Category Archives: Faculty/Staff

Theme Thursday – Evolution of Revolution

Neighboring nations usually become involved in the political events of the lands close by, and the United States during the Mexican Revolution was no exception. For example, during the American Revolution, the Spanish governor of Louisiana, Bernardo de Galvez, opened a second front to fight the British in the south. His support was instrumental to the U.S. victory. In the Mexican case, U.S. President Woodrow Wilson was instrumental in the downfall of Victoriano Huerta and he promoted Carranza against Villa.

For Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15), we highlight the Mexican Revolution. The Mexican Revolution finds its roots in the development of Mexico from 1800 to 1910. Its government ranged from empire to many types of republic, be they centralist or federal. During that time Mexico won its independence from Spain and endured four invasions from four foreign powers – Spain (1829), France (1838), the United States (1846-1848), and one from an alliance of Spain, France, and Great Britain (1862). Ultimately, it became a federal republic governed almost completely from Mexico City with a capitalist economy heavily influenced by foreigners.

The Library of Congress archives and holds materials relevant to the history of the United States. Collections connected to the Mexican Revolution include print and multimedia materials. Check them out on their website, including this really cool interactive map.

Learn more about the Mexican Revolution with the above Library of Congress resources as well as some of these resources available through Ames.

 

Theme Thursday – Evolution of Revolution

On Theme Thursdays this year we’ll reflect on and consider revolutions everywhere we can find them. Today we consider the Protestant Reformation, which was a major religious revolution.

The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century religious, political, intellectual and cultural revolution that splintered Catholic Europe, setting in place the structures and beliefs that would define the continent in the modern era. In northern and central Europe, reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin and Henry VIII challenged papal authority and questioned the Catholic Church’s ability to define Christian practice. They argued for a religious and political redistribution of power into the hands of Bible- and pamphlet-reading pastors and princes. The disruption triggered wars, persecutions and the so-called Counter-Reformation, the Catholic Church’s delayed but forceful response to the Protestants.

Want to learn more? Check out any one of these resources available through Ames Library.

The Protestant Reformation, 1517-1559 by Lewis W. Spitz

John Donne and the Protestant Reformation: New perspectives edited by Mary Arshagouni Papazian

The boy king: Edward VI and the protestant reformation by Diarmaid MacCulloch

The Renaissance, the Protestant revolution and the Catholic reformation in continental Europe by Edward Maslin Hulme

The Protestant Reformation translated from the French by Audrey Butler

Theme Thursday – Evolution of Revolution

The annual theme of the 2017-2018 academic year is The Evolution of Revolution. A shared intellectual theme encourages classes to come together to explore a nuanced, intersectional concept. The Ames Library is happy to support faculty and students with diverse collections and access to materials from across the globe. Each Thursday, we’ll feature titles from our collection, which can be checked out by anyone from IWU. Think there’s something we should have, but don’t? Let your librarian know and we’ll work with you to make our collection as representative as possible.

Read the full description of the IWU annual theme here.

Our first featured book was read by all incoming first year, Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates.

From Amazon: In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American history and ideals to the most intimate concerns of a father for his son, Ta-Nehisi Coates offers a powerful new framework for understanding our nation’s history and current crisis. Americans have built an empire on the idea of “race,” a falsehood that damages us all but falls most heavily on the bodies of black women and men—bodies exploited through slavery and segregation, and, today, threatened, locked up, and murdered out of all proportion. What is it like to inhabit a black body and find a way to live within it? And how can we all honestly reckon with this fraught history and free ourselves from its burden?

Between the World and Me is Ta-Nehisi Coates’s attempt to answer these questions in a letter to his adolescent son. Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.

Changes in Artstor – Save Your Citations!

Exciting news – Artstor will be releasing an improved Digital Library this summer. Improvements will include:

  • A new full screen IIIF image viewer with side-by-side comparison mode (no pop-ups or Flash required)
  • Simplified image group sharing: all registered users (previously limited to faculty) will be able to share image groups with other users at your institution
  • Increased web accessibility for users with disabilities
  • Shorter URLs for easier linking in LibGuides, course websites, emails, and more
  • Mobile friendly

The new platform will also include several changes to existing features. Pay attention to these features, because if you’re an active Artstor user, you’ve got some preparation work to do.

  • Personal notes and instructor notes are being retired. If you need any information saved in your personal or instructor notes, we recommend copying and pasting this information into your image group descriptions by June 1st.
  • The citation generator and saved citations will be temporarily removed and added back into the Digital Library after the new release. If you have saved citations that you need, please download them before June 1st.
  • Saved searches are being retired.
  • The date filter for search results will be temporarily removed in late May (prior to the release of the new site). It will return, with improvements, as part of the updated site this summer.

Need help getting ready for this change in Artstor? Contact your library liaison!

The Women’s March: A Discussion

You may have marched in Washington. You may have marched in Chicago, Peoria, or Champaign-Urbana. You may have “marched” by staying at home and doing what you felt was right and/or necessary. Regardless, join IWU faculty, staff, and students in the Evelyn Chapel basement at 4pm on Wednesday, February 15th to discuss what happened and what the future may hold.

 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at IWU

View of Fieldhouse crowd from behind Dr. King

Dr. King at IWU February 10, 1966

This image shows the kind of crowd drawn to Dr. King on his second visit to our campus. Visit the University Archives’ blog to learn more about these events, including the role IWU students played in bringing him here.

MLK, Jr. Teach-In

Women’s power and social justice will be the theme of Illinois Wesleyan University’s annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Teach-In on Jan. 16 from 1 to 4 p.m.

Keynote speaker at 1 p.m. is author, activist and independent scholar Barbara Smith, who has played a groundbreaking role in opening a national cultural and political dialogue on the intersections of race, class, sexuality and gender. Smith was among the first to define an African American women’s literary tradition and to advance Black women’s studies and Black feminism in the United States.

Read some of Smith’s past writings available to you through I-Share and The Ames Library.

415imowbidl-_sx326_bo1204203200_The Truth that Never Hurts: Writings on Race, Gender, and Freedom

From Amazon: “The Truth That Never Hurts: Writings on Race, Gender, and Freedom brings together more than two decades of literary criticism and political thought about gender, race, sexuality, power, and social change. As one of the first writers in the United States to claim black feminism for black women, Barbara Smith has done groundbreaking work in defining black women’s literary traditions and in making connections between race, class, sexuality, and gender.”

Fall Cluster Class Presentations in Ames

final_logo_color-web

Cluster Classes Open House

Wednesday, December 7th, 11am – 1pm

The Ames Library

Cultural Anthropology- ANTH 171-  Introduces the study of cultures and social processes throughout the world today, with attention to anthropological theory and method. Topics include kinship, exchange systems, political organization, religion, and the expressive arts. Case studies from the non-western world as well as the contemporary U.S.

People & Cultures/East Africa- ANTH/ENST 274- Survey of select east African societies whose cultural adaptations to varied ecosystems make interesting case studies for comparative analysis. Reveals the diversity and the congruity of human social systems.

Visual Ethnographic Methods- ANTH 380- Critical analysis of ethnographic photography and film followed by the production of a visual auto-ethnography, and the following collaborative ethnographic research projects: a photo-essay, poster presentation, and short film.

Education and Social Justice- EDUC 225– Focuses on African American Women in education and will display a variety of artifacts to display the learning done over the semester.

Rebels, Radicals, and Revolutionaries: American Feminist ThoughtGW 100- This course focused on the major historical moments in American Feminist History and considered the title of the course: were feminists “rebels, radicals, and revolutionaries” who worked steadily towards more and more equal rights for women? Who was included and excluded in these equal rights? Did that change over time? How and why?

Intermediate Latin- LAT 201- Translations of ancient Roman texts on women. The translations will also include context on both the author and the lives of women in ancient Rome.

Women and Politics- PSCI 220- State of the Discipline Talks: seven minute talks that summarize in a visual format one aspect of a scholarly review of an area of the women in politics literature.

Black Feminist Imaginings- SOC 370- Work that explores the investigation of the Roxbury/Boston Murders.

After the Election…

The letter below was sent to the IWU community by campus leaders shortly after the 2016 presidential election results were announced. Per The Ames Library mission, the library “provides a seting conducive to interaction, consultation, study, and reflection,” for all members of the IWU community. If you feel uncomfortable in the library, please contact the Library Services Desk at 309-556-3350.

—–     —–     —–     —–     —–

Faculty, Staff and Students,

Today brings closure to one of the most divisive elections in U.S. history. Whether you supported Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, today is met with mixed feelings by many because we live in a country deeply divided on our values and beliefs. Unfortunately, that fact was as true yesterday as it is today.

As we reflect on this particular election, we must turn to our values — our individual values, our University values as expressed in our mission, and the values of our country that reflect the kinds of communities that we aspire to be.

Institutionally, we remain committed to diversity and social justice, explicitly stated in our mission. For those in our community who are feeling marginalized by the election results, please let us be clear: we see you and we care about you. You are respected and valued here. Illinois Wesleyan is a place committed to mutual respect and inclusion.

Liberal arts educations are designed to prepare students for democratic citizenship and life in a global society. Democratic citizenship requires that we accept the outcomes of elections. As we have seen in this election, the electoral process reveals our differences of opinion and perspective as much as it affirms those things we have in common. Our mission calls us to develop engaged citizens who will build partnerships, work to solve conflict, speak up when injustice occurs, and work tirelessly for the ideals that inspire them. Democracy works best when all voices are heard – not just on one day, but every day.  

Continue to use your voices to advocate for the issues that matter most to you. Hold your elected officials (local, state and national) accountable for creating the kind of community you want to live in. On our campus, advocate for your educational experience and the inclusive experience of all.   

We don’t know the path forward, but history demonstrates that there must be one. We need you, educated in the liberal arts, to solve the world’s biggest problems and to lead this country. We need you to continue to use your voice to make a difference in the world.   

As a community, we will always have a variety of opportunities to come together in both celebration and struggle. As we process this election, let us use this time to come together and create a future that reflects our genuine care for one another and our shared values.

Sincerely,

Eric Jensen, President

Jonathan Green, Provost

Karla Carney-Hall, Vice President for Student Affairs

World Series Champions!