[Peace] Searching for Guests-in-Residence for Unit One/Allen Hall

[Laura Haber]

Please forward this announcement to people who might be interested or send your suggestions to lhaber at uiuc.edu:

Do you know of any fascinating artists, activists, scholars, performers, writers, educators, journalists, scientists, or uncategorizable people? Unit One is looking for applicants for the Guest-in-Residence program for the 2005-06 academic year. 

The residency is part of Unit One, an academic program based in a University residence hall at the University of Illinois-Urbana. Unit One was founded in the early 1970's as an alternative to standard educational models. Many of our courses and extracurricular programs emphasize ideas and activities which students would have little or no exposure to in their standard curriculum, and often challenge established ways of thinking, analyzing, and acting in the world. Guests who have been in residence in the past have played a major role in helping our students become critical thinkers and agents for social change. In talking about their lives as well as their work, guests can also function as short-term mentors and models who can help students to make enriching life choices. 

Our program is very open-ended. Many of our guests have valued their Unit One residency as an opportunity to work with young adults and to experiment with new ideas and new ways of interacting. 

In short, guests stay in Allen Hall (we have a very nice apartment suite), and interact with undergrads for a one or two week stay—they do programs in the evenings, eat dinner with students, hang out with them at night, etc. Over the years, the guests have been journalists, artists, musicians, writers, activists, economists, etc. In addition to housing and meals, we provide round-trip transportation within the U.S., and a $1500 honorarium for a one week stay. Occasionally we can come up with more money if necessary.

The program, however, is not for everyone. Successful guests need to enjoy spending time and talking with undergrads who will know little to nothing about the guest’s areas of interests; be personable, outgoing, and friendly; and have a wide enough range of interests and experiences (both personal and professional) to be able to come up with approximately 5-10 different topics to discuss during their stay. Guests are also often invited to participate in the classes that are held here in Unit One. 

The deadline for guests to submit applications is April 11. Anyone who might be interested in applying should give me a call to discuss their application, so I can make suggestions and answer questions.

Below is a more detailed description of the program and application procedures. This information is also on the Unit One home page, http://www.housing.uiuc.edu/living/unit1. 

Laura Haber
Program Coordinator of Unit One
University of Illinois
68 Allen Hall (MC 050)
1005 W. Gregory
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-2317
lhaber at admin.housing.uiuc.edu

THE GUEST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM AT UNIT ONE/ALLEN HALL

The In-Residence Program is a unique feature of Unit One. Each year this program features six to eight guests whose one or two-week residencies engage students in many different content areas and in a wide variety of formats.

A sample of past visitors includes: 

•David Dellinger, peace activist, Chicago 7 •Harry Edwards, sports sociologist, University of California •Michael Colgrass, composer •Barbara Trent, film maker, The Panama Deception •Ellen Willis, film & music critic for Rolling Stone •Steven Carothers, environmental biologist •The Otrabanda Theatre Co., theatre performers •Edwin Schlossberg, environmental design •Norman Soloman, journalist, media critic •Patch Adams, M.D., free health care advocate •Vernon Bellecort, Native American activist •Nancy Thies Marshall, Olympian, TV commentator •Roscoe Mitchell, jazz musician, composer •Robert Schrum, journalist, speech writer for Jimmy Carter •Sylvia Woods, union organizer, Union Maids film •Mark Rogovin, muralist, Director, Chicago Peace Museum •Jerry Mander, television critic •Lorna Goodison, Caribbean poet •Bernard Second, Mescalaro Apache spiritual leader •Fred Marx, film maker, Hoop Dreams •Jean Redpath, Scottish folksinger •Sheila Tobias, educator, women in math & technology •Erwin
 Knoll, Editor, The Progressive •Cindy Patton, activist, author, politics of AIDS •David Feldman, author, Why Do Clocks Run Clockwise? •Karl Hess, political commentator, speech writer •John B. Anderson, congressman & Presidential candidate •Michael LeRoy, dispute arbitrator •Laurie Dunphy, prize-winning film maker •Spiderwoman Theater, Native American theater group •Kathy Long, world champion kickboxer •Conrad Lynn, civil rights lawyer •Mark Weisbrot, economist, Center for Economic and Policy Research •Ray Moseley, medical ethicist •Bill Ehrhart, Vietnam veteran, poet •Magdalena Campos-Pons, Cuban Renaissance artist •Fred Ho, composer, Afro-Asian Music Ensemble •James Loewen, Lies My Teacher Told Me author •Ysaye Barnwell, Sweet Honey in the Rock •Tariq Ali, political commentator, playwright •Peter Irons, constitutional law expert •Aya deLeon, spoken word performer •Bill Ayers, school reform activist •Bernardine Dohrn, children and family justice law •Jane Holtz Kay, architecture
 critic for The Nation


To be In-Residence at Unit One is a demanding position. The purpose of In-Residence visits is to bring students in contact with people whose work, ideas, or lives are somewhat unusual. People, in other words, who have avoided fitting into one of society s ready-made molds. A residency such as we offer will appeal to you only if you enjoy initiating interaction with undergraduate students, and if you are capable of working with students who may know little, or nothing, about the subject matter you choose to present.

Guests conduct at least one event (1-3 hours) per day. Because getting students to commit to long-term projects can be difficult, most events are self-contained programs, with possible follow- up. These programs (workshops, exercises, discussions, films, field trips, etc.) take place weekday evenings and sometimes on weekends. If you need to be gone during a weekend, we will work around your schedule.

As visitors live in the residence hall, they can bring about additional meetings during meals and at odd hours with individual students or with small groups. Such meetings have proved to be an important part of the residency, and students frequently report that they learn most from guests in these informal interactions. Guests are also sometimes invited to take part in ongoing courses at Unit One or elsewhere in the University. These courses meet during the day or early evening. Radio interviews and lectures outside the hall are also possible. These activities are all optional parts of the residency.

Students are not required to attend any In-Residence activity, so attracting and holding students attention (and fitting their schedules) is not always easy. Although the coordinator of the program is there to help, guests usually end up doing a good deal of self-promoting (e.g., introducing themselves to students, encouraging students to attend workshops, inviting students to stop by and talk further about a subject, etc). Guests who have been most satisfied with their visits seem to be those who both engage students at their current level of awareness (social, political, emotional, artistic, etc.) and prod, provoke, challenge, and entice students to new understandings.

Transportation within the U.S., an honorarium of $1500 per week, plus room and board are available for this position. Visitors live in the guest suite at Allen Hall. Meals are provided in the dining room. In some cases, additional funding for a residency can be obtained from other University departments. If you require a larger honorarium, please include a note indicating which University departments you think might be interested in co-sponsoring your visit. Inform us as soon as possible if you are intrigued by the program but require additional compensation. We need time to solicit additional funds from the resources available. 

APPLICATION INFORMATION

If you are interested in being In-Residence at Unit One sometime during the upcoming academic year, you should apply by sending, no later than April 11, the following: 

1) A proposal of ideas and envisioned activities for such a visit. Your proposal should indicate the variety of themes or issues you would like to address while you are here and a variety of possible formats for sharing those ideas. You do not need to be an expert on a subject to include it in your proposal, as long as you are able and willing to guide students through a discussion or experiment related to that subject. 

2) Materials about yourself and your previous activities--a resume and/or documentation of your work.

3) A one-paragraph summary of your life/work of 80 words or less written in third person--a publicity blurb.

4) Any questions, comments or special requests that you have. 

Please send all of the above items and any other information you feel is relevant to:

Laura Haber, Program Coordinator
Unit One/Allen Hall
1005 W. Gregory Drive
Urbana, IL 61801
phone: (217) 244-2317 fax: (217) 265-0222
email: lhaber at uiuc.edu

Your proposal will be best understood by our students if you acknowledge the programs settings, restrictions and potentials in your description of your abilities and proposed activities. Please feel free to call Laura Haber before applying if you have questions. Past applicants have found it helpful to talk to someone from our program before solidifying their proposals.

Each spring semester a committee of Unit One students and staff decide who will be In-Residence for the upcoming academic year. This committee bases its decisions on an all-hall advisory vote, careful reading of applications, and a desire to have a wide variety of subject matter addressed during the year. Invitations will be made in late April. 

FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT UNIT ONE/ALLEN HALL

Unit One is a living and learning program housed in Allen Residence Hall on the Urbana- Champaign campus of the University of Illinois.

Unit One is best described as a resource that has many components. In addition to a Guest-In- Residence program we offer credit courses, academic support services, special facilities, non- credit music lessons, film/discussion series, field trips, and other educationally-oriented activities. The Unit One program’s goal is to provide undergraduates with an atmosphere that is intellectually and personally challenging.

At Unit One, we encourage students to participate actively in defining and constructing their education. Residents of Allen Hall can create, design, and direct almost all aspects of the Unit One program including credit course offerings and non-credit workshops.

Allen Hall is a University of Illinois residence hall that houses about 650 students. These students are about 40% freshmen, 40% sophomores, and 20% juniors/seniors. Their majors, grade points, ethnic backgrounds, etc., reflect the general University of Illinois profile. They tend to be a highly-motivated group, interested in activism, involved in active learning strategies, and involved in curricular and extracurricular pursuits. 

Allen Hall has its own distinctive personality. Residents characterize it as a friendly, community- oriented hall which is intellectually stimulating, forward-thinking, and highly accepting of diversity among students. Allen Hall programs, many of which deal with contemporary political and social issues, add dimensions of controversy, activism, and social awareness to students lives as an integral part of the educational goals of the program. 

Allen Hall is a newly-remodeled facility. It has several noteworthy features: 

•a large guest suite with a bedroom, private bathroom, living room, kitchenette •a small library with news-matter, reference materials, and recreational reading •six seminar-style classrooms and several larger lounge/performance areas •photography and ceramics studios •a computer lab with PCs, MACs, and laser printers •sound-proof music practice rooms, all with pianos •a newly remodeled, carpeted dining hall with small tables and booths, salad bar, and vegetarian entrees •on-site parking; immediate access to campus bus service •nearby tennis courts, swimming pool, and gym 

UNIT ONE COURSES & SEMINARS

Classes taught at Allen Hall are all accredited University courses taught by departmental instructors. On student transcripts these courses are indistinguishable from other University courses. What distinguishes the classes is the small class size, personal classroom settings (seminar rooms and lounges), availability of instructors, and greater in-class and out-of-class interaction with classmates than in most U of I classes. Music and art courses are designed for non-art majors, and all seminars are designed for freshmen and sophomores. Some of the undergraduate seminars offered at Unit One are not offered elsewhere in the University. Courses at Unit One vary from year to year, but the following courses tend to be repeated frequently:

Ceramics, Dance Performance, Photography I & II, Economics, Video Production I, Issues in Medicine, Drawing I, Calculus I & II, American History, Statistics, Masterpieces in Western Culture, Electronic Music, Masterpieces in Non-Western Culture, Psychology, Introduction to Fiction, Speech Communication, Political Science, Rhetoric, Drug Use and Abuse, Creative Writing, Human Sexuality, Aerobics, Women's Studies Seminar, Introduction to Ethics, Introduction to Philosophy, International Relations, Foundations of American Education, Classical Civilization, History of Western Civilization, Asian Mythology

The Unit One Extra Option is another unique Unit One academic program. Extra Option seminars are ungraded, one-credit classes that are meant to be supplements and complements to other Unit One courses. Although the titles change every semester, the following titles illustrate some recent offerings: 

•Vietnam at the Movies: Images of the Vietnam War in Film •The Hero Across Cultures from Then to Now •The Politics and Rhetoric of News Media •Extemporaneous Speaking: Communication in a Changing World •Writing for the Screen •Asian-American Literature and its Popular Context •Close Encounters of the Western World •Communities of Women in Literature and Film •Searching for a Contemporary Ethics: The Quest for Meaning •Science and Society •Born to Shop: The Consuming Culture •The Ethics of Dissent •The Roots of Popular Music •Art and Social Action

In-Residence guests frequently take part in Unit One classes and seminars. Participation in these classes is an optional part of the residency. 

Laura Haber
Program Coordinator of Unit One
University of Illinois
68 Allen Hall (MC 050)
1005 W. Gregory
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 244-2317
lhaber at admin.housing.uiuc.edu


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