Chris Foss, associate professor of English, had an op-ed piece published in the Friday, Dec. 9 issue of The Free Lance-Star. In the article, Foss discusses the ways in which the rhetoric surrounding Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol perpetuates stereotypes of individuals with disabilities.
Presently on sabbatical in Italy, Federico Schneider is a visiting scholar at the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of Milan, where he is working on his second book project “The Inconspicuous Art of the Libretto.”
He has been featured on National Swiss Radio (RSI, Rete Uno): “Incontro con Federico Schneider. Dal Jazz a… Dante” http://reteuno.rsi.ch/home/networks/reteuno/oraDelTe/2011/01/25/Federico-Schneider-1.html.
He has presented a paper entitled “Musica e dramma nella Commedia,” at Ritrovarsi alla Badia di Ganna, Lecture Series 2011, Ganna (VA), and has been invited to deliver a lecture entitled “L’arte nascosta nel libretto d’opera” at the Università degli Studi of Turin. 
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The basic understanding of the Jewish culture is a mix of both Jewish law and Jewish traditions. The traditions keep the Jewish people united while the laws keep the Jewish people steeped in history. Today the line between these two important aspects has been blurred, and laws and traditions have become one and the same. It is important to understand the differences between the two and how these differences make the Jewish culture what it is today. Please join the Jewish Student Association and the James Farmer Multicultural Center in this two week celebration highlighting the laws and traditions of Jewish culture.
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To celebrate Jewish culture, join the Jewish Student Association for a night of traditional dancing. There will be a mix of traditional and modern dances. These dances are easy to learn and there is no skill level needed. Join us in this fun and meaningful cultural tradition that spans the generations.
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The Frisco Kid is a film about a Polish rabbi who wanders through the Old West on his way to lead a synagogue in San Francisco. On the way he is nearly burnt at the stake by Indians and almost killed by outlaws. Please join the Jewish Student Association for the showing of the film and a discussion directly following the movie.
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Think you know a lot about the J in JSA? Come out to trivia to see how much you really know about Jewish holidays, food, pop culture, religion and Israel. Play alone or with a group of friends.
Co-hosted by UPC.
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Jewish Student Association/Hillel are pleased to present Dr. Emile Lester from the Department of Political Science and International Affairs, who will be giving a lecture and discussion on the topic of Judaism and the United States Government. The topics that will be discussed during the presentation will range from Israel, social issues, economic issues, the influence of Judaism on the domestic and foreign policies of the United States, and the influence of Judaism historically and currently on the United States government.
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Celebrated poet and filmmaker Roya Hakakian is passionate about raising awareness of today’s human rights issues, many of which are overlooked. A founding member of the Iran Human Rights Documentation Center and a fellow at Yale’s Whitney Humanities Center, Hakakian has written Journey from the Land of No, an account of her life growing up as a Jewish teenager in post-revolutionary Iran.
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Shabbat Dinner:
The Sabbath is the day of rest for the Jewish community that begins at sundown on Friday and continues until three stars appear in the sky on Saturday night. During this time Jews abstain from labor of any kind and spend the day with families and friends. Traditionally, Jewish families commence the Sabbath with Shabbat dinner on Friday night. Come and enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner and learn more about this weekly tradition.
Join the UMW Galleries for “Jasper Francis Cropsey: The Hudson River School and a True American Landscape,” presented in conjunction with the traveling exhibition Van Gogh, Lichtenstein, Whistler: Masterpieces of World Art from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
The lecture will be held on Sunday, November 13 at 2 p.m. inside Combs Hall, Room 139. Admission is free. However, pre-registration is required to ensure proper seating.
Jeffrey Allison, Paul Mellon Collection Educator at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, will explore the Hudson River School, which represents the first native school of American Art. Dating from the 1820s, it was a loosely organized group of painters who took as their subject the unique naturalness of the American continent, starting with the Hudson River region in New York, but eventually extending in time and space all the way to California and the 1870s. Jasper Francis Cropsey, a first–generation member of the Hudson River School, died in anonymity but was rediscovered by galleries and collectors in the 1960s and remembered as the American painter of Autumn.
Please call the Galleries at (540) 654-1013 or e-mail Justine Geiger, Visitor Services Coordinator, at jgeiger@umw.edu to reserve your seats.
This program has been organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and, is funded, in part, by the Jean Stafford Camp Memorial Fund.
The essay, “Letter from Fredericksburg,” by Assistant Professor of English Colin Rafferty, is featured in the November/December issue of The Utne Reader. The essay originally appeared in The Bellingham Review.
