Contemplative Education CenterStage: Training the Mindful Performer

In the late 20th century and early 21st century, contemplative education/studies courses, concentrations, and initiatives have emerged in the academy. Although there has been significant discussion of postsecondary courses and programs that have integrated contemplative views and practices in the literature, there have been few studies of contemplative curricula and pedagogy in higher education. Additionally, there have been even fewer inquiries of the influence of contemplative education on performing arts training within conservatories and college and university departments. The aim of this qualitative study was two-fold: (1) to describe, interpret, and appraise the impact of contemplative education on the curricula of an interdisciplinary conservatory level performing arts program, MFA Contemporary Performance, at Naropa University; and (2) to disclose, compare, and analyze MFA student perceptions of the influence of contemplative education on their professional and personal development. The following questions guided this study: (1) How do faculty and students characterize contemplative education within the MFA in Theater: Contemporary Performance Program? (2) How does contemplative education impact the intended and operational curricula of courses within the MFA Contemporary Performance Program? (3) How do graduate students perceive the effects of contemplative education, offered by the MFA Contemporary Performance Program, on the development of their communication abilities, presence-in-performance, sociolinguistic perspectives, and aesthetic perspectives? Based on the research methodology of educational criticism and connoisseurship, this investigation provides a vivid description and interpretation of the intended and operational curricula of three core courses within the MFA program. These curricula were examined through five dimensions: intentional, curricular, pedagogical, structural, and evaluative. In order to shape our understanding of the contemplative and performative nature of the curricula, the significant and subtle qualities of the courses were further captured by preparation, context-building, reflective, showing, and closing conventions. Since the courses were grounded in postmodern view, they were evaluated according to Doll's criteria of richness, recursion, relations, and rigor for the evaluation of postmodern curricula. MFA first- and second-year students primarily characterized contemplative education as body/mind training for performance and personal development, sitting meditation, and cultivation of mindfulness and awareness. Student perceptions of the impact of contemplative education on the development of their communication abilities, presence-in-performance, sociolinguistic perspectives, and aesthetic perspectives, throughout the course of their two-year training, are presented in a dimensional analysis. The research reveals eight different themes that intersect the three core curricula and interviews with MFA students and faculty. These thematics include inclusivity, nowness, silence, improvisation, goodness, heart, training, and space. The beginning letter of each theme combines to form the acronym, insights. The framework of insights connects and illuminates the most potent aspects of MFA Contemporary Performance values and training.

Francesc Renart i Arús (1783-1853) i els orígens del teatre català vuitcentista

Estudi sobre l'obra dramàtica de Francesc Renart, inventari i inicis del sainet costumista català del Vuit-cents.

Apuntes sobre la percepción subconsciente en el cine: el ejemplo de Alien, el octavo pasajero (1979) y su propuesta orgánica de atracción/repulsión

En una revisión profunda en la que se aportan datos hasta ahora inéditos, el presente artículo analiza nuevas claves de por qué la película Alien, el octavo pasajero (Ridley Scott, 1979), ha causado una atracción sobredimensionada del espectador en su estreno y reposición a lo largo de más de tres décadas. Se propone la tesis de que el film emplea un conjunto de símbolos audiovisuales ocultos o semi-ocultos que provocan sensaciones de placer/displacer (eros y tanatos) y son las causantes directas de sus nutridas afinidades. Se explicita además cómo en el diseño/ presentación de un universo alienígena aparentemente nuevo (respecto al cine de ciencia ficción precedente) el espectador asume una mímesis identificativa y orgánica que se introduce en las profundidades del inconsciente, despertando un interés sorprendente entre audiencias de diferentes generaciones y edades. Se analiza el fenómeno subliminal o subconsciente en el cine, desde el punto de vista de la percepción, a partir de los experimentos publicitarios de los años 50 en una sala de exhibición de los Estados Unidos. También se estudia por primera vez el curioso paralelismo del argumento de la película con el impacto mediático previo y simultáneo del primer bebé probeta nacido el 25 de julio de 1978, en pleno inicio del rodaje de este film en los estudios londinenses Shepperton.

Sagunto/Murbīṭar en el período islámico: su historia a través de los textos

El estudio se articula en torno a tres ejes: En uno primero se recogen y desgranan "Las informaciones de Sagunto/Murbīṭar procedentes de las fuentes árabes escritas", tanto las noticias sobre diversos eventos históricos, como las noticias de las fuentes geográficas y literarias árabes (en especial las relacionadas con la descripción de sus monumentos), acabando con algunos apuntes demográficos. En un segundo apartado se estudia "La mutación toponímica de Saguntum a Murbīṭar, como fuente de información histórica", mientras que en el tercero y último se habla de "Las conquistas cristianas de Sagunto/Murbīṭar/Morvedre".

Literatura dramática contemporánea (1950-2000)

El trabajo quiere ser una visión sintética que describa la evolución de la literatura dramática catalana de la segunda mitad del siglo XX y la primera década del actual, desde los primeros años de la dictadura franquista, en los cuales el teatro en catalán fue prohibido, pasando por el teatro independiente, y los diversos caminos emprendidos durante la etapa democrática o diferentes apuestas del teatro actual, un momento en el cual la escena catalana hace años que es un valor en alza. Se apuntan tanto los autores más consolidados y referentes de la moderna escritura, como los dramaturgos más maduros de las nuevas generaciones actuales. Unos y otros son autores ampliamente representados y traducidos a diversas lenguas.

Optimal model through identified frequencies of a masonry building structure with wooden floors

The paper presents the analysis of an important historical building: the Saint James Theater in the city of Corfù (Greece) actually used as the Municipality House. The building, located in the center of the city, is made of carves stones and is characterized by a stocky shape and by the presence of wooden floors. The study deals with the structural identification of such structure through the analysis of its ambient vibrations recorded by means of accelerometers with high accuracy. A full dynamic testing was developed using ambient vibrations to identify the main modal parameters and to make a non-destructive characterization of this building. The results of these dynamic tests are compared with the modal analysis of a complex finite element (FE) simulation of the structure. This analysis may present several problems and uncertainties for this stocky building. Due to the presence of wooden floors, the local modes can be highly excited and, as a consequence, the evaluation of the structural modal parameters presents some difficulties.

Dificultades en la traducción de al-Farāfīr de Yūsuf Idrīs

En este artículo hablamos en primer lugar de la obra teatral al-Farāfīr de Yūsuf Idrīs. Abordamos las dificultades de la traducción del árabe dialectal egipcio al castellano. Nos hemos acercado al término al-Farāfīr desde un punto de vista lingüístico y pragmático. Exponemos la dificultad de la traducción literaria entre dos lenguas pertenecientes a ámbitos socio-culturales muy diferentes.

III. Diary, 1799

This diary, which John Henry Tudor titled A Registry of College Adventures, documents his life as a student at Harvard College. The entries describe his daily activities and notable events, including trips to the theater, hunting outings to "shoot Robbins," adventures with other students in local taverns, visits with his family in Boston and at the family estate, Rockwood, and the illumination of Cambridge in honor of George Washington's birthday. Tudor created and recorded a humorous classology, describing his peers at Harvard in a sometimes scathing manner, and also recorded information about those obliged to leave the College, usually following pranks or other unacceptable behavior. He also recounts his own involvement in pranks and other antics, which he believed to be the only antidote to the dullness of college life, and in one entry he describes an evening when he and several friends "disguised [them]selves like Negroes" and wandered into scholars' rooms without detection. Tudor was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club and the Porcellian Club ("the Pig club") while at Harvard and describes club meetings in several entries. There are also more reflective and personal entries, describing Tudor's feelings about his aging grandmother, his brother William's departure for Holland, and his desire for a "wife who shall make [him] happy[,] an affectionate dog [and] a farm & garden."

A Book of Accounts beginning Feb. 26 1791, 1791-1799

The marbled-hardcover book contains three sections: a two column debit and credit entry section for students and tutors, a list of "the Bills of the Senior Class calculated" for 1793 and 1794, and at the end of the volume a personal accounting of expenses from February 1797 through January 1799 kept by Shapleigh during the time he was Harvard's Librarian, for services including mending, wood hauling, and "To Miss Morie for cleaning windows & washing sheets," as well as purchases such as books, coffee, and theater tickets.

III. Diary, 1799

This diary, which John Henry Tudor titled A Registry of College Adventures, documents his life as a student at Harvard College. The entries describe his daily activities and notable events, including trips to the theater, hunting outings to "shoot Robbins," adventures with other students in local taverns, visits with his family in Boston and at the family estate, Rockwood, and the illumination of Cambridge in honor of George Washington's birthday. Tudor created and recorded a humorous classology, describing his peers at Harvard in a sometimes scathing manner, and also recorded information about those obliged to leave the College, usually following pranks or other unacceptable behavior. He also recounts his own involvement in pranks and other antics, which he believed to be the only antidote to the dullness of college life, and in one entry he describes an evening when he and several friends "disguised [them]selves like Negroes" and wandered into scholars' rooms without detection. Tudor was a member of the Hasty Pudding Club and the Porcellian Club ("the Pig club") while at Harvard and describes club meetings in several entries. There are also more reflective and personal entries, describing Tudor's feelings about his aging grandmother, his brother William's departure for Holland, and his desire for a "wife who shall make [him] happy[,] an affectionate dog [and] a farm & garden."

Records of the Debating Club of Resident Graduates, 1792-1793

This journal contains minutes from meetings held from February 1792 through October 1793. These minutes include the names of participants and the questions and arguments which were debated, including: whether or not French slaves in the West Indies should be emancipated; whether or not reading novels was beneficial; whether sermons were more effective when memorized than when simply read; whether theater contributed to corrupt morals; whether drunkenness or gambling was more detrimental to society; and whether or not French assistance to the colonies in their Revolutionary War provided sufficient cause for the United States to join with France in its own wars. Most of the topics of debate centered on religion, government and education. Several entries also include notes on related topics of discussion, including the reasons for Native American tribes' hostilities against federal authorities, and there are several references to published works which were cited and consulted in the course of debate.

Diary of Elias Mann, 1796-1800

Elias Mann kept this diary during his undergraduate years at Harvard College. The diary begins August 17, 1796 and ends in August of 1800 and also includes several undated sheets filled with excerpts of poems. The daily entries describe many aspects of Mann's life, including not only his experiences at Harvard but also his involvement in the larger community. Entries related to life at Harvard describe club meetings (coffee club, Hasty Pudding Club and Phi Beta Kappa); trips to the theater; dinners at taverns; games and recreation, including a card game called "Loo," cribbage, backgammon, bowling, playing ball, fishing, skating and going for sleigh rides; gathering, and sometimes taking from others' gardens, food (most often plums, peaches, nuts and apples); what he ate (including one breakfast of three raw eggs and two glasses of wine); what he read (including Tristram Shandy and one of "Mrs. Ratcliffe's novels"); his friends, often mentioned by name; and academic work and formalities. In one entry he mentions the theft of several possessions from his room, and there are several entries about trips to Fresh Pond.

Letter from William Tudor to his father, William Tudor,

This lengthy letter, written to the elder William Tudor while he was in England, describes Tudor’s plans following his graduation from Harvard and provides updates on the activities of his siblings and the management of the household in Boston and family estate, Rockwood. He also writes about local culture, describing the plans of a Boston theater to put on a play called "Bunker Hill."

Account book of Andrew Croswell, 1794-1802

Andrew Croswell kept this account book while an undergraduate at Harvard College. It contains entries from 1794, the year he entered, until his graduation in 1798. There is also one entry on the back cover apparently made in 1802. The entries, divided by school term, are very detailed. Croswell indicates the cost of the following, among many other expenses and purchases: transportation, most often to Hingham and Plymouth; payment for "passing the bridge"; candles; hiring a horse; wood and having it cut; laundry; quills and pencils; paper and ink; razors, haircuts, hair ribbons; a trunk; clothing and cloth for trousers; furniture; tickets to the theater; door locks; a bowl and spoon; "batts and balls" and "other necessaries"; tobacco; toothbrushes; shoe and boot repair; fruit; wine, brandy and rum; cheese; coffee and tea; butter; lemons; sugar; and wafers. There are also entries for college-related costs, including the payment of quarter bills, buttery bills, Hasty Pudding Club dues, and a fee to the President of Harvard College related to Croswell's graduation. There are also entries pertaining to the cost of celebrating various special occasions, including Election Day, Christmas Eve, "Independent Day," and George Washington's birthday.

Maine, 1798 Raster Image

This layer is a digitized geo-referenced raster image of a 1798 map of Maine drawn by D.F. Sotzmann. These Sotzmann maps (10 maps of New England and Mid-Atlantic states) typically portray both natural and manmade features. They are highly detailed with symbols for churches, roads, court houses, distilleries, iron works, mills, academies, county lines, town lines, and more. Relief is usually indicated by hachures and country boundaries have also been drawn. Place names are shown in both German and English and each map usually includes an index to land grants. Prime meridians used for this series are Greenwich and Washington, D.C.