This document summarizes the themes and presentations from past faculty seminars on comparative cultures, including "Empire and Cultural Conquest I/II" and "Representations of Genocide." The most recent seminar theme was "Rethinking Forgiveness" and included discussions on the importance and possibility of forgiveness from philosophers like Derrida and Kristeva. Presentations explored forgiveness and reconciliation in contexts like Uncle Tom's Cabin and post-WWI Germany, as well as restorative justice approaches to healing after crimes.

1. Faculty Seminar on Comparative Cultures
“Forgiveness: Political Considerations”

2. • Faculty Seminar Monthly Meetings
• Faculty and Student Roundtable
• Faculty Seminar Publication (E-Book)

3. faculty seminar past themes

4. “Empire and Cultural Conquest I”
Editor: Dr. Sue Gronewold
“Research at the core”…….Dr. Toufic Hakim
“Introduction to Empire and Cultural Conquests” ………Dr. Dennis Klein
“The pride of a nation” ……..Jeremy Bahun
“The politics and culture of totalitarianism” ……Sandra Erb
“Germans and power” …..Mathew Iannucci
“The German Empire from Bismarck to Hitler” …..Walter McGee
“The uncensored occupation: American soldiers, German women, and Fraternization in
Germany, 1944-1945” ……..Dr. Ann Pfau
“The micropolitics of elite marriage in echo island” ….Dr. Jay Spaulding
“Fascism” …….Peter Williams

5. “Empire and Cultural Conquest II”
Editor: Dr. Julia Nevárez
“Weimar Germany” ….James Castillo
“A constant refrain in German history from 1871-
1924” …Joanna Sliwa
“The never ending war” …Jamie Bozsko
“Empire and cultural conquest: The African question”
…..Kenya Dubar
“History and politics of representation in Jessica
Hagerdon’s Dogeaters”
….. Dr. Mia Zamorra
“Culture and empire in the global city: Urban
development initiatives and the transformation
of Harlem”
……Dr. Julia Nevárez
“Rescuing women: Western women at the door of
Hope Mission:1900-1951”
……Dr. Sue Groenwold
“The known world:Imperial cosmology and the
conquest of Nubian cultures”
…….Dr. Jay Spaulding

6. “Representations of Genocide”
Editor: Dr. Julia Nevárez
“Introduction: Absence” ……Dr. Julia Nevárez
“The Heroic Age in Kordofan, 1750-1850”
……Dr. Jay Spaulding
“Hitler’s propagandist reign” ……Gina Musco
“Subtle propaganda: devastating consequences in the
Nazi era” …….Sara Berckedite
“Anti-Semitism: A modern canon” ……Dr. Dennis Klein
“Art and social displays in the branding of the city:
Token screens or opportunity for difference”
……..Dr. Julia Nevárez
“The perils of ‘usable past’: History and memory in
World War II China and Japan”
…..Dr. Sue Groenwold

7. “ rethinking forgiveness”
why is forgiveness important?
• Derrida : forgiveness as the madness of the impossible
• Kristeva : possibility to grow, allowing us to move on
• Understand the context from which conflict emerges

8. • Welcome…………Dr. Vinton Thompson - Provost
Dr. Angela Porte - Director / Office of Research and Sponsored Programs
• “Reparations, Forgiveness, Christian Discourse and US Slavery: The Case of Uncle Tom’s Cabin”..……Dr. Dean Casale
• “Weimar Germany: Reconciliation or Revenge?”…..José Morales
• “The culture of defeat: Finding evidence of revenge and reconciliation in Weimar Germany”…………..Catherine Stanczak
• “ What is Restorative Justice?“……….. Clarence Turner
• “Can there be healing after an unforgivable crime: A restorative justice conference between a murderer
and the family of the victim”…………….Dr. Edith Linn
• Concluding Remarks