Princeton University

Nassau Notes

Panel planned on migrant workers

Two Princeton faculty members will be among participants in a panel discussion, “Migrant Workers: Global Citizens in a Local Economy,” set for 4:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 19, in 16 Robertson Hall.

Panelists from Princeton will be Douglas Massey, professor of sociology and public affairs, and Marta Tienda, the Maurice During ’22 Professor in Demographic Studies and professor of sociology and public affairs.

They will be joined by Nelson Carrasquillo, executive director of the Comite de Apoyo a los Trabajadores Agricolas, an organization that works to improve living and working conditions of migrant farm workers; Rick Nahmias, a writer and award-winning photographer who has documented the hardships facing migrant workers; and Keith Talbot, director of legal services for the New Jersey Farm Worker Project.

The panel discussion is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, the Center for Migration and Development and the Policy Research Institute for the Region. The talk will be held in conjunction with an exhibition of Nahmias’ work titled “The Migrant Project: Contemporary Farm Workers” in the Bernstein Gallery of Robertson Hall.

Series to explore films of Fritz Lang

A series showcasing all of the surviving German films by Fritz Lang prior to his emigration to the United States in the mid-1930s is planned for this semester.

Thomas Levin, associate professor of German, has organized the series in conjunction with his graduate seminar “Fritz Lang—The Weimar Films.” The screenings, which are free and open to the public, will take place at 7 p.m. on Wednesdays between Sept. 21 and Dec. 14 in 10 East Pyne.

“Coinciding almost exactly with the rise and fall of the Weimar Republic, the films can be read as a powerful reflection of and on the ‘images of the time,’ to use Fritz Lang’s own subtitle for his disturbingly contemporary study of megalomaniacal power in his series of films about Dr. Mabuse,” Levin said.

The series will feature restored copies of well-known Weimar classics such as “Metropolis” and “M” as well as restorations of lesser-known early films by Lang such as “The Spiders” (1919-20), “Spies” (1928) and “Woman in the Moon” (1929). The mostly silent, black-and-white films will be shown in their original German-language versions with English intertitles or subtitles, some with original color tinting and others featuring their original orchestral soundtracks.

Certain important masterpieces by Lang such as the two-part “Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler” and the two-part “The Nibelungen” will be presented in their original and previously unavailable epic-length versions (nearly five hours each).

A complete schedule of the film series with full filmographic information will be available at the screenings as well as online at german.princeton.edu.

Handmade paper work

"Bankrobe," a handmade paper work, is on display in an exhibition titled "Womenswear" by Marie Sturken. The exhibition, which runs through Nov. 1, is located in the Program in the Study of Women and Gender Lounge, 113 Dickinson Hall. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.

Panel discussion, lecture planned in observance of Constitution Day

A panel discussion involving constitutional scholars from Princeton and a lecture on the Supreme Court will be held Tuesday, Sept. 20, and Thursday, Sept. 22, in recognition of Constitution Day.

A discussion on “An Old Constitution in a Changing World” is set for 4:30 p.m. Sept. 20 in 101 McCormick Hall. Panelists are Christopher Chyba, professor of astrophysics and international affairs; Robert George, the McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence and director of the James Madison Program in American Ideals and Institutions; Stephen Macedo, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Politics and director of the University Center for Human Values; and Kim Scheppele, the Laurance S. Rockefeller Professor of Public Affairs and the University Center for Human Values and director of the Program in Law and Public Affairs.

Provost Christopher Eisgruber will moderate the discussion, which is sponsored by the Office of the Dean of the College.

At 4:30 p.m. Sept. 22 in 104 Computer Science Building, University of Mississippi legal scholar Jack Wade Nowlin will deliver a lecture titled “Constitutional Constraints on Constitutional Interpretation: How the Supreme Court Violates the Constitution As Well As Vindicates It.” Nowlin will explore long-standing debates between proponents of judicial restraint and judicial activism over questions of constitutional interpretation.

His lecture, the first in this year’s series of Alpheus Mason Lectures in Constitutional Law and Political Thought, is sponsored by the Madison Program and the Pace Center.

According to a 2004 federal law, educational institutions that receive federal funds are required to hold programs about the U.S. Constitution on the anniversary of the document’s signing, Sept. 17, or in the preceding or following week.

Wiesel to spend evening on campus

An Evening With Elie Wiesel” is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, in McCosh 50.

Wiesel, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, novelist and professor of the humanities at Boston University, has been a human rights advocate for much of his life. His personal experience of the Holocaust informs his work as a teacher, writer and defender of oppressed people throughout the world.

Wiesel will discuss the challenges currently confronting mankind and the ways in which both individuals and the international community can affect the course of history.

The talk, designated as the Walter E. Edge Lecture, is part of the University’s Public Lecture Series and is co-sponsored by the Humanity Project.

Author offers inside view of NSC

David Rothkopf, a former Clinton administration official and an expert on international economics, security and intelligence, will discuss his new book, “Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council,” at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, in 16 Robertson Hall.

The lecture will offer an in-depth history of the National Security Council and a behind-the-scenes look at how America’s foreign policy decisions are made and the architects who shape them.

Rothkopf has served in both the public and private sectors leading numerous international geo-political intelligence analysis, economic and security initiatives. He is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

The lecture is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs.

Renowned poet to read from his work

Poet Galway Kinnell will read from his work at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, in McCosh 10. He will be introduced by Paul Muldoon, the Howard G.B. Clark ‘21 University Professor in the Humanities.

A 1948 Princeton graduate, Kinnell is the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award and a MacArthur Fellowship, among many other honors. His books of poetry include “When One Has Lived A Long Time Alone,” “Imperfect Thirst” and “A New Selected Poems.” He retired this spring from New York University, where he founded and directed the creative writing master’s program. The event is part of the Creative Writing Program’s Althea Ward Clark Reading Series.

Massey addresses decline of liberalism

Douglas Massey, Princeton professor of sociology and public affairs, will address the subject of his newest book in a lecture titled “Liberalism and Its Discontents” at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, in 16 Robertson Hall.

Massey is the author of “Return of the ‘L’ Word: A Liberal Vision for the New Century” (Princeton University Press, 2005), an assessment of why American liberalism declined in the last third of the 20th century and what can be done to resurrect it.

Massey traces liberalism’s opposition and argues that, after successes such as the New Deal, liberals became arrogant and heavy-handed in imposing policies on an unreceptive public, while conservatives capitalized with an ideology of free markets, limited government and conservative social values. The book outlines a new liberal political philosophy and presents an approach to liberal coalition-building in America.

The lecture is sponsored by the Woodrow Wilson School of Public International Affairs.

Avant-garde filmmaker to speak

Austrian avant-garde filmmaker Peter Kubelka will lecture about and present his films at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Sept. 20-21, in the Stewart Film Theater, 185 Nassau St.

His presentation on Tuesday is titled “Metric Films” and on Wednesday is titled “Metaphoric Films.”

The lectures are sponsored by the Program in Visual Arts with support from the David A. Gardner ’69 Magic Project and the Amie C. Knox ’77 Fund.

Year-long concert series showcases Mander organ

A year-long series of organ concerts highlighting the renowned Mander organ in the University Chapel will begin on Wednesday, Sept. 21.

Principal University Organist Eric Plutz will play the first concert of the season featuring “Carnival of the Animals” by Camille Saint-Saëns. Henry Horn, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology, will narrate the traditional verses by Ogden Nash. Plutz will perform a transcription for organ by Ekaterina Melnikova of the work, which was originally written for a chamber ensemble of 13 players.

The organ was constructed and installed in 1928 by the Skinner Organ Co. of Boston. In May 1990, it was completely dismantled for repair and renovation. By December 1991, the Mander Organ Co. of London had restored the majesty of the French Romantic conception of the original organ, and revived the clarity and precision of its Baroque alterations.

Performers for the Princeton concerts come from around the country and the world, sometimes traveling great distances to play on such an instrument. The concerts are held at 12:30 p.m. every Wednesday while classes are in session. They last 30 minutes and are free and open to the public.

A second organ concert series takes place each year at the Graduate College. The free concerts usually begin at noon on the first Thursday of each month in Procter Hall. Lunch is available following the concerts for $5. The first concert is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 6, with Kathy McNeil of Morristown, N.J.

A complete schedule for the year for both series is available from Plutz at eplutz@princeton.edu.