Several of these blog entries are reflections of various aspects of the holocaust-studies tour. These essays are designed to provide the reader with specific information about various memorials and locations as well as a personal reflection of meaning associated with a location or feature of a memorial. Some blog entries will not be animated by the holocaust-studies tour.
Additionally, I recently completed a writing project overhauling a behavior and social sciences statistics textbook. Some selected sidebar essays that may be of interest to a more general audience have been extracted and placed in this section of the website.
Educational Convening at Equal Justice Initiative
On November 17-18, 2022 I had the privilege of attending an Educational Convening in Montgomery, Alabama, sponsored by and located at the headquarters of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) – an organization committed to “ending mass incarceration and excessive punishment in the United States, to challenging racial and economic injustice, and to protecting basic human rights for the most vulnerable people in American society.” Bryan Stevenson, the founder and author of the book “Just Mercy” was our main presenter. (A movie with the same title featuring Bryan and the work of EJI was released in 2019.) The two day event
Human Dignity: Invented or Discovered (reprised)
(Talk delivered to AUHP students at Nov, 2022 orientation meeting.) As you know, the honors experience here at Asbury is a themed enrichment program – “Studies in Virtue and Human Value.” This evening, I want to invite you to walk along with me as we explore our theme for a few moments. Our program’s two guiding questions are, “What gives humans value or dignity?” and “What are the implications of finding value in ourselves and others?” We can start by recognizing that most everyone feels like they have value, it’s instinctive – I am somebody, and my life is
Premier of “Don’t Forget Us,” Documentary
On Wednesday evening, October 26th, nearly 350 students and community members crowded into the new CLC auditorium to view the first Asbury-student directed and shot documentary, Don’t Forget Us. The evening featured the 42 minute film followed by two panel discussions. The film project was the idea of Journalism professor, Rich Manieri, who traveled with his team of students to Germany and Poland to provide oversight for the project, also helping to write of the script. Here is a link to most of the events of the evening, including the documentary and the panel discussions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-Z9ZthcOao. Prof. Manieri plans to
Documentary Filmmaker Pierre Sauvage Displays the Power of Story through “Weapons of the Spirit”
October 24, 2022 (Reprinted with permission from www.asbury.edu) This week, Asbury welcomed the last Honors Program speaker for fall 2022 to the Miller screening room for a chance to watch a newly remastered version of his 1989 feature documentary, Weapons of the Spirit. Emmy-winning French-American documentary filmmaker and child survivor of the Holocaust, Pierre Sauvage, discussed the inspiration behind his film, as well as some of the key themes and messages that flow through the experience. Sauvage did not grow up religiously Jewish and did not find out about his ethnicity until the age of 18 because of his parents
Dr. Jennifer Frey speaks about Happiness and Human Flourishing at Asbury University
On Monday evening, October 10th, University of South Carolina Assistant Professor of Philosophy, Dr. Jennifer Frey, delivered an address to the Asbury community entitled, “Classical and Contemporary Views on Happiness” to a packed Kinlaw Board room. She presented a clear, passionate, and convincing argument for a rediscovery of a more traditional and communal understanding of what nurtures human flourishing and well-being, frequently and effortlessly weaving the thoughts and understandings of such luminary thinkers such as Aristotle, Augustine, and Thomas Aquinas, as well as many others into her argument. Following her talk, students in Asbury’s Studies in Virtue and Human Value
Filmmaker and Holocaust Survivor, Pierre Sauvage, to show documentary at Asbury
Pierre Sauvage will show his award-winning documentary, Weapons of the Spirit, on Asbury’s campus on Thursday, Oct, 20th. At the conclusion of the film, Pierre will field questions from the audience. Afterward, Pierre will be featured at a fireside chat with the AUHP students at Asbury guesthouse, Windsor Manor. Here is a brief description I wrote for to help our AUHP students understand the unique nature of this documentary: This film is not a typical holocaust documentary. It does situate itself within the larger holocaust story, but it gets particular – it dives deep into the specifics of the people