This is a recently released article from the Utah …

This is a recently released article from the Utah Valley State College newspaper. They interviewed me regarding an International Cinema I’ve been setting up for the Phi Theta Kappa chapter at UVSC. For more information check out our new blog at: http://uvscic.blogspot.com.

International Film Festival
By Eleanor Takahashi
December 2, 2006

How are Che Guevara’s adolescent motorcycle trip, a young German racing to prevent a crime, and a Parisian girl finding love for the first time interrelated? For starters, you’ll be able to see each of them on campus throughout the 2007 school year. That’s because UVSC’s international honors society, Phi Theta Kappa, will debut their Utah Valley International Cinema (UVIC) program to campus audiences this December. The organization’s hope is that this international film experience will assist in educating students about global issues, while providing quality entertainment. As UVIC’s student organizer, Torben Bernhard puts it, “The international film scene is thriving, (but) despite the increase in exposure, many people still have not seen the many great foreign films that have been released over (the past) 50 years.”

Students, staff and faculty that are interested in participating will be thrilled by the organization’s free admission, with many shows containing an added bonus. “The cinema intends to become a permanent fixture of UVSC in the next few years, and we’ve also invited faculty to participate by giving short lectures at the beginning of films,” stated Bernhard. Beginning in January, films will be exhibited the third Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m. at a UVSC venue. The selections include films from locations that are as diverse as the Middle East to South America and Africa. Bernhard’s hope is that the campus community will not only become involved in the events, but also in the discussions that the filmmakers raise. “The films will deal with issues from terrorism, love, redemption to strong cultural tradition. (I hope they) will spark up great conversation and help us start thinking more ‘internationally.’”

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During my stint as an anthropology major I was oft…

During my stint as an anthropology major I was often questioned by countless people as to what the heck anthropology is. Of course, there are plenty of occupations and disciplines that face similar opposition. However, you would think that a discipline that studies inherent qualities in societies and the nature of humans would at least be known by umm…. People. Yet, this is not the case. It’s almost as if anthropology is this elite club that the brilliant people who can maneuver through its complexities are invited. Through the last twenty years, anthropology has faced a great deal of obstacles due to its obscurity. The field has also become increasingly vexed in the last decade. Agreement is hard to find within the field. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Rather, I think the contrasting opinions have led to a period of unprecedented depth. Nonetheless, I believe that anthropology as a whole is on a dangerous path. To put it plainly, anthropology needs to revamp the way they interact with the public. Anthropology needs to be made more accessible to the public. I understand that some feel that this may be a step down for the discipline as a whole. I look at it as a natural strategic evolutionary move towards adapting to one’s environment to flourish. Anthropology is full of insight and rich text, and there is definitely a place for that in the academic world. However, it would be nice to see more than a small shelf at Barnes and Nobles bookstore. It would be nice to see more popular literature written by anthropologists. It’s time to take off the secret decoder club rings and reveal to the world the knowledge and truth than can be found in the perplexing world of anthropology.

Outcry of a college student The time has c…

Outcry of a college student

The time has come. I’ve avoided it for quite sometime, but I think it’s time that I confront one of my worst fears: choosing a major. Now, I’m positive that I’m not the only person that has had a phobia of settling down on a major. I’ve rotated my default answers quite a few times as a response to the penetrating questions I’m often asked. I’ve told people that I’m a psychology major, anthropology major, sociology major, international relations, communications, etc. However, I’ve yet to declare a major besides behavioral science (which, as a side note, I’m not perfectly convinced I really want to major in). I’ve been in school for a little over two years, taking various classes and waiting for a major to speak so clearly to my confused mind that I give up all other options and quickly align myself with my new found love. I once did an interview with an online magazine in which I claimed that the reason for my despondency was a part of a greater confusion that pervades a distinct culture. I argued that this culture consisted of artists who were once glorified and allowed to express themselves while gaining income but due to a shift in cultural values they were no longer venerated and thus were left confused and clueless as to their new niche in society. To put it plainly, the shift towards big business and the exaltation of capitalism lead to a sort of social displacement and reassignment for artists making it difficult for them to make a living from art. Now, I’m not saying that their isn’t some legitimacy to my prior claim, but I don’t think that’s why I’m having a hard time choosing a major. I’m not even sure I would necessarily call myself an artist. So…what is the problem? Why do so many college students have such a difficult time choosing a path, even an ambiguous one? Perhaps it’s because so many of us are fickle and are terrified by the idea of permanence. I’m often told to just settle on any major because your undergraduate degree holds little significance if you go on to a masters. However, this idea has never comforted me. I don’t want to choose something because of its practicality. What do you think? Perhaps I’ll quit college and join a traveling circus (Yet, I’m not sure I’d like the circus). =)