Maryland 's Fall Semester to Focus On All Aspects Of War

COLLEGE PARK, Md - Students across the entire University of Maryland campus will spend the fall 2008 semester exploring the topic of war and its meaning. The goal for A Semester on War and the Representations of War is to promote a wide-ranging academic and public discussion of an issue that continues to impact all Americans.

"Our nation's recent experience requires that we think deeply about the meaning of war, its history and its future, its after-effects, its nobility and its ignominy, and the profound moral issues that it evokes. For present generations and those to come, no subject could be more important, " says Adele Seeff, the director of the Center for Renaissance & Baroque Studies ( College of Arts and Humanities) on campus. She is coordinating A Semester on War and the Representations of War along with Kent Cartwright, who chairs the English Department at Maryland and Robert Schwab, the associate dean of the College of Behavioral and Social Sciences. A campus-wide steering committee is also providing input.

Prof. Cartwright says, "the semester will involve discussion panels, exhibitions, films, guest speakers, lectures, music, and theatre performances. Special events organized around aspects of the theme will be open the public." Students registered for theme related courses dedicated wholly or significantly to war and its representation will make field trips to local monuments and engage in cross-course events and online discussions on specific topics. A program website has been launched featuring discussion topics, an events calendar, information, and online resources.

As part of the semester's focus, the annual First Year Book selected by the Office of Undergraduate Studies for all incoming students (to read either voluntarily or as part of a class assignment) is War Is a Force That Gives Us Meaning by Chris Hedges. Currently a senior fellow at The Nation Institute in New York City , Hedges spent nearly two decades as a foreign correspondent in Central America, the Middle East, Africa , and the Balkans. This best-selling book was a finalist for The National Book Critics Circle Award for Nonfiction.

For more information about A Semester on War and the Representation of War and the programs it includes, visit www.war.umd.edu or contact the Center for Renaissance & Baroque Studies by phone, 301-405-6830 or e-mail to crbs@umd.edu .

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A Semester on War and the Representation of War
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