REGIONAL FACULTY CONFERENCE
Eastern Michigan University | October 16-18, 2009

Call for Participation

We are pleased to invite college faculty and administratiors to the regional “Reacting to the Past” Conference hosted by Eastern Michigan University (Ypsilant, MI). At the conference, faculty and administrators will learn about "Reacting to the Past" by participating in intensive two-day workshops on a particular game (see “featured games” below). 

In addition to game sessions, we will have discussions of a more general character on student motivation, teaching, liberal arts education, and the problems and possibilities of the “Reacting” pedagogy. Participants are encouraged to attend all game and plenary sessions. Please scroll down for further information on the conference rates, program, and travel.

Registration Rates & Policies

Please note the new registration rates! Increased support by Eastern Michigan University has allowed us to lower the registration fees by $100.00 for visiting faculty and administrators. This conference is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the Faculty Development Center at Eastern Michigan University. The registration fee covers tuition, materials, consultation, and most meals (breakfasts, lunches, refreshment breaks, and receptions, plus a group dinner on Friday evening).

Priority Registration (August 1 - September 30, 2009)

• Faculty & Administrators (waived for EMU faculty): $150.00 (reduced)
• Full-Time Students (limited availability): $100.00 (reduced)

• Faculty & Administrators (waived for EMU faculty): $175.00
• Full-Time Students (limited availability): $125.00

Program Highlights

Featured Games

Track A.  Charles Darwin, the Copley Medal, and the Rise of Naturalism, 1862-64 thrusts students into the intellectual ferment of Victorian England just after publication of The Origin of Species. Since its appearance in 1859, Darwin's long awaited treatise in “genetic biology” had received reviews both favorable and damning. Thomas Huxley and Samuel Wilberforce presented arguments for and against the theory in a dramatic and widely publicized face-off at the 1860 meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science in Oxford. Their encounter sparked a vigorous, complex debate that touched on a host of issues and set the stage for the Royal Society’s consideration of whether or not they ought to award Darwin the Copley Medal, their most prestigious prize. While the action takes place in meetings of the Royal Society, Great Britain’s most important scientific body, a parallel and influential public argument smoldered over the nature of science and its relationship to modern life in an industrial society. A significant component of the Darwin game is the tension between natural and teleological views of the world, manifested especially in reconsideration of the design argument, commonly known through William Paley’s Natural Theology or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity (1802), and updated by Wilberforce. But the scientific debate also percolated through a host of related issues:  the meaning and purposes of inductive and hypothetical-speculation in science; the professionalization of science; the implications of Darwinism for social reform, racial theories, and women’s rights; and the evolving concept of causation in sciences and its implications for public policy. Because of the revolutionary potential of Darwin’s ideas, the connections between science and nearly every other aspect of culture became increasingly evident. Scientific papers and laboratory demonstrations presented in Royal Society meetings during the game provide the backdrop for momentous conflict that continues to shape our perceptions of modern science.

Track B. Defining a Nation: India on the Eve of Independence, 1945 is set at Simla, in the foothills of the Himalayas, where the British viceroy has invited leaders of various religious and political constituencies to work out the future of Britain’s largest colony. Will the British transfer power to the Indian National Congress, which claims to speak for all Indians? Or will a separate Muslim state—Pakistan—be carved out of India to be ruled by Muslims, as the Muslim League proposes? And what will happen to the vulnerable minorities—such as the Sikhs and untouchables—or the hundreds of princely states? As British authority wanes, smoldering tensions among Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs increasingly flare into violent riots that threaten to ignite all India. Towering above it all is the frail but formidable figure of Gandhi, whom some revere as an apostle of non-violence and others regard as a conniving Hindu politician. Students struggle to reconcile religious identity with nation building—perhaps the most intractable and important issue of the modern world. Texts include the literature of Hindu revival (Chatterjee, Tagore and Tilak); the Koran and the literature of Islamic nationalism (Iqbal); and the writings of Ambedkar, Nehru, Jinnah, and Gandhi.

Schedule of Activities

All conference activities will be held in the Halle Library and Student Center on the main EMU campus in Ypsilanti, MI. Participants are encouraged to attend all game and plenary sessions.

Travel & Lodging

Eastern MIchigan University is located in historic Ypsilanti, about 10 miles east of Ann Arbor, 40 miles west of Detroit, and 18 miles west of the Detroit Metropolitan Airport. It is an area rich in academic, research, technological and recreational resources. For additional travel information, please visit http://www.emich.edu/admissions/main/directions.php.

Lodging Arrangements

Participants are responsible for reserving their own travel and accommodations. A limited number of rooms for conference guests will be available in an EMU residence hall, a short walk from the conference locations in the Student Center and Halle Library.  This on-campus housing is available for $34/night, linens provided.  Interested participants should contact Mark Higbee at mhigbee@emich.edu to make arrangements.  Payments for this residence hall housing will be made directly to the  EMU Housing Department.

Air Travel

Participants travelling by air should fly in to the Detroit Metropolitan Airport (DTW), which is a 25-minute drive away from Ypsilanti. Participants who will be flying in to the Detroit Metro Airport may contact Mark Higbee (mhigbee@emich.edu) to consult about ground travel arrangements.  Rides can likely be arranged, if planned well enough in advance, to and from the airport for conference participants.

Driving Directions

From Detroit Metro Airport, Detroit & the East: Take I-94 West to Exit 183 (Huron Street). Turn right off the exit. Stay in the left lane past Michigan Ave. This lane will turn onto Cross Street at the next light. Follow Cross Street past the water tower to Oakwood. Follow Oakwood past the 2nd stop sign - the EMU Student Center will be located on the right and there is a Student Center parking lot adjacent to Oakwood.

From Flint & the North: Take US-23 South to Exit 37A (Washtenaw Ave East). Continue east on Washtenaw for approximately two miles. Turn left onto Oakwood. If you pass the water tower you have gone too far. Follow Oakwood past the 2nd stop sign - the EMU Student Center will be located on the right and there is a Student Center parking lot adjacent to Oakwood.

From Jackson & the West: Take I-94 East to Exit 183 (Huron Street). Turn left off the exit. Stay in the left lane past Michigan Ave. This lane will turn onto Cross Street at the next light. Follow Cross Street past the water tower to Oakwood. Follow Oakwood past the 2nd stop sign - the EMU Student Center will be located on the right and there is a Student Center parking lot adjacent to Oakwood.

From Toledo & the South: Take US-23 North to Exit 37A (Washtenaw Ave East). Continue east on Washtenaw for approximately two miles. Turn left onto Oakwood. If you pass the water tower you have gone too far. Follow Oakwood past the 2nd stop sign - the EMU Student Center will be located on the right and there is a Student Center parking lot adjacent to Oakwood.

Contact Information

Questions about the local arrangements should be directed to:
Mark Higbee, Department of HIstory, Eastern Michigan University (Email: mhigbee@emich.edu)

Questions concerning conference registration, materials, and billing should be directed to:
Dana Johnson, Reacting to the Past/Provost Office, Barnard College (Email: djohnson@barnard.edu)