Dean’s Weekly

Department of English and Philosophy

1 May 2014

Past Events

1. 19 cadets with the Cadet Fine Arts Forum (Jazz) travelled to New York City

19 cadets with the Cadet Fine Arts Forum (Jazz) travelled to New York City on 22 April for

a first-time visit to the National Jazz Museum in Harlem. While at the museum, artistic director and

renowned jazz musician Loren Schoenberg spoke to the cadets about the history of jazz as a truly

American form of art, the connections between jazz and Harlem, and how jazz as a musical form

models the constitutional form of government. Mr. Schoenberg also accompanied a few cadets in

piano duets. After a terrific visit at the museum, the cadets proceeded to Greenwich Village's

Village Vanguard club. A jazz club dating back to 1935, the Village Vanguard provided a very

intimate setting where the cadets and an audience of 100 enjoyed the music of renowned jazz

guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel. Mr. Rosenwinkel is recognized for his unique, improvisational style and

sound. A special thanks goes out to SFC Mark Tonelli of the USMA Jazz Knights for

accompanying the trip section.

Loren Schoenberg play piano with cadets on the CFAF Jazz trip section

2. Cadets visited the Barnes Foundation and the Wilma Theater

Cadets from the Elsie Sannes-Pinnell Art Appreciation Forum traveled to Philadelphia this

past weekend to visit the Barnes Foundation and the Wilma Theater. The Barnes Foundation houses

paintings by Renoir, Cezanne, Picasso, Matisse, and others--a collection worth an astonishing $30

billion. The Wilma Theater held the world premiere of Don Juan Comes Home From Iraq, a play by

Pulitzer-prize winner Paula Vogel that calls attention to PTSI, TBI, and women in the military.

Cadets also visited the Rodin Museum, Rittenhouse Square, and the "Rocky Steps" at the

Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Cadets outside the Village Vanguard after enjoying live jazz

in New York City.

3. LTC Molin Invited to Speak about Contemporary War Literature

LTC Peter Molin participated in classes and events at Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY,

and Wesleyan University, Middletown, CT, that featured his expertise in the field of contemporary

war literature. At Vassar on 15 and 17 April, LTC Molin joined Dr. Maria Hoehn's class on Post-

WWII American military intervention on days that featured, first, a VTC appearance by David

Abrams, the author of the satirical Iraq war novel Fobbit, and, second, photojournalist Michael

Kamber, the author of Photojournalists on War: The Untold Stories from the Iraq. At Wesleyan on

22 April, LTC Molin joined Dr. William Pinch's class on "The Great Game" to discuss his

experiences while deployed to Afghanistan and the literary and cinematic portrayals of Operation

Enduring Freedom. While at Wesleyan, LTC Molin also participated on a panel presentation titled

War Stories: Reading and Writing the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. Also appearing on the panel

were veteran author Roy Scranton, the editor of the contemporary war fiction anthology Fire and

Forget, and Joydeep Roy-Bhattacharya, the author of the Afghanistan war novel The Watch. On 29

April, LTC Molin will moderate a reading at The Strand bookstore in New York City by Adrian

Cadets from the Art Appreciation Forum in Rittenhouse Square, named for the first

paper-maker in Philadelphia.

Bonenburger, the author of a new Afghanistan war memoir titled Afghan Post. Also present on a

panel to discuss Bonenburger's work will be acclaimed war authors Matt Gallagher, Roxana

Robinson, and David Abrams.

4. LTCs Cleveland and Molin Support USMA Tennis

LTCs Sean Cleveland and Peter Molin served as Officer Representatives for the Patriot

League Champion Army Men’s Tennis Team at two of their three tournament wins, 25-27 April at

West Point. LTC Molin served as OR during Army’s 4-0 win over Lehigh in the tournament

quarterfinals and LTC Cleveland did so for the tournament final, a 4-1 victory over Navy. Their

service culminated a year spent traveling with the men’s team, advising the coaches on USMA

issues, mentoring players, and helping them with their academic work. For LTC Cleveland, the

Patriot League championship constitutes a fitting finale for three years of passionate involvement

with the team during which he contributed significantly to the team’s on-court success and off-court

development of its players as young men, students, cadets, and future officers.

LTC Molin at dinner at Afghanistan with, left to right, Joydeep

Roy-Bhattacharya, Roy Scranton, noted American Studies scholar

Dr. Richard Slotkin, and Dr. William Pinch.

The flyer advertising LTC Molin's appearance at

Wesleyan.

5. “Milton in the Long Restoration” Conference and Workshop.

On 25-26 April, LTC Dave Harper attended a conference on “Milton in the Long

Restoration” at Stanford University. This is the second in a two-part series of conferences seeking to

define the literary significance of “The Long Restoration” and the role of John Milton’s work in

shaping it. Participants included leading Milton scholars from the United States, England, and

Canada who pre-circulated and work-shopped chapters to appear in a forthcoming Oxford University

Press volume. LTC Harper’s chapter is tentatively titled “Critical Mass: Contextualizing Bentley’s

Paradise Lost” and proposes that the discipline of literary criticism arose during the Long

Restoration in an attempt to redeem Milton’s great epic from his controversial politics.

6. USMA Band Conducts Workshop with Film Course

On 21 April, SGM Sheffler and the “Quintette 7” of the USMA Band conducted a workshop

with the Cadets enrolled in EP342 (Film and Film Theory). SGM Sheffler lectured on the history of

film music and the complex way in which non-diegetic sound enhances the filmmaking process. The

“Quintette 7” then performed various musical scores to demonstrate the versatility of a film

soundtrack. This event was yet another instance of the longstanding and invaluable collaboration

between the USMA band and the Department of English and Philosophy.

LTC Sean Cleveland and LTC Peter Molin with the Army Men’s Tennis Team

following their defeat of Navy in the Patriot League Men’s Tennis Tournament.

7. LTC Mercer to Publish Article in WisCon Chronicles

LTC Naomi Mercer's article, "'A Way, A Convenience, A Kindness': Fundamentalism and

Ecofeminist Utopia in Sheri S. Tepper’s Raising the Stones" was accepted for publication in WisCon

Chronicles 8, forthcoming this summer from Aqueduct Press.

8. Fobbit Author Speaks to Creative Writing Forum and EN102 Classes

David Abrams, author of Fobbit and retired Sergeant First Class, spoke to the Creative

Writing Forum and LTC Naomi Mercer's EN102 sections via Skype on Friday, April 25. Mr.

Abrams discussed his work, read a short selection from his novel, and then answered questions from

cadets. The lively question and answer session ranged from discussion of creative license to the

tenor of Mr. Abrams' short stories, "Roll Call" and "Joyride," which cadets had read prior to the

event.

Cadets First Class Ellen Chamberlin and Wilbert Collins perform a swashbuckling scene while SGM Sheffler

of the USMA Band provides direction.

9. Distinguished Professor Virginia Held Discussed the Ethics of Care at the Philosophy

Forum and Visited EP373

On Monday April 28th

, the renowned philosopher Virginia Held presented a talk at the

Philosophy Forum titled “The Ethics of Care: Anything New?” and visited Dr. Graham Parsons’

class, EP373: Topics in Ethics, to discuss her work. This semester EP373 is focused on gender and

ethics. Prof. Held has written widely on issues in ethics and social theory. She is best known for her

innovative contributions to the Ethics of Care. The Ethics of Care originated in feminist critiques of

traditional ethics and is perhaps the only fundamentally new school in ethical theory to have

emerged from the last several generations of philosophers. Professor Held has written numerous

books, including The Ethics of Care: Personal, Political, Global, How Terrorism is Wrong:

Morality and Political Violence, Feminist Morality: Transforming Culture, Society, and Politics, and

Rights and Goods: Justifying Social Action. She is Distinguished Professor Emeritus at The

Graduate Center, City University of New York. This event is an example of the department’s ability

to address issues of contemporary relevance, to contribute to cadet’s ethical development, and to

promote diversity among the corps.

David Abrams, author of Fobbit and retired Sergeant First Class, spoke to the

Creative Writing Forum and LTC Naomi Mercer's EN102 sections via SKYPE

Professor Virginia Held discusses the Ethics of Care

at the Philosophy Forum.

Virginia Held discusses her work with cadets in

EP373: Topics in Ethics. During the course

cadets read Dr. Held’s book The Ethics of Care:

Personal, Political, Global. Her visit gave them

the opportunity to discuss the book with her.

CDT Samuel Andersen discusses his ideas about gender and the military

with Professor Held. CDT Andersen is writing a paper for EP373: Topics in

Ethics titled “The Importance of Women in a Professional Military.”