Workshops 2013

Below is the final schedule for the 2013 symposium. None of the workshops require advance registration, except for the Intercultural Competency Training. If you have questions about a workshop or panel, please contact , the chair of the content committee, for more information.

Schedule of Workshops

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

4-5 P.M. SYMPOSIUM OPENING AND STUDENT RECEPTION (FOOD PROVIDED)

Location: Reid Ballroom A

4:30-5:15 P.M. RACE 101 WORKSHOP

Led by: Haverty Brown, George Felton, Sayda Morales, Vicky Su, Corinne Vandagriff, Yana Vasquez-Crede
Location: Reid Ballroom B

What is the significance of race in the United States today? This workshop will address the basics, looking into our culture and society, and pointing out the ways that each of us interacts with race. If you’ve never talked about race before, this is a great place to start. Even if you consider yourself an expert on race, come join the conversation—we promise you’ll learn something new.

5:15-6:00 P.M.  RACE IN THE WORKPLACE

Led by: Noah Leavitt, Student Engagement Center
Location: Reid Ballroom B

This workshop will address three key questions:

1. What does race look like in “the workplace”?
2. Where is “the workplace” going, in terms of race?
3. Given answers to 1 and 2, what can students do, access or try while at Whitman to be informed, engaged and successful?

6:00-7:00 P.M. BECOMING A MINORITY PANEL: RACE AND THE INTERNATIONAL STUDENT EXPERIENCE

Panelists: Tim Reed, Brian Acosta, Laetitiah Margara, Esther Weathers, Nilce Alvarez, Allan Okello, Vicky Su

Location: Reid Ballroom A

Student and faculty panelists will share personal experiences with and opinions about the transition from their home countries to the United States. They will answer questions about contrasting societal perceptions of race, shifts in racial/ethnic identities, and self-expression. Those who attend will have the opportunity for question and answer, along with an open discussion at the end.

Location: Reid Ballroom

7 P.M. KEYNOTE ADDRESS: NOBEL PRIZE WINNER RIGOBERTA MENCHÚ

Location: Cordiner Hall

For more information about Rigoberta Menchú, please see our keynote address page.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

11-11:50 A.M. CRIMINOLOGY AND RACE

Led by: George Bridges, President of Whitman College

Location: Reid GO2

4:00-4:55 P.M. INTERRACIAL DATING AND BEAUTY

Led by: Helen Kim, Department of Sociology
Location: Maxey W42

“So, he likes you because he has an Asian fetish.”  This workshop will discuss the history, social science, myths and realities of interracial dating.

5:00-5:55 P.M. WHY YOU’RE NOT MY BROTHER—A WORKSHOP ON INTERSECTIONALITY

Led by: Melissa Wilcox, Department of Religion and Gender Studies and Corinne Vandagriff

Location: Maxey W42

Race, class, gender, and sexuality all provide institutional and individual power and privilege in our society. It is also impossible to isolate one factor without the inherent presence of the others. In this workshop we will explore the importance of intersectionality in the context of racial power and privilege.

5:00-5:55 DEVELOPMENT OF RACIAL IDENTITIES

Led by: Erin Pahlke, Department of Psychology

Location: Maxey 202

How do people’s experiences influence their understanding of topics like power, privilege, and racism? During this workshop, we will use a psychological lens to explore how people come to understand what being a member of a racial/ethnic group means for their own identity. We will discuss key theories, recent empirical data, and current identity models in an effort to understand our own development and the development of people from other backgrounds.

6-6:55 P.M. INTERRACIAL DATING PANEL

Panelists: Sayda Morales, Mcebo Maziya, George Felton, Nicholas Chow, Alisha Agard, Alejandro Fuentes, Brian Acosta
Location: Maxey W42

Student panelists will address topics on attraction, perceptions of beauty, exoticism, pressure to date within the same race, and race fetishes. Those who attend will have the opportunity for question and answer, along with an open discussion at the end.

7 P.M. RACE AT WHITMAN PANEL

Panelists: Ben Harris, Shireen Nori, Hari Raghavan, Brian Acosta, Allison Kelly, Gladys Gitau
Location: Maxey W42

Student and faculty panelists will explore racial dynamics and identities at Whitman. They will address questions about discrimination at Whitman, political correctness, discomfort with race conversations, and opportunities for positive changes in day-to-day approaches to race and ethnicity. Those who attend will have the opportunity for question and answer, along with an open discussion at the end.

8:30-9:30 P.M. I AM FROM…

Led by: Sayda Morales
Location: Reid Basement
Performance by members of the Almighty Ink Slam Poetry Team, followed by an opportunity to write your own poetry.

Friday, March 29, 2013

1-4 P.M. INTERCULTURAL COMPETENCY TRAINING

Location: Glover Alston Center

Led by: Kyle Martz, Intercultural Center, and Timon Traub, Native Speaker
This program provides students with the opportunity to examine the nature, dynamics and effects of discrimination, prejudice, social power and social inequalities through a series of facilitated group discussions along with individual self-reflection exercises and group exercises. The program also equips students with information and techniques to resist discrimination in themselves and assist others in doing so. Students who participate in the program will learn to identify discriminatory attitudes, structures, practices and actions, and gain a skill set to act against discrimination both personally and interpersonally. As a result, students will gain competency in relating to and interacting with others in a fair, culturally sensitive, nondiscriminatory manner, and contribute to creating and maintaining an inclusive campus environment that respects and supports diversity.

This workshop requires advance registration. Please fill out this form if you would like to attend.