UO Today

Timothy Williams, assistant professor of History in the Clark Honors College at the University of Oregon, discusses his monograph Intellectual Manhood: University, Self, and Society in the Antebellum South, and his co-edited volume Prison Pens: Gender, Memory, and Imprisonment in the Writings of Mollie Scollay and Wash Nelson, 1863-1866. In addition, he explains why it's important to understand the intellectual and cultural history of the antebellum and Civil War South. Williams will be an Oregon Humanities Center Faculty Research Fellow during the 20-21 academic year, working on his current book project "Civil War Prisons and the Problem of Confederate Memory."

David Mura, writer, memoirist, and performance artist, is a third-generation Japanese American whose family was interred during World War II. He discusses his recent book A Stranger's Journey: Race, Identity, and Narrative Craft in Writing and explains how writing necessitates an exploration of one's identity. Mura gave a reading and craft talk as a guest of the UO's Creative Writing Program on February 19, 2020.

Ruha Benjamin presents the concept of the “New Jim Code” to explore a range of discriminatory designs that encode inequity: by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies, by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions, or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. Benjamin considers how race itself is a kind of tool designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice and discuss how technology is and can be used toward liberatory ends. Benjamin challenges us to question not only the technologies we are sold, but also the ones we manufacture ourselves.

Jacqueline Cordova-Arrington, assistant professor of Flute in the School of Music and Dance at the University of Oregon, talks about her experiences as a Fulbright Fellow with the Berlin Philharmonic, and as a fellow in Carnegie Hall's Ensemble Connect program. She also discusses how to reduce barriers for young people of color who are interested in classical music. In addition, Cordova-Arrington explains why teaching and community engagement are important aspects of her career as a musician.

Janet Dewart Bell is the author of Lighting the Fires of Freedom: African American Women in the Civil Rights Movement, and the widow of Derrick Bell, former dean of the UO's School of Law. She talks about some of the women she interviewed for her book: Myrlie Evers, Leah Chase, Gloria Richardson, and Gay McDougal. Bell also talks about her late husband who worked to increase diversity in the academy. She spoke at the UO, along with Duke Law professor Guy-Uriel Charles, on February 10, 2020 at the School of Law's annual Derrick Bell Lecture.

Ruha Benjamin, associate professor of African American Studies at Princeton University, is the author of Race After Technology: Abolitionist Tools for the New Jim Code. She discusses how new technologies encode old forms of segregation and gives some examples of bias in technology. Benjamin explains why humanists and social scientists should be integral participants in the tech industry. Benjamin gave a talk titled "Beyond Buzzwords: Reimagining the Default Settings of Technology and Society" on February 4, 2020 as the Oregon Humanities Center's 2019-20 Cressman Lecturer. Her talk was part of the "Convergence: intersections between the sciences and humanities" series.

Brian Gillis is a professor of art in the College of Design and the director of the Center for Art Research (CFAR), which is housed in the 510 Oak building in downtown Eugene. Gillis talks about the CFAR as a collaborative, artist-run platform for experimentation and exchange rooted in art making. The Center cultivates diverse modes of engagement related to the practices of contemporary artists by supporting speculative research, discourse, exhibitions, and publications. Gillis also talks about his art practice and teaching.

Ramón Alvarado, assistant professor of Philosophy and an affiliate of UO's Data Science Initiative, discusses his work in data ethics. He defines the concepts of big data, machine learning, and artificial intelligence; and talks about the bias of algorithms and the emergence of surveillance capitalism. Alvarado also describes the ethics of technology class he taught in fall 2019.

Gabriele Hayden is Assistant Librarian for Research Data Management and Reproducibility in the Data Services Department of the University of Oregon Libraries. She discusses the resources available to help faculty and students manage their research data and materials. Hayden, with a PhD in English Literature from Yale University, is uniquely situated to help humanities scholars understand how to manage and store the data their research generates.

Amanda Cote, assistant professor of Media Studies and Game Studies in the School of Journalism and Communication at the University of Oregon, discusses her interest in Game Studies and the significance of the field. She also talks about her forthcoming book Gaming Sexism: Gender and Identity in the Era of Casual Video Games, and describes esports and its popularity among gamers. The UO now has a varsity esports team.