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From D.C. to Paris Students at Sacré Coeur. Photo by Keith Leonard This June, I was one of seven students enrolled in Professor Keith Leonard’s From Harlem to Paris course, offered through the Department of Literature. After four weeks on campus studying African-American writers, artists, and performers who spent varying lengths of time in Paris, we took a trip across the Atlantic to get a taste for the lifestyle they lived. It was one of the most enriching courses I have ever taken. What follows is a brief day-by-day breakdown of our journey. Day 1We arrived in Paris, and most of us wanted to take a nap. Instead, we resisted jetlag and introduced ourselves to our new home for the week. We first had lunch down the block from our hotel, and our waiter, when he realized that we were Americans, said, “Obama! Obama!” We were in a mostly residential area in the northeast section of Paris that surrounds the Parc des Buttes-Chaumont. We took in the playful cheers of schoolchildren from the school across the street, explored the local park, and became enemies with the ATM as we came face-to-face with the weakening dollar. We ended our first day by eating dinner at a bistro a few blocks way. Day 2: MontparnasseProfessor Leonard took us to the Left Bank of Paris to visit Montparnasse, an area where many African American writers, musicians and artists resided. We walked past the former homes of painters Hale Woodruff, Palmer Hayden, Ed Clark, and Henry Tanner. (Continued on page 4) |
Facing Challenge, Seeing OpportunityWhen Sylvia Earle gave her keynote address to a room full of College of Arts and Sciences graduates, guests, and university officials at American University’s 122nd Annual Commencement Ceremony, it was as much a call to action as a congratulatory statement.
Earle, a celebrated oceanographer and National Geographic explorer-in-residence, spoke about the worldwide challenges to global sustainability and invited AU graduates to use their education to tackle these issues. “You, the luckiest of the luckiest generation—you, armed with knowledge that can make all the difference in the world—you have a chance to put humankind on a path to an enduring future as never before.” Dean Kay Mussell and CAS graduate Kathryn Young also delivered remarks. “If I have learned anything during my years at American [University], it’s that every challenge provides an opportunity,” Young reflected. She later added, “The skills and knowledge you have gained here, coupled with strong AU values, will carry you through to amazing new opportunities you haven’t even imagined yet.” The ceremonies were held Sunday, May 11, 2008. The college conferred 813 undergraduate and graduate degrees for the 2007–08 school year. Visit AU Commencement 2008 to hear the College of Arts and Sciences 2008 commencement speakers’ full speeches. |
“Follow
your dreams. Follow your heart. That's good. That's very good,” she
advised, “but at this particular point in history, […] just indulging
your passion to be whatever it is that you uniquely can be is not quite good
enough.”