DISTINCTIVE LECTURE SERIES

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2009 Traditions Week One Keynote Lecture - Samaritans in the Borderlands:  The Week I Keynote Lecture will be presented by  Green Valley Samaritans Shura Wallin and Randy Mayer, and the Santa Cruz River Band.   The lecture/performance is highly recommended to the entire Common Ground community and is open to the public.  Monday, July 6th, 8 p.m.
Alumni Hall 

Following the keynote lecture, enjoy An Evening of Playback Theatre.   The Maryland Playback Ensemble is  an interactive and community-based theatre company.  Playback theatre is a non-scripted form of theatre in which stories, experiences and feelings shared by audience members are enacted spontaneously by a company of trained actors and musicians.  These story enactments are intended to celebrate the uniqueness of each story.  At the same time, playback theatre builds community, as we find that our stories have themes and feelings in common with those of others. Through the rituals of storytelling and playing-back, each performance of playback theatre affirms our shared humanity, and our common nature as stewards of memory and tellers of stories. The performance is highly recommended to the entire Common Ground community and is open to the public.  
Monday, July 7th, 9 p.m.
Alumni Hall

Samaritans at the Border, Immigrants Among Us:   The United States has always been known as a country of immigrants. You need only to turn to the revered Statue of Liberty and read the chisled words, "Give me your tired, your weak, your huddled masses..." to understand that immigrations is central to us as a nation.  In the last 10 years there has been unprecidented immigration along our southern border, as "people made poor" from the effects of globalization have been pushed from their countries and pulled into the United States to work in our gardens, hotels, and kitchens.  This workshop will focus on globalization and how it affects communities which in turn stimulates immigration into our First World country.  It will lift up the plight of the migrant and illuminate the deep instinct of survival and love of family.  It will describe and lay out the rich culture and climate of the Borderlands;  and it will tell the story of a humanitarian group called the Samaritans who give food, water and medical care to those whose lives are on the line. Period 4, Shura Wallin and Randy Mayer

World Music Cultures and Humanity:  Common Ground on the Hill’s vision of a “human thread unifying all people expressed in our various artistic traditions” resonates profoundly with the instructor's work as an ethnomusicologist, which argues that while all world musics are informed by particular cultures, music also promotes a larger consciousness shared by all members of the human race.  This workshop stresses discussion and performance: the instructor’s perspectives set the stage for students’ free expression their own ideas and active participation in playing percussion and singing.  The five sessions treat these topics:    Music, Culture and Humanity, Music, Altered States, and Transformation,  Language, Movement and Music,  Music and National Identity, and  Ethnomusicology of Common Ground on the Hill.  Treats musical traditions represented in this year’s Common Ground Festival and current ethnomusicological debates about music as a forum for global understanding.  Period 3,
Paul Austerlitz

World Music & World Instruments  This lecture/demo/listening class is a rare  opportunity to experience top-rate musicianship up close.  Ken Bloom will present daily classes including the traditional music of this  

country as well as Celtic and Eastern European selections. You will  hear the concert zither, Northumbrian-smallpipes, guitar, clarinet,  bowed dulcimer, minstrel banjo and a range of other instruments and  

traditions as well. You will be introduced to unfamiliar sounds in an  entertaining way and expand your musical view of our ever-shrinking world. Period 2, Ken Bloom
 

Hearts & Minds Film: Common Ground on the Hill and the Delaware-based Hearts and Minds Film Initiative once again partner to bring students an intriguing exploration into the power of media as an agent for social change. This class examines a handful of recent independent documentary films that focus on issues including conflict and violence, immigration, race and identity, freedom of speech, corporate media, and international relations. Each class period will include a screening and discussion. This year will include an exploration into web-based outlets as a venue for reaching new audiences to communicate the individual voices, ideas and messages that are so overlooked in the mainstream media. In our rapidly changing world, independent media and alternative means of reaching audiences play an even greater role in determining the future of our nation and world. What messages are you receiving, what media sources are you believing? How can you raise your digital voice to better serve your community? Period 2,  Daniel R. Collins

Exploring an Appalachian Perspective - Appalshop Films: For forty years, Appalshop has produced films that provide an Appalachian perspective on issues facing the region and the world.  In this workshop, Appalshop staff will present five Appalshop films that deal with issues of the environment, media stereotyping, economics, cultural identity and their relation to each other. Each day will feature one Appalshop film to be followed by a discussion.  Students will be asked to keep a journal in which they respond to the films and react to discussion questions that build on and relate to each film in the series. Supplemental readings, a bibliography of related works will be provided for students who wish to explore the issues beyond the class discussion. Films to be announced.   www.appalshop.org  Period 4, Derek Mullins 

Voices From the Margins - Reflections on Place by Appalachian Women Writers: The truth of the adage "You can take the girl out of the mountains but not the mountains out of the girl" is nowhere more apparent than in the stories of women who’ve grown up in Appalachia. In this course, poetry, fiction, and memoir by several Appalachian women writers, including Lee Smith, Jayne Anne Phillips and Sharyn McCrumb,  will comprise the lens through which to see and understand Appalachia as it really is – a place of marginalized people who, in their resilience, stubborn determination, and self-sacrifice, are testament to the power of the human spirit. From banjos to bare feet, mountain culture in mainstream contemporary literature is often little more than caricature, and prejudices about Appalachia have prevented many from realizing what a treasure trove of literature the region offers.  But contemporary regional literature offers a picture of strong Appalachian women who are part of a human community united in the universal struggle for dignity, recognition and truth. These women's eloquent voices and sense of identity and place will resonate with you long after the close of Common Ground. Period 3, Suzanne Seibert

Passing it On (This course is the primary workshop of the Nonviolence Institute.)  Nonviolence is a roots tradition too.  It is historically ancient and geographically global, with countless cultural variations – very much like folk music!  It isn’t a mainstream school subject, but you can learn about it from practitioners if you seek them out.  Its insights do not come from the powerful, but from disadvantaged people trying to get their needs met in peaceful and mostly honorable ways.  In this course, we will touch on the ideas and methods of nonviolence, the music and song that accompanies most nonviolent movements, the humor, the visual arts, the personalities.  We’ll also look at current projects in schools, families, prisons, workplaces, and politics.  It will be a busy week.  This workshop may be taken as a single course or as part of the Institute on Nonviolence.  Period 1, Charles Collyer and Pamela Zappardino

Understanding Islam: We will attempt to understand the most misunderstood religion in the U.S. by reviewing its history, the relation of culture to religion, and the life of Mohamed. Then we will discuss central Islamic beliefs, e.g. Oneness of God, Divinity of the Quran, the ritual life of the Muslim believer, Last Judgment and its relation to other western religions. We will explore the difference between Sunni and Shiite leadership styles, the basis of ethical decision making for the Muslim, the West’s debt to Islam, women’s rights and democracy. There will be a serious attempt to understand sources of Islamic extremism and the geo-political role of Islam in the 21st. century. The purpose of our study will be to enter a serious cross-cultural dialogue and to achieve an appreciation and respect of differences and similarities - Common Ground - among faith traditions.   A Muslim Primer: Beginner’s Guide to Islam is required reading. It will be used in class and is available in the McDaniel College bookstore or may be ordered through the Common Ground on the Hill office for $25. Period 2, Mohamed Esa  and others TBA.

Shared Sacred Personalities in the Torah, New Testament and Quran: Abraham, Jesus and Mohammad, the central personalities in Judaism, Christianity and Islam respectively are the source and measure of capturing the message and medium of each faith community.  By examining excerpts of the texts sacred to Judaism, Christianity and Islam, namely, the Torah, the New Testament and the Quran, participants will engage in a learning experience that will provide avenues of insights into differences coupled with commonalities. Period 3, Dr. Emanuel Goldman

Learning Arabic:  Arabic is the fifth most spoken language in the world, yet few Americans know it. This daily course will introduce the participants to the language and culture of the Arab world. The teacher will help the participant develop beginner level skills in conversational Arabic. She will introduce basic vocabulary and structures, such as greetings, how to introduce yourself, how to ask and answer questions, how to count, and how to conduct a basic dialog in Arabic. Period 4,  Carol Zaru

Gateways for Teachers: This class is designed to provide a lasting and authentic experience of teacher renewal from the inside out. The pressures within educational institutions are in a constant state of acceleration. As a result, there is an increasing need for teachers and students to maintain a sense of balance. “Gateways” refer to those aspects of every individual that are often minimized as one tries to deal with the pressures of teaching. By activating and opening these gateways, teachers begin to experience themselves in a much richer and effective light, resulting in a greater capacity to enrich the lives of students. Participants are provided with a tool kit of ideas that maintain a sense of renewal for teachers and students throughout the school year.  www.gatewaysforprofessionals.net
Class materials fee: $10.00. Period 3, Marya Michael

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