The American Studies Program at New Trier is pleased to announce the second annual American Studies Day, a program designed for American Studies students.
We are excited to invite you to join us for the evening component of the program, which will take place on Wednesday, May 19 at 6:00 p.m. in the Cornog Auditorium. Our speaker that evening is James Fallows, Atlantic Monthly editor and NPR correspondent, who will address the group on the topic “Media and Democracy.” We hope that this will not only prove a provocative intellectual experience for you, but that you will also be able to enjoy firsthand the kind of learning that students meet in American Studies.
The program for students continues the next school day, Thursday May 20, on the Northfield Campus. This all-day, on-campus excursion provides the opportunity for students to engage in student-run panel discussions on topics related to the day’s theme which highlight student projects and research. Additionally, students will hear other professional speakers and artists. Maria Finitzo, Peabody-award winning documentary filmmaker, will open the day with a presentation following up on Fallows’ evening talk. The day will end with a session featuring two slam poets, Idris Goodwin and Kevin Coval. Goodwin is a hip hop playwright and spoken word poet whose most recent CD is entitled Break Beat Poems. Coval, the author of Slingshots: A Hip Hop Poetica and Everyday People, is known as a dazzling performer. He is also a teacher at Young Chicago Authors and the Art Institute of Chicago.
We hope that the day will be even richer if students are able to engage in conversation with others about their learning. There is no better way to do this than to include parents and members of the public in the program, so we sincerely hope that you will consider joining us on Wednesday evening.
