of commercial & recreational fishing on the marine environments is critical.  The collapse of species specific fishing industries such as cod and its inability to recover has shed light on the importance of  monitoring these resources.  This lecture presented a framework for comparing commercial and recreational catch in the U.S. at a refined scale.  The results of studies were examined through the lens of fishing regulation to better understand the dynamics of human activity on the fish stocks of the United States.

The north central counties of Minnesota, including the Bemidji area, experienced significant growth over the past ten years. Retirees are resettling in the lakes area, creating demand for services and construction. Experienced workers also are moving in to fill the resulting jobs, in turn adding to the demand. This influx of people maintained job growth through the 2001 recession and recent "jobless recovery." But the growth in business establishments is faster than the growth in jobs, indicating an increasing role for small businesses and entrepreneurs in the area economy. This lecture looked at what we can do to harness the opportunities and what role our natural resources and environment play in our economic well being.

This lecture was the final in a series of seven lectures. In this series, these two faculty members, with different cultural backgrounds and identities, embarked on a journey of learning/discovery pertaining to culture and intercultural encounters. This final lecture looked at the future: what does the future hold for us from a local to the global level?

The acronym for Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS) has become so widely recognized that it is used as a word independent from the original meaning. Results from a study of college students showed that "PMS" was conceptualized as any physical or mood symptom, bad luck, emotional reaction and unpopular behavior by a female, at any time. In this presentation, Dr. Bertelsen talked about this study and how researchers and clinicians are urged to confront these conceptualizations and work to create effective social, medical and individual interventions.

Three species of endemic waterfowl are found on the Hawaiian Islands: Laysan Ducks, Koloa and Nene. Population numbers of these species have declined due to loss of habitat, introduced predators and introduced competitors. This lecture discussed the conservation efforts that are currently underway to increase population numbers of these endangered waterfowl.

Midwestern fruit agriculture production levels vary for a variety of reasons, although one less obvious cause for fluctuations is due to winter storms. The Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 and early episode of arctic air significantly impacted the long-term production levels & distribution of fruit agriculture region-wide. Studying the impacts of this event helps explain some of the decadal changes to the distribution and quantities of fruit grown in the Midwest.

The use of ironic humor in film is one of the most effective tools for understanding the values and norms of our culture. Cinema serves as the primary mode of communal storytelling in American popular culture. This presentation addressed 3 critical functions of film irony: 1) as a tool for translating real life experience into film narrative; 2) as a vehicle for understanding cultural values; 3) as a communal space that promotes mutual understanding.

Located in northwest Texas and eastern New Mexico, the Llano Estacado or Staked Plain is a land of paradox. Ensconced in Spanish mystery and lore with the 1540 entrada of Francisco Coronado, this wide expanse of hardscrabble canyon, grass and cotton offers a unique history. It is a cultural milieu to be sure, but the contradictions are hidden in plain sight. The contradictions of this place define it historically, geographically and culturally.

Tricksters spread messiness and unpredictability, and they thrive on obscurity and confusion. In this presentation, Science is a natural enemy of the trickster. Dr. Fulton discussed how four scientific developments since the mid 19th century have forced us to realize that some things may be unpredictable in principle; the trickster may be built into how the universe works.

Part 1 of this presentation looked at the application of neuroscience and molecular genetics to understanding religious experience. Part 2 explored two contrasting paradigms explaining these recent findings. Part 3 raised questions concerning broader socio-cultural implications of neurotheological research.

Compassion fatigue is a problematic response of helpers who work with individuals who are victims of crisis. Although not directly exposed to the crisis, traumatization can be experienced. In this lecture, Dr. Lee took lessons learned from his sabbatical experience working with rescue workers from the hurricane damaged areas of Louisiana, and applied these lessons to thos who work with students in crisis.

In his famous essay, "On Fairy Stories," J.R.R. Tolkien provides his extended definition of the fairy-tale. He comments on the difficulty of explaining "the nature of Faerie: the perilous realm itself."  A task more difficult than describing that "perilous realm" is trying to explain influences on Tolkien's creation of Fairy-land in his own "secondary world." In this lecture, it was argued that Tolkien found inspriation for "inventing" his own secondary realm of Faerie in the Orpheus legend.

With the interest and demand for online courses, online educators are faced with many new challenges. By knowing the demographics of online students and the unique issues they face, educators can plan and develop online courses that will address those needs and facilitate a positive and successful learning experience. By using analyzed data from research conducted on BSU students during the fall semester 2005, this lecture showed who the typical online students are, what variables are of importance to them and how satisfied they were with their actual online experience.

Small rural cemeteries convey messages not only about those whose remains rest beneath grassy carpets and mossy turfs. They speak much of the past and present societies and how the living views the future. Messages are indeed there - whispered amongst the woodsy sentinels and carved upon rocky reminders. This presentation provided glimpses into small, rural cemeteries through graphics and slides gathered from the upper Midwest and the local country side.

Paleontologists have long probed into the causes of mass extinctions & how the survivors rebound after a mass extinction event. The extinction at the Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary, in the northern Great Plains, is 1 of 5 mass extinctions that have occurred during the last 540 million years. Research indicates that a major ecosystem collapse occurred during the extinction event, including major extinctions within the Plant Kingdom.

This lecture contemplated the values of Wal-Mart through two lenses: the law and the news media. Wal-Mart came to Bemidji after being snubbed 10 years earlier because it was determined its values conflicted with those of the community. Did Bemidji's values change? Did Wal-Mart's values change? These and other questions were tackled, along with considerations for citizen-consumers who would like our retailers to reflect the values we believe to be most important for our cultures and public life.

Sex offenders are considered by many to be remorseless, untreatable monsters who, given the chance, will continue to re-offend. The Bemidji area has a research and evidence-based treatment program, and in this presentation, Dr. Scheela and a panel of therapists and probation officers who work in the program discussed: treatment tasks the sex offenders must complete, the use of the polygraph test as a treatment strategy, the research studies conducted in this program, the community collaboration involved in policy and procedure decisions, and the treatment outcomes.

Nothing seems more evident to us than the fact that we are conscious. There are genuine alternative courses of action open to us, which we can choose, thereby exercising a freedom of will. The currently dominant conceptual framework in our science-based understanding of ourselves is materialistic & deterministic. In this view, the natural world, including ourselves, is constituted entirely of matter, and all events occurring in that world are causally determined to occur just as they do, i.e., alternative occurrences are causally impossible.

Information hiding has been of interest since the time of the Greeks. Steganography is one technique used to hide information. This talk reviewed the historical uses of steganography and the impact that advances in information and communication technology have had on steganographic techniques. In particular, computing has made steganography accessible and convenient for just about everyone with access to the Internet.

There has been a renewed public dialogue concerning apparent "intelligent design" in nature. Advocates assert that certain aspects of biological organization are sufficiently complex that no natural explanation is possible. Some are calling for public schools to teach "intelligent design" as an alternative to evolutionary theory. President Bush suggests that students be exposed to "both sides" of the controversy. This talk explored the scientific status of "intelligent design" with thoughts as to when, how & why one might want to "teach the controversy."

This lecture continued a series regarding the interactions of gender, culture and education on the BSU campus.  The speakers reported the results of their exploration into current faculty perceptions of gender issues as they affect the culture of Bemidji State University. Both unifying and divisive factors were discussed.

Dr. Gilbertson's research examined an outcome-based approach to BSU undergraduate students' norms about drinking behavior among their fellow students by identifying variations in alcohol-related attitudes about binge drinking differentiated by sex, athletic status, and location of the event. Knowledge about the effects of these characteristics is important to understanding the ecology of student binge drinking because there seems to be a disjunction between actual and perceived behaviors within this group.

This past May, June & July, three BSU students prepared and implemented their own service-learning projects in Kibwezi, Kenya under the supervision of Dr. Lawrence. In this lecture, Anna Becker, Gregg Cramer and Jessica Lemieux shared their experiences.

There is much public focus on crime and concern for community safety among neighborhood residents. This lecture focused on examining the often neglected comparative perspective wherein we can assess the legalistic response triggered by community reaction to the presence of sex offenders. Perspectives from Canada, Europe and America were examined in formulating a global analysis of community crime and the perception of at-risk situations.

Students come to liberal education with a variety of worldviews. These deep convictions can function as obstacles to learning, especially if course content does not fit comfortably into the context of an existing worldview. This lecture presented preliminary findings from research conducted in our "People & the Environment" course and offered some broader conjectures based on these results.

Enacted in 1997, welfare reform was the cornerstone of a philosophical return to Darwinism and the belief that the individual, not society and the government, is responsible for their own survival. Research has begun to document the impact of welfare reform on the poor and on nonprofit organizations. This lecture provided an overview of social welfare policy development, welfare reform and Darwinism.

According to the manuscript, "Famous Funeral," discovered by Dr. Evans at Yale, Queen Elizabeth I is described as belonging to the "most renouned and famous kings of all Christendome." There she is also praised for possessing "heroicall and Princely virtues." These descriptions, Dr. Evans argued, provide evidence that the "Virgin Queen" had succeeded in the masculine political realm. This lecture explored the significance of Elizabeth's funeral account and how it adds to our knowledge of her public image.

Recent tragic events have catapulted sex offenders to the forefront of attention, concern and controversy. Dr. Scheela has worked with and studied sex offenders since 1987. She has discovered that this complex problem will never be resolved with simplistic solutions, rash reactions or uninformed legislation. In this lecture, Dr. Scheela discussed the present realities of this problem, shared latest research and explored responses that will enhance safety and healing.

The lecture provided an overview of the changing nature of college counseling center work nationally and on the BSU campus. Traditionally, counseling programs served students by helping plan majors, explore career options, and resolve temporary personal problems. Today, many centers are reporting significant increases in students seeking services for serious psychological problems. The Center staff also discussed efforts to better respond to these changes through a comprehensive planning process, and presented results of recent research by staff on best practices in providing services to students with serious psychological problems.

Language. It's all around us. We are unaware of its effects on us and on those around us. Elfriede Jelineck, a contemporary Austrian author, writes to jar her readers from their complacency vis-a-vis language, it's use, its influence, its power. Jelinek shocks her readers into attending to the often alienating what, how and context of her language use. Through Jelinek's latest dramas, this lecture demonstrated Jelinek's understanding of cultural use of language as a tool for inciting violence, for promoting irrational response, for manipulation of memory and for distorting history.

This lecture focused on "the past of culture and education." Culture dramatically affects the learning process. Although in essence all cultures teach much the same, we may observe similarities in the areas of science and math, and many differences in the areas of history, philosophy and social studies. The status of teachers, and the esteem in which education is held, are reflections of a culture's values and beliefs.

During every election season throughout American history, political candidates have utilized their military background. In 2004, Senator John Kerry emphasized his record as a naval officer in the Vietnam War. He also minimized the National Guard role of President George W. Bush, laying claim to the votes of 8.4 million Vietnam-era veterans. In this lecture, Dr Murphy examined Kerry's role as a veteran who protested the war and discussed the role of two Republican administrations in trying to rewrite history for political gains.

During the 1990s, a heated debate took place in the media and in psychology about repressed memories vs. false memories. This debate led to a renewed interest in the topic of false memories within experimental psychology. The goal of this renewed interest has been to better understand the process by which false memories are formed and remembered; in other words, the focus has been on basic rather than applied research. In presenting his research, Dr. Rafferty discussed a number of general issues related to experimental psychology, including control procedures, statistical significance and a justification of basic research.

It has been three years since the terrorist attach on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  During that time, the US Government has stepped up a counter offensive against terrorism through direct intervention in Afghanistan and a much disputed war in Iraq. On the home front, the US Patriot Act was hastily presented to the US Congress and quickly approved.  This lecture focused on the issue of 9/11 and the promulagation of domestic anti-terrorist policy.  The US Patriot Act was analyzed along with a proposed bill granting the US Government further control over the criminal justice system and the due process of rights of American citizens.

Active technology has supplanted many of the reflective arts that kept us in touch with what it means to be human. The diaries, conferences, long conversations, complex novels have been sidestepped by e-mail, video and virtual reality. Poetry returns us to the memory, the spirals and labyrinths that lead us to reclaim what has been lost, neglected or forgotten. The events in our inner world guide and influence who we become and how we define what it means to be human. The poet brings harmony to the world. This lecture surveyed key 20th century poets to examine ideas about the nature of poetry and its potential to translate body into spirit and to embody spirit in language.

Historical interpretation or re-enactment has become increasingly popular in the last decade. Role playing in historical contexts attracts both a large number of participants and sizable audiences. This lecture presented findings of research among Civil War re-enactors, members of the Society for Creative Anachronism and Lewis and Clark interpretive events.

Interrupting each other's speech has always been considered rude, inappropriate, and even aggressive. A close observation of the speech acts of a group of close friends reveals that their habit of "interrupting" each other functions in ways that can facilitate communication and foster relationships. This was, in part, a paper previously presented at the International Listening Association conference in Sweden in July 2003. Additional information and insights are the result of a review of the research with the participants in the study.

Six hundred billion dollars. That's how much local newspaper publisher Adam Steele thinks the First Amendment is worth. Steele is the founder, editor, reporter, ad salesman and columnist of the Northern Herald. He recently had the opportunity to test his hypothesis in federal court, after three years of litigation against the City of Bemidji and individual named plaintiffs, who, he claimed, conspired to keep him from distributing the Northern Herald because of his hard-hitting stories about political and corporate corruption in our town. The story of the trial, what led up to it and its aftermath provided a fascinating case study in how difficult it is to appreciate a messenger whose message a community dislikes.

Poisonous chemical agents have been a part of warfare between nations throughout history. Poisonous chemicals have also been effective tools for individuals dealing with personal problems, such as unloved relatives, barking dogs, and political or economic rivals. This talk was based on the premise that lessons can be more confidently drawn from more common types of tragic incidents involving poisonous chemicals.

The focus of this lecture was on the incredible world of change that American Indians have experienced in the past 150 years, particularly the past 35 years, from Mr. Cook's perspective and experience. Topics discussed included: negative stereotypes, misunderstanding and mythology rather than authentic understanding and a sense of history, and the reality of the world in which American Indians live today.

Using the United States' current involvement in Iraq as a backdrop, Dr. Murphy examined the relationship between American imperialism and 19th century ideals about manhood as expressed by Captain Frederick S. Wild. Wild's experience testified to the war's dangers and difficulties, and he reflected the cultural characteristics that shaped his generation. This presentation considers Wild's ideas about masculinity, their importance in shaping his experience as a field officer, and their connection to the expansionist designs of the U.S. government at the end of the 19th century.

Even though the world's cultures differ in many and various ways, they share the same processes of transforming meaning and feeling. This lecture dealt with self and personal identity, as well as with the feeling component of our communication. In many cultures, gender separates. Gender, however, may serve as a unifying element. Gender differences were identified in the expression of emotion as demonstrated both locally and worldwide.

What happens when a sexual offender is released back into the community? There is much social debate regarding the application of community corrections and concern for the safety of community residents. An inherent conflict emerges between the criminal justice system and the community. This presentation examined the legacy of Megan's Law as a case study for polarized community attitudes toward sexual offenders and others bearing a social risk.

In the spring of the year 200 BCE, the Roman Republic entered upon a war against Macedon. In this lecture, Dr. McManus argued that this was was launched not so much for geopolitical reasons, but for internal political reasons. The launching of this was had serious consequences. It initiated a half-century of war in the Eastern Mediterranean that would enrich Rome and greatly expand its empire.

This lecture focused on the transition of Vietnam in two parts: from a Command economy to a Market economy. Dr. Scheela also examined Vietnam's changing relationship with the United States from the reunification of Vietnam in 1975 to the present. The presentation included personal videos and observations about life in Vietnam.

This past June & July, three BSU students prepared and implemented their own service-learning projects in Kibwezi, Kenya under the supervision of Dr. Lawrence. In this lecture, Cory Connett, Melissa Jacobsen and James Sutton shared their experiences.

This lecture explored the contemporary performance of personal stories. Oral histories and storytelling are ancient forms of human enterprise. Regardless of text and the contexts, the common thread is a communicative purpose. Our stories create us and constitute our legends. As we engage others, telling who we are, we are also learning about who we are.

Tomboys & Dolls: An Investigation of Women and Status
2 April 2003

18 March 2003

26 February 2003

13 February 2003

23 January 2003

5 December 2002

18 November 2002

6 November 2002

15 October 2002

24 September 2002

This past June & July, three Honors Program students prepared and implemented their own service-learning projects in Kibwezi, Kenya under the supervision of Dr. Lawrence. In this lecture, James Fitzsimmons, Eveily Freeman and Nathan Ziegler shared their experiences.

Hearts and Minds: A Controversial Chronicle of the Vietnam War
03 April 2002

Love is the Essence of Good Life
28 March 2002

Mark Christensen

Dada Maglajlic

Re-thinking Assumptions About Global Values and Indigenous Knowledge in African Development
06 March 2002

The Mirror of Influence: How Listening Speaks
27 February 2002

Biology and Humane Values: A Natural History of Meaning and Purpose
6 February 2002

Should We Be Afraid of Laughing Gas?
14 December 2001

Consciousness and the Deep Nature of Persons
6 December 2001

Tujijenge
18 October 2001

Math as a Religion
22 March 2001

Faith, Time, and Peace
7 February 2001

Dada Maglajlic 
and 
Mark Christensen

Comparative Genomics in the Post-Genomic Era
25 October 2000

Lars S. Jermiin

Ixodes Ticks and Lyme Disease in Minnesota
11 April 2000

Patrick Guifoile

Islam in the 21st Century: Dealing with Perceptions of Race & Gender
29 March 2000

Mary J. Hrenchir

Housing Reform in Shanghai & Guangzhou
22 March 2000

Street Children in Vietnam
16 February 2000

Riki Scheela

According to the Vietnamese Government, one of the outcomes of the transition from a command economy to a market economy is the increase in social evils.  This presentation will focus on one of these social evils, the growing problem of street children in Vietnam.

During a 10-month sabbatical, Professor Scheela worked with a Hanoi based program that provides food, clothing, shelter, education, support, advocacy and counseling; and services to reunite children with their families when possible.

Scheela will address the circumstances, needs and resources of street children in Vietnam, describe the PLAN International Street Children Project, share her experiences working with the staff and the children,  present a case study of six shoe shine boys, and explore implications for the future.

Bewitched and Bewildered: Women, Power, and Magic in the Early Modern Era
9 February 2000

Elizabeth Dunn

Being in Time - a Cross-Cultural Perspective
27 October 1999

Dada Maglajlic 
and 
Mark Christensen

A brief comparison of the "Western" and "Eastern" approach to time will be presented, focusing on:

•  How late is late & formal vs. informal time
•  Past, present and future oriented cultures
•  Monochronic and polychronic approach to time.