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Cougars look to continue winning ways against Texas State LECTURE
Southern food evolution to be discussed in lecture The way Southern food has changed through the decades will be discussed in the next “Food For Thought” speaker series from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday in room 109 of Cemo Hall. Rebecca Sharpless, an associate professor of history from Texas Christian University, will explain the evolution in her lecture, “Southern Fusion: African American Women and an Evolving Regional Cuisine,” which is sponsored by El Paso Corporation Lecture Series and the UH Center for Public History. “Southern cooking has long been an evolving fusion of Native, African, and European foodways. After the Civil War, expanding markets provided even greater choices of foodstuffs to southerners,” said a UH press release. “New types of food changed the ways that African American cooks prepared meals for their employers and their families. Some cooks resisted change and others embraced it, but it affected almost all of them and the families that they fed at home and at work.” The talk is free and open to the public. Parking is available in the Welcome Center Parking Garage located on Calhoun Drive near Entrance 1. — Cougar News Services
April 4, 2012
Humans vs. Zombies infects campus
Issue 99, Volume 77
ACADEMICS
Genocide course returns to UH Class covers mass killings of 20th century; professor encourages students to ‘speak out’ against war crimes Joshua Mann
THE DAILY COUGAR The University of Houston will offer a course on genocide in the 20th century this fall for the second time since its professor returned to the University after leaving in the mid ’90s. “A Crime Without a Name: 20th Century Genocide,” which is taught by Irene Guenther, starts by examining Africa under colonialism and moves on through other genocides in Europe, Africa and Asia in the 1900s. “I started by focusing on the Holocaust — It’s sort of become the paradigm for horror in
the 20th century,” Guenther said. “It became really clear to me that instead of just focusing on the Holocaust, we should really focus on the whole century.” The course places emphasis on the experiences of individuals during the genocides. “I try to engage them with personal accounts as well as academic accounts,” Guenther said, “because if it’s just academic accounts, I think it becomes really easy to distance yourself.” The course is partly in lecture format, but much of the time in class is spent on class discussion with a portion of the grade coming
from participation in these discussions. “What I hope is that people become politically smart enough and concerned enough and active enough that perhaps they’ll speak out when crimes of genocide take place,” Guenther said. “I’m really interested in understanding what makes some people stand up and speak out and what makes so many people turn away.” Guenther said she has already seen former students become more involved in human rights. GENOCIDE continues on page 3
Spreading the ‘love’
T
he UH Students for Ron Paul had an informational booth on the candidate Tuesday at the Philip Guthrie Hoffman Breezeway. The organization has posted posters supporting Paul’s bid for the Republican nomination across campus. | Jack Chaiyakhom/The Daily Cougar
HONORS COLLEGE
Economic crisis subject of Honors lecture series The UH Honors College will host the next entry in their lecture series on the economic crisis from 4 to 5:30 p.m. in the M.D. Anderson Memorial Library’s Honors College Commons. John Allison, retired CEO of Branch Banking & Trust, will give a talk focused on the causes of the financial crisis. He will look especially at government policies and errors by financial institutions along with potential short and long-term solutions, according to the Honors College website. Students can RSVP online at www.uh.edu/honors/features/ events/economic-crisis/#rsvp. — Cougar News Services
CORRECTIONS Reporter errors to editor@thedailycougar.com. Corrections will appear here as needed.
LANGUAGES
UH receives grant for language program Courtney Johns
THE DAILY COUGAR The University of Houston Chinese Studies Program has received a $99,980 grant to launch the STARTALK program over the summer, which is designed to teach Chinese as a second language. The program is available to public and private elementary
and secondary school teachers, community college professors and instructors at various Chinese heritage schools in Texas. “Chinese as a second language refers to people who have a Chinese background, but the heritage is still missing,” said Xiao-Hong Sharon Wen, head instructor of the program. “These people might be born here or in China, but they have the desire to carry on their heritage interests and
values.” The Chinese language is popular around the world, especially in today’s job market, Xiao-Hong said. There is a $200 registration fee due at the beginning of the program that will be returned after completion. Students can also apply the three graduate course credits earned in the course to future teaching certificate programs specializing in Chinese. STARTALK began in 2006
when President George W. Bush implemented the National Security Language Initiative to induce the learning of prominent, less taught languages in classrooms nationwide. The program will take place from July 9 to July 20 with follow-up classes on Oct. 13 and Nov. 3 in the Language and Acquisition center in Agnes Arnold Hall. news@thedailycougar.com