Book & Film, News and Dinner Discussion Series
Ben Garrison and Suzanne Sawicki listen to English professor Michael Lemahieu during an NSP book discussion.
Book & Film Discussions
On the recommendation of Scholars, the NSP staff taps an engaging CU professor to coordinate a year-long book discussion series, typically focusing on a single theme (such as upheaval and revolution, the construction of memory). Many Scholars choose to participate in these discussions -- even though they carry no academic credit -- for their personal intellectual development and to enhance the intellectual life of the NSP community. For select books, students will also watch a film adaption and discuss the differences between the forms and the choices made by the filmmakers. Past titles discussed are:
Slaughterhouse Five, Kurt Vonnegut (book and film)
Possession, A.S. Byatt (book and film)
The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (book and film)
Sophie's Choice, Alan Pakula (film only)
The Golden Compass, Philip Pullman
The Handmaid's Tale, Margaret Atwood
Bel Canto, Ann Patchett
Fugitive Days, Bill Ayers
Maus, Art Spiegelman
The Assassins' Gate: America in Iraq, George Packer
The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli
The Quiet American, Graham Greene
Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand
Things Fall Apart, Chinua Achebe
News Discussions
The Scholars themselves take the lead on coordinating regular news discussions. A small team polls all Scholars on topics of interest from thew news, then researches the topic and sends short articles to read before the discussion. Again, this is an optional experience that Scholars participate in simply to learn more about the world around them...and each other. Recent topics have included:
Confirmations and controversies of Supreme Court nominees Samuel Alito, Harriet Miers, John Roberts
Hurricane Katrina and subsequent challenges and controversies
2006, 2008 elections
Nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea
Intelligent design in courts
Valerie Plame indictments and investigation
Palestinian elections and Hamas
World reaction to Mohammed editoral cartoon
U.S. port security in foreign hands
Clemson campus newspaper controversies
Immigration reform
2006 mid-term elections
Five years after 9/11
U.S. policy on, definition of "torture"
Changes in college admissions policies
Nobel Peace Prize Winner Muhammad Yunus
New Media versus Old Media
Conflict Diamonds
The Biology and Commerce of Beauty
The Jena 6 controversy
The role of religion and religious institutions in US politics
The crisis at the Iraq/Turkey border
The constitutional crisis in Pakistan
The Mideast peace talks in Annapolis
Recent advances in stem cell research
Dinner Discussions
When an issue arises in the news or the Scholars want to learn more about a topic, the NSP coordinates a "dinner discussion." These events include top Clemson professors or expert community leaders who give short talks followed by intense Q&A with the Scholars. Past topics include:
National security after 9/11
Enron, WorldCom and financial scandals on Wall Street
Civil liberties after 9/11
The future of NASA after the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia
Negotiation strategies
Professional etiquette
International business-university-government collaboration in research and economic development
Cancer research at Clemson