Laurie Mulvey
THIS WEEK @ WinC
So, Spring Break has come to an end, and “Team Haiti” has returned from a very busy and important trip. From now until the end of the semester, the SOC 119 students will get involved with some of the entrepreneurs and other project leaders there through their group projects. If you want to know more [...]
THIS WEEK @ WinC
“Team Haiti” is in Port-Au-Prince right now. They are meeting with the Haitian entrepreneurs from HPCD (a business incubator) and creating videos of their work in order for the SOC 119 students to get to know them better. By the end of the semester, each SOC 119 group will create a way of supporting one [...]
THIS WEEK @ WinC
Well, we have finally arrived at the place where we have completely outgrown our office space. Last Friday, I had my first official hallway meeting, complete with laptop on my knees and all of my other office possessions in my backpack on the floor next to me. There was absolutely no other place to go [...]
THIS WEEK @ WinC
I’m feeling quiet tonight when I think about the week that has just passed. While an overwhelming amount of campus energy has been directed toward THON, I’ve noticed that our staff energy has gone toward things like seasonal illness, chemical burns and dealing with the loss of a dear companion dog. Too often we think [...]
THIS WEEK @ WinC
As I mentioned last week, we had our inaugural dialogue with university students in Iran this week. The connection was not the best, but we made contact — and not a moment too soon because the Iranian government has just about pulled the plug on the internet. Two Penn State students were present to translate [...]
THIS WEEK @ WinC
We are taking another step into the world of video-dialogues this week by having our first conversation with students at a university in Iran. The students are excited to speak with Penn State students about their lives, their ideas, and their perspectives on the world. We are equally excited to host this important cultural exchange [...]
THIS WEEK @ WinC
As I look toward another semester of creating conversations and all of the logistical and pedagogical elements this involves, I can’t help but think about the subtle impression I sometimes encounter that the act of “having conversation” is a softball alternative to the real work of making a difference in the world. As to why [...]
THIS WEEK @ WinC
Getting ready for contact. After lots of imagining and waiting and planning, we are transforming one of our offices into a video-conferencing center. Finally, we will be able to speak with people all over the world–without having to squint our eyes or rely on hand gestures to ensure that we are understanding one another. Don’t [...]
THIS WEEK @ WinC
I am finally back from our whirlwind trip to Qatar–which means my entire body is now living in Eastern Standard Time again, all of it. I think each of us was energized by our time at the UN conference, though in different ways. For some of us, the experience provided a vision of how far-reaching [...]
Not The Real Story
If you watch the beginning of the clip below, you might be led to believe something that was not exactly true. You might be led to believe that when the woman who is featured shared her feelings of shame and became tearful, that the rest of us were shifting in our seats, wishing this awkwardness [...]
This Week @ WinC
As facilitators of dialogue, we are always “listening.” It is one of the basic tools we use to create forums for others to communicate with one another in ways that make a difference to how they see things. And facilitators are always doing their best to lead these dialogues by following what they hear. This [...]
Why So Easily Forgotten?
Judaism: “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor. This is the whole Torah; all the rest is commentary.” Unitarianism: “We affirm and promote respect for the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part.” Islam: “Not one of you truly believes until you wish for others what you [...]
This Week @ WinC
Although there is much to learn and to feel and to re-imagine after a week of tragic news and related events, it seems important to share several hopeful and noteworthy things that I witnessed in the midst of the outrage and chaos: In my International Dialogues class, where we have been video-dialoging all semester with [...]