Intellectual & Cultural Program

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, 29 April 2008: "Trip to Africa" (I)

6:30pm, Café Gato Rojo, Dudley House

It is time to take a break. Byron Sherman from South Africa and Onoso Imoagene from Nigeria will lead us a refreshing trip back to their own motherland. Bring your questions to your fellow African students. Light African refreshments will be served. Contact Yanyan (liu3@fas) for more information.

Thursday, 1 May 2008: Ying and Yang

6:30pm, Fireside Room, Dudley House. Wenzhi Zhang, Harvard-Yenching Fellow

I Ching, Yin-Yang, Chinese martial arts, traditional Chinese medicine... Would you like to learn more about them? Professor Zhang, Harvard-Yenching Fellow, will bring you some hints. He is from the Center of Zhouyi and Ancient Chinese Philosophy of Shandong University, China. His interests relate to traditional Chinese medicine and martial arts. Zhang has authored two works related to the Zhouyi. His project at the Harvard institute will be on the excavated manuscripts related to the Zhouyi and the Yi studies of the pre-Qin period. Contact Yanyan (liu3@fas) for more information.

Friday, 2 May 2008: End of Year Reception

7:30pm, Café Gato Rojo, Dudley House

Well, it’s time to take a break. Come to one of the most peaceful, relaxing and cozy places in Dudley House, Café Gato Rojo, on Friday night to enjoy music, refreshments and most importantly the great company of your friends from the Language Tables, the Fireside Chats, the Crosstalks, the Senior Common Room Dinners, and the Documentary Nights. Contact Yanyan (liu3@fas), Katie (katie@physics), Hazel (hpearson@fas), or Anahita (atafvizi@fas) for more information.

Monday, 5 May 2008: "Trip to Europe" (II)

6:30pm, Fireside Room, Dudley House

This is our second stop in Europe. Have you been to Norway before? Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a country and constitutional monarchy in Northern Europe that occupies the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. It is bordered by Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Come and enjoy delicious European refreshments, cultural issues, the company and the research of your fellow Norwegian graduate students. They are Henning Finseraas, a political scientist, and Sverre Johnsen, a linguist. Please remember to bring your questions. Light Norwegian refreshments will be served. Contact Yanyan (liu3@fas) for more information.

Alexander Technique classes starting in April!

NOTE: Alexander Technique classes are full. To join the wait list, go to the House Office on the third floor of Dudley House.

The Alexander Technique is a gentle technique designed to foster ease of movement, alleviation of stress and improved posture. Many people who experience pain, muscle tension or repetitive strain injuries associated with sedentary activities such as reading, writing or computer use find the technique useful in reducing pain and encouraging healthy habits of posture. We will be holding a series of four classes in April, taught by experienced Alexander Technique teacher Marie Stroud. All Dudley members are welcome to attend, whether you are seeking help with a chronic injury, or simply want to learn a useful relaxation technique during a stressful time in the term!

We are offering Dudley House members a special rate of $40 for the series of four classes, which will be held on Weds April 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th, with one session at 6-7.30pm, and a second from 7.45-9.15pm. Places are limited; sign up by going to the House Office on the third floor of Dudley House. Payment for the full series of classes will be required in order to secure a place. For more information on the technique or the classes, contact Hazel (hpearson@fas).

More information about the Alexander Technique here.

Regularly Scheduled Events

Senior Common Room Dinners

Senior Common Room dinners provide distinguished members of the Harvard and Boston community with an opportunity to share their knowledge and expertise with graduate students and other House members.Typically, the dinners take place on the first Monday of each month at 6 pm, with a reception at 5:30 pm. There are a limited number of free tickets to these dinners. Watch out for SCR Dinner announcements and sign up for tickets in the Dudley House office on the 3rd floor of Lehman hall. Questions? Ideas for future speakers? Contact Anahita (atafvizi@fas) or Yanyan (liu3@fas).

Crosstalks

Please join us in our monthly Crosstalk. Come and learn something about everything! Hear fellow students talk about their fields! Fire your imagination and let your ideas flow! Snacks and soda will be provided. Questions? Want to volunteer to give a Crosstalk? Contact Katie (katie@physics).

Fireside Chats

Fireside Chats provide Harvard graduate students and other House members with an informal setting to share with distinguished speakers the fascination and knowledge of their field of expertise. We invite a speaker to give a talk ranging from 20 to 40 minutes on a topic of his choice, which is then followed by lively discussions and questions. Questions? Suggestions for speakers? Contact Anahita (atafvizi@fas) or Yanyan (liu3@fas).

Language Tables

Want to practice a foreign language or speak your native one? Come and join the Language Tables at Dudley House. Language Tables are for people who would like to practice their language skills with a group of students. We have languages ranging from Chinese to English to Turkish, and all levels are welcome. For more information, contact Hazel Pearson (hpearson@fas).

Language Exchange
If you are interested in speaking one-on-one wtih people in a particular language, sign up for the Language Exchange mailing list and post a request.

Language Table Information
Please note that meeting times and venues are subject to change. For the most up-to-date information about the tables, sign-up to our language table email lists to receive weekly reminders. For more information about the language table and language exchange programs, contact Hazel Pearson (hpearson@fas).

Language Table Leader Meeting Place Meeting Time Email List Sign Up Facebook Group
Arabic
Dominic Longo
dominiclongo at gmail dot com		 Winthrop House Dining Hall Monday 6-7pm Arabic -
Chinese
Luke Taylor
ltaylor at fas dot harvard dot edu		 Tealuxe Thursday 7-8pm Chinese Dudley Chinese Table
Czech/Polish/Serbian/Croatian
Brenda Vongova
bvongova at fas dot harvard dot edu		 Harvard Coop Cafe Monday 8-9pm Czech/Polish/Serbian/Croatian Harvard Czech/Polish/Serbian/Croatian Language Table
English - - - English
French
Lauren Curtis
lcurtis at fas dot harvard dot edu		 Finale Thursday 4-5pm French Dudley House Table Francaise
German Prashant Sharma
psharma at fas dot harvard dot edu		 Queens Head Pub Thursday 6:30-7:30pm German
Greek
John Tully
tully at fas dot harvard dot edu		 - - Greek
Hebrew Nir Shafir
nshafir at fas dot harvard dot edu		 Boylston Hall, Ticknor Lounge Tuesday 8-9pm Hebrew
Irish - - - Irish
Italian
Marta Sobur
msobur at fas dot harvard dot edu		 Dudley House Dining Hall Thursday noon-1pm Italian
Japanese
Evan "Shea" Ingram
sheaingram at gmail dot com		 Dudley House Cafeteria Wednesday 6-7pm Japanese
Korean - - - Korean
Persian - - - Persian
Portuguese
Rebekah Rogers
rebekah.rogers at gmail dot com		 John Harvard's Tuesday 6:30-7:30pm Portuguese Harvard Mesa Portuguesa
Russian
Katie Rose
kmrose at fas dot harvard dot edu		 Cafe Gato Rojo Wednesday 6-7 Russian Dudley Russian Table
Spanish
Susanne Pielawa
spielawa at gmail dot com		 Cafe Gato Rojo Thursday 7-8pm Spanish
Scandianvian (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish) - - - Scandianvian (Swedish, Norwegian, Danish)
South Asian (Bengali, Hindi, Urdu)
Anouska Bhattacharyya
abhattac at fas dot harvard dot edu		 Cafe Gato Rojo Wednesday 6-7pm South Asian (Bengali, Hindi, Urdu)
Turkish
Henry Shapiro
hshapiro at hds dot harvard dot edu		 Variable Thursday 8-9pm Turkish
Yiddish Yiddish

Language you want to speak isn't listed? Contact Hazel Pearson (hpearson@fas). If there is enough interest a new language table will be created.

Knitting Group

Join other knitters for a weekly knitting group in the Gato Rojo. Want to learn to knit? We have yarn and needles and can teach you. The group meets on Wednesday evenings, 7:30-10:00pm. Contact Katie (katie@physics) for more information.

Sign up for the Dudley Knitting email list.

Book Swapping

A shelf in the Café Gato Rojo in Dudley House is dedicated to book swapping. People can leave books there that they liked and want to share with their peers, as well as take books left by others. We expect people on average to leave as many books that they take, or else the program will die out. And remember : it is not a dump for bad books! Contact Katie (katie@physics) for more information.

Fellows

Katie Humphry

I'm a sixth year student in the physics department. I'm an intellectual and cultural fellow - I'll be organizing Cross Talks and Craft classes, amongst other things. When I'm not thinking about physics I enjoy reading, knitting, coxing a Dudley crew, watching movies, and cooking and eating food.

Yanyan Liu

Hi, my name is Yanyan, a G4 student from the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. This year, I'm an intellectual and cultural fellow at Dudley House. I'm looking forward to sharing my passions and interests with you all! If you have any questions or remarks, please feel free to contact me at liu3@fas.harvard.edu.

Hazel Pearson

I am an Assistant Intellectual/Cultural Fellow and will be running Dudley's language tables and language exchange program this year. The language tables are a fantastic way to practice a foreign language, whether you're a native speaker looking for the chance to speak your mother tongue, or a complete beginner; I'd be glad to hear from anyone interested in finding out more about the program, or to hear ideas for a new table if your language of choice isn't currently represented.

As a G2 in linguistics, language is also the preoccupation of my academic life at Harvard, although in this case the focus is more theoretical: within my department I'm more likely to be found puzzling over Greek letters than speaking German. Outside of work I love theater, film, travel, tea and chocolate.

Anahita Tafvizi

Hi, I am Anahita Tafvizi, G3 in the Physics department. This is my first year at the Dudley house and I will be working as an Intellectual and Cultural assistant fellow. Yanyan and I will be holding the Fireside chats and the Senior Common Room dinners this year. When I'm not working in the lab or at Dudley, I enjoy cooking, baking, going to the gym and playing the piano.