Faculty Nights
“Faculty Nights” is a fun and interactive event that bridges the gap between students and faculty through the exploration of a “hot topic”. We created these events based on focus group results in which students expressed desire to interact with professors outside of the classroom. Faculty Nights are FREE. Advance registration is required.
Does Race Matter? An uncensored discussionTuesday, February 2nd @ 5pm Opening remarks by Dr. Terrance Wooten, Assistant Professor, Black Studies REGISTER HERE |
This quarter’s Faculty Night event is a special collaboration with UCSB Arts & Lectures Race to Justice series.
The format of the event is as follows:
A 10-minute presentation (listed above) followed by informal discussions at small “tables” (breakout rooms) with faculty and staff and students.
This program is designed to give students access to how professors and peers feel about issues that affect our UCSB community outside of the classroom. Please do not censor your opinions.
Zoom link will be sent out prior to event.
Prepare for the Conversation:
Hear Pulitzer prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson speak about her new book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, which examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions. Her presentation will be followed by a live Q&A moderated by Ingrid Banks, Chair of the UCSB Department of Black Studies.
FREE to UCSB Students. Tues. JAN 26, 5 pm. A replay will be available for 7 days following the live event. Students must register in advance of the live event to watch the replay. Sign up to attend
COVID and COLLEGE: An uncensored discussion of our new reality!Tuesday, November 24th @ 5pmOpening remarks by Dr. Carolina Arias, Assistant Professor, MCDB REGISTER HERE |
COVID-19 has forever changed our world and the way we interact with each other. Universities are at the center of this change. Our vibrant campuses are closed, teachers are recreating classrooms online, students are juggling the challenges, and researchers are looking for solutions for this crisis. What does the future look like? How do we manage our personal and collective responsibilities? How do we stand up to misinformation? When can we return to UCSB? When will life be normal again? Join this uncensored discussion with fellow students and scholars (Including the COVID-19 task force). All viewpoints are welcomed.
The format of the event is as follows:
A 10-minute presentation (listed above) followed by
Informal discussions at small “tables” (breakout rooms) with faculty and staff and students
This program is designed to give students access to how professors and peers feel about issues that affect our UCSB community outside of the classroom. Please do not censor your opinions.
FAKE NEWS AND THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION: AN UNCENSORED DISCUSSION ON LEGAL SHAMING
Thursday, May 2, 2019 6:00 pm in Loma Pelona
JOIN THE CONVERSATION! RSVP HERE!
Opening Remarks by Gina L. Genova, Writing Program Continuing Lecturer and Retired Litigator
Has the court of public opinion overtaken the rule of law? Are new forms of media changing our ability to hold fair trials? What does the future of “evidence” look like? Did the Brett Kavanaugh hearings taint our trust in the legal process? Do such public accusations irreparably harm the accused, even after innocence is proven?Trial lawyer and writing lecturer Gina L. Genova will start an uncensored discussion of public opinion and the law. Join this discussion with fellow students and scholars, all viewpoints are welcome.
A 10-minute presentation (listed above) followed by
Informal discussions at tables with faculty and staff table hosts with approximately 6 students
Food and refreshments will be provided FREE for attendees on the RSVP list
This program is designed to give students access to how professors and peers feel about issues that affect our UCSB community outside of the classroom. Please do not censor your opinions.
Agree to Disagree? An Uncensored Discussion on Civil Discourse
Wednesday, May 16, 2018 6:00 pm in Loma Pelona
Opening Remarks by Dr. Jody Enders, Distinguished Professor and Director of UCSB’s Public Speaking Initiative; and Dr. Vanessa Woods, Lecturer in the Psychological and Brain Sciences Department
Does “civil discourse” exist? What does it look like? What does it sound like? How do we cultivate it? At home, in class, in life, how do we talk to people who might hold viewpoints radically different from our own? Are some subjects so controversial that we fear talking about them at all? Dr. Jody Enders, a historian of rhetoric and theater, and Director of the Public Speaking Initiative, will be joined by Dr. Vanessa Woods, a specialist in teaching psychology and neuroscience, for some unscripted examples of persuasive—and unpersuasive—communication. Join fellow students and scholars for a free-wheeling and fun discussion where all viewpoints are welcome and no subject is off limits.
Inequality is Statistically Significant! An uncensored discussion about gender discrimination
Tuesday, February 13, 2018 6:00 pm in Loma Pelona
Opening remarks by Dr. Priyam Patel, Visiting Assistant Professor, Mathematics
Current headlines and longitudinal data are undeniable: women face daily discrimination and on average are paid 80% of what men are paid, with racial/ethnic minorities suffering from an even larger pay gap. How do we change this? Why do scholars estimate it will be another 100 years before closing this gap? Why do more women enroll and graduate from colleges than men, yet hold far fewer leadership positions? How are transgendered and gender fluid persons still excluded from these analyses? Join this discussion with fellow students and scholars, all viewpoints are welcomed.
BEYOND TRUMP: Hope and Fear - Where Do We Go From Here?
November 7th, 2017 6:00 pm in The Club
Opening remarks by Ralph Armbruster-Sandoval, Professor of Chicana/o Studies
Where are "we" one year after the historic 2016 presidential election?
Are you hopeful or fearful about what lies ahead? What most concerns you
right now given the current climate on campus, in the nation, and in
the world? Do you find it challenging to talk with colleagues, students,
family members, and loved ones who may hold different opinions on these
matters than your own? What keeps you going during these divisive
times?
Join this discussion with fellow students and scholars, all viewpoints
are welcomed.
ISLA VISTA, A LIVING LABORATORY: An Uncensored Discussion
May 17, 2017 6:00 pm in Loma Pelona Center
Opening remarks by Kim Yasuda, Artist and Professor of Public Practice in the Department of Art
Public Art Professor and local community advocate, Kim Yasuda, will provoke a renewed vision for Isla Vista and challenge external perceptions that have negatively defined this college community. She will recount recent student, staff and faculty-led movements in self-governance, environmental stewardship and cultural engagement that are shaping the quality of life and bright future of Isla Vista. Yasuda will provide questions about the forces that continue to plague this community as it experiments with models of Democracy and civic life.
GENETIC MODIFICATION IS THE NEW REALITY: An Uncensored Discussion
February 22, 2017 6:00 pm in Loma Pelona Center
Opening remarks by Dr. Kathy Foltz, Interim Dean of the College of Creative Studies and Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
Genetic modification is no longer science fiction – it is the new reality! Dr. Kathy Foltz will provide poignant questions about genome modification, and UCSB’s contributions to this controversial new world. Gene drive, gene therapy, and genetic modification are all possible, but are they ethical? Designer babies or life-saving therapy? Join this discussion with fellow students and scholars, all viewpoints are welcomed.
BLACK LIVES MATTER VS. ALL LIVES MATTER: An Uncensored Discussion
Tuesday, November 1, 2016 6:00 pm in Loma Pelona Center
Opening remarks by Vilna Bashi Treitler, Chair of Black Studies
How did “Black Lives Matter” go from a hashtag to a movement? Do we
really need a movement of this kind at this time? What does it mean to
say that All Lives Matter in rebuttal? Vilna Bashi Treitler, Chair of
the Department of Black Studies, writes and teaches about race and
ethnicity, international migration, and inequality, and will discuss
these questions in the context of US/global inequality and racial/ethnic
divisions.
PEOPLE AREN’T PETRI DISHES: Why Antibiotics Fail: An Uncensored Discussion
Wednesday, April 20, 2016, 5:00 pm in Carrillo Dining Commons
Opening remarks by Michael Mahan, Professor of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology
Dr. Michael Mahan will provide poignant questions about the changing
world of infectious diseases and the emergence of multidrug-resistant
superbugs. His team’s work has been featured in the news around the
world - leading what many are calling a “paradigm shift” in our
understanding of antibiotics and pathogens. Join this discussion with
fellow students and scholars, all viewpoints are welcomed.
ISIS and ISLAMOPHOBIA: An Uncensored Discussion
Tuesday, February 16, 2016, 6:30 pm in Carrillo Dining Commons
Opening Remarks by Mark Juergensmeyer, Professor of Global and International Studies
Dr. Mark Juergensmeyer, UCSB’s world-renowned author, journalist, and
Professor of Global Studies and Sociology will provide poignant
questions about the rise of ISIS abroad and Islamophobia at home. Is
there an end to ISIS? How does religious fear grow? Join this discussion
with fellow students and scholars, all viewpoints are welcomed.
This event is being co-sponsored by UCSB’s Veterans Resource Center and
student veterans and staff, some of whom served in Iraq and Afghanistan,
will be in attendance to contribute their unique perspective.
PAY ATTENTION: An Uncensored Discussion about Mind-Wandering In and Out of the Classroom
Tuesday, November 10, 2016, 6:30 pm in Carrillo Dining Commons
Opening Remarks by Jonathan Schooler, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences
Dr. Jonathan Schooler, Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences will provide poignant questions about why it can be so hard to pay attention and what can be done about it. Join this discussion with fellow students and scholars, all viewpoints are welcomed.
This event is co-sponsored by UCSB Academic Initiatives, Housing and Residential Services, and with special welcome from Faculty-In-Residence Dr. Amit Ahuja.