Events

Shereen Chaudhry, PhD Assistant Professor of Behavioral Science University of Chicago Booth School of Business

Panel Presentations by Students Earning a Graduate Certificate in Gender and Sexuality Studies

Presented the the Gender and Sexuality Studies Workshop and the Gender and Sexuality Studies Working Group.

“Homesick Blues: Politics, Protest, and Musical Storytelling in Modern Japan”

THIS IS AN IN-PERSON EVENT AND WILL NOT BE LIVE STREAMING.

Tuesday, May 14, 5 pm

Seminary Co-op Bookstores, 5751 South Woodlawn Avenue Chicago, IL 60637

Part of the East Asia by the Book! CEAS Author Talks series, an initiative that is partnered with the Seminary Co-op Bookstore, Scott W. Aalgaard from Wesleyan University will talk about Homesick Blues explores how artists, fans, amateur practitioners, and others have used music to tell stories of everyday life in Japan from the late 1940s to 2018, a practice that the book calls ‘musical storytelling.’  In Homesick Blues, author Scott Aalgaard assembles a diverse ensemble of voices, some of whom are now appearing in English-language scholarship for the very first time, including industry stakeholders, rock stars, fans, newscasters, Kyoto-based “protest folk” singers, jazz singers, karaoke enthusiasts and even US military personnel. 

How much work does it take to make art seem effortless, the laboring body absent? Works By attempts to answer this question by bringing together four Chicago-based artists who share an interest in the many meanings of “labor.” The centerpiece of the exhibition is a floor drawing by Tony Lewis, performatively produced on site. A sculpture by Devin T. Mays features pallets collected during his wanderings around Chicago’s South Side. Erased: (Unrelated), a 2012 photograph by Bethany Collins, captures a cloud of chalk dust released into a black void—the remnants of the word “unrelated” repeatedly written on a blackboard and then erased. A large photo by Ellen Rothenberg depicts a work boot; another captures a giant lump of crumpled paper that was once a Barbara Kruger mural. The fruits of these artists’ labors will be on view from May 1 (International Workers’ Day) through July 14 (Bastille Day)—two dates that commemorate landmark events in the history of the working class.

Curated by Dieter Roelstraete.

The Chicago Center on Democracy, and Law, Letters, and Society invite students to chat with New York Times opinion columnist David Brooks over a delicious lunch.

Our gathering will feature an informal discussion on democracy-related topics, allowing students to bring in questions for Brooks to discuss, and provide their own insights and perspectives , anticipating an enriching exchange over lunch!

About David Brooks

David Brooks is a New York Times Opinion columnist and frequent commentator on “PBS NewsHour,” NPR’s “All Things Considered” and NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He is the best-selling author of “The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement,” “How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen,” and other titles.

Brooks (AB ’83) served as a University of Chicago Trustee and is a Senior Advisor to the university’s Leadership & Society Initiative.

Please note that registration is limited for this event, please only register if you will be participating in this event.

The Chicago Center on Democracy and the Committee on Environment, Geography, and Urbanization (CEGU) present Brian Balogh (Professor of History, University of Virginia) in conversation with Sarah Fredericks (Associate Professor of Environmental Ethics; also in the College and Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization) on Balogh’s book Not In My Back Yard: How Citizen Activists Nationalized Local Politics in the Fight to Save Green Springs. 

Published in January 2024, Not In My Back Yard tells the story of “how a woman-led citizens’ group beat a Southern political machine by enlisting federal bureaucrats and judges to protect their neighborhood from unchecked economic development.” 

This narrative delves into the local political activism shaping Green Springs, Virginia, chronicling the enduring struggle spanning decades to safeguard the area. It sheds light on the intricate economic compromises linked to environmental preservation, the genesis of NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) sentiment, the evolving dynamics of local governance, and the unexpected influence of historical narratives on public policy advancement.

Speaker: Christina Arellano, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Topic: TBA

Soonwoo Kwon, Brown University Topic: TBA

Join Student Wellness PHAs at Regenstein Library to discuss intellectual wellbeing.