OU is launching a series of year-long programs next fall that will give students the opportunity to discuss themes that define their culture.
Robert Con Davis-Undiano, executive director of OU"s World Literature Today publication and incoming dean of the Honors College, will head the program series, which is titled the Renaissance Project.
Each year will focus on a particular theme, such as religion and democracy, power and responsibility or ethics and technology, according to an e-mail from Davis-Undiano.
The idea for the project arose from discussions with OU President David L. Boren, OU Provost Nancy Mergler, Paul Bell, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, and other faculty and administrators in several colleges, according to the e-mail.Davis-Undiano said the goal of the Renaissance Project is to enhance the student population"s life experience by enriching the environment for inquiry and discussion. He said he believes the project will also help students gain more of a perspective on international issues and cultures.
'I don't think anybody has enough understanding on the rest of the world, but at OU we're taking the step to make sure we're getting that understanding,' he said. 'That's really the richness of the university right now. We're probably on the cutting edge of that project.'
The project will coordinate six areas of activity, including assembling and publicizing a reading list of five works that focus on the year"s theme, scheduling two public symposia each semester that will draw on discussion from the works, scheduling speakers and conferences on campus relating to the theme, identifying courses on campus that relate to the theme, encouraging student and faculty involvement in the ongoing conversation about the theme and following the mandate of the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, according to the e-mail.
Davis-Undiano said that due to the richness of classes offered on campus, some existing courses may be incorporated into the symposia.
'We'll be encouraging the different aspects of the campus to, in small ways, reshape what they"re doing to focus on the larger theme,' he said.
The project will 'not so much bring richness to the culture of learning at OU,' but exploit and build on existing resources, according to the e-mail.
'I think this is going to make possible the kind of communal discussion of ideas that people often associate with small liberal arts colleges, but there"s a double attraction because of the university"s enormous resources,' Davis-Undiano said.
While all students will be able to attend meetings throughout the year, college credit will be offered for one aspect of the project, he said. Service learning projects will allow students to go out into the community and perform activities that have social impact on the theme of the year and attain some credit hours.
Stephen Anderson, music graduate student, said he is impressed with the idea.
'I think it"s positive because whatever students decide to major in, it"s going to be influenced by world events and changing culture,' Anderson said. 'I will be interested to see what it will be like when all the different majors come together to discuss these topics. It should be a broad spectrum of ideas that are shared.'
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