Upcoming Events
Spring Symposium: Reframing Resistance
Dates: April 21-25
While some may be surprised by the recent attacks on the sciences and higher education, for those working in the humanities, this is nothing new and perhaps a logical next step. These attacks have highlighted long standing tensions amongst disciplines that should be reconsidered in order to foster greater solidarity. Resistance is an inherently defensive stance and our current moment requires something more. Curiosity is one thing that binds us all together and something that cannot be replicated by machines. Machine learning and artificial intelligence are also framings that devalue what are in fact complex human processes, processes which cannot be replicated by machines. Learning is not simply a matter of inputs and outputs, but a highly individualized process dependent on relationality and making connections. Over the course of the week we will be hosting a series of talks and discussions with thinkers from a wide range of disciplinary backgrounds that can help us reframe our thinking about resistance and consider ways to challenge dehumanizing framings that ultimately harm us all.
Book Talk: Celia Pearce on Playframes: How Do We Know We Are Playing?
Date: Monday, April 21 | 5:00-6:30PM
On Monday evening, Professor Celia Pearce will be sharing thoughts from her most recent book, Playframes: How Do We Know We are Playing? in which she examines the mechanisms of metacommunication that allows players to understand that play is underway. From investors in « meme stocks » and NFTs to those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, Pearce looks at cases where conflicting understandings of make-believe may have political effects.
Location: Ewell Hall 107
Registration: https://forms.gle/cWVuf6dLpSyKSJgv9
Online Symposium: AI Resistance
Date: Wednesday, April 23 | 9:30-5:30PM
On Wednesday, we will host a day-long series of online talks and discussions with thinkers from around the world about AI considering the challenges and opportunities that it offers. We will be joined by Anna Nacher, Audrey Watters, Gina Neff, Jennifer Rhee, Jennifer Sano-Franchini, Jessica Marie Johnson, Lauren Goodlad, Lauren Klein, Maha Bali, Matt Kirschenbaum, Meredith Martin, and Tyrus Miller.
Location: Zoom
Program: https://go.wm.edu/b4w9mj
Registration Link: https://cwm.zoom.us/meeting/register/ETtFafNCQ--JokfYx_hC-w
Book Talk: McKenzie Wark on Raving
Date: Friday, April 25 | 1:00-2:30PM
On Friday, Professor McKenzie Wark will give a talk on her book, Raving. Brooklyn's queer and trans centered techno rave scene is having a moment. Like any thriving cultural scene, writing about it calls for the creation of fresh language to express and extend what's vital about it. Wark writes as an extension of rave practice. She is particularly interested in trans experiences on the dancefloor, in what the rave is giving for us. Through close attention to the perception and description of this discreet little world, she also seeks to express something about what such a collaborative art can be at this moment in history, when a world is ending.
Location: Ewell 151
Registration: https://forms.gle/rR6xeqTCYDBJtBCh8