Pulaski Technical College: two year community college in central Arkansas

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Pulaski Tech to celebrate Banned Books Week
9/20/2006

Pulaski Technical College will kick off Banned Books Week on Monday, Sept. 25, with a series of panel discussions and readings that celebrate the freedom to read banned or challenged books.

Banned Books Week is sponsored on campus by the Ottenheimer Library Committee and the Division of Fine Arts and Humanities. Its purpose is to raise awareness about material that has been banned or challenged in a variety of settings and to discuss issues relating to intellectual freedom.

Faculty and staff will read short excerpts from books including Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird to John Grisham's A Time To Kill.

All events are free and open to the public.

Monday, 9/25/06 7 p.m. Campus Center Building, Lecture Hall, 2^nd floor

From The Big Sleep to Brokeback Mountain: How Hollywood Censors Sex, Violence, Religion, and Politics too...

Panel Discussion, featuring:

Kris Katrosh, Organizer / Board Member - Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival
Karen Martin, Movie / Style Editor for Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Philip Martin, Movie Critic for Arkansas Democrat Gazette
Brian Hight, Chair, Dept. of Fine Arts, Moderator

Light refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, 9/26/06 10:50 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Campus Center Building, 1^st floor foyer

10:50 a.m. - 12:05 p.m. Panel Discussion

Student Publications, Performances, and Productions:

How is student work chosen for publication, performance, or public display? Are student works ever censored for subject matter? Where do taste and the student's skill fit into these decisions?

Panelists: Joey Cole & Publications Class, Allen Loibner, Brian Hight, and Kathy Strause

12:15 - 1:30 p.m. Faculty Readings from Banned or Challenged Books

Faculty will read brief excerpts from the following banned or challenged books. Then we will discuss why various titles might have been banned or challenged, as well as discuss if there is ever a time any books should be banned or challenged.

Michelle Palmer James and the Giant Peach Roald Dahl
Jennifer Burkett To Kill a Mockingbird Harper Lee
Carolyn Prickett A Wrinkle in Time Madeleine L'Engle
Antoinette Brim Push Sapphire
Peggy Peterson A Time to Kill John Grisham
Joey Cole Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret Judy Blume

Wednesday, 9/27/06 11 a.m. - 12:50 p.m. Campus Center Building, 1^st floor foyer

11 - 11:50 a.m. Panel Discussion

Evolution, Creationism, and Intelligent Design in the Classroom

What are the basic definitions of these three ideas? What are the various arguments for including any or all of these ideas in the classroom? In what classes should these ideas be covered?

Panelists: Lyndel Roe, Johnny Dollar, and other panelists TBA

12:00 - 12:50 p.m. Faculty Readings from Banned or Challenged Books

Faculty will read brief excerpts from the following banned or challenged books. Then we will open discussion up to faculty and audience members to discuss why various titles might have been banned or challenged, as well as to discuss if there is ever a time any books should be banned or challenged.

Marjorie Lacy Sons and Lovers D.H. Lawrence
Wade Derden Catch-22 Joseph Heller
Amy Baldwin Forever Judy Blume
Angie Macri Harriet the Spy Louise Fitzhugh
Allen Loibner Naked Lunch William S. Burroughs
Joey Cole Where the Sidewalk Ends Shel Silverstein

Wednesday, 9/27/06 7 p.m. Campus Center Building, Lecture Hall, 2^nd floor

Censorship and Intellectual Freedom: The Fragile First Amendment

Panel Discussion, featuring:

Max Brantley, Editor of the Arkansas Times
Antoinette Brim, Instructor of English & African American Studies, PTC
Johnny Dollar, Instructor of History, Political Science, and Religion, PTC
Augusta Farver, Dean of Business, PTC
Faye Hanson, Gifted and Talented Specialist at Rockefeller Elementary and the storyteller in residence for the Central Arkansas Library System
Dotty Oliver, Publisher of Little Rock Free Press
Joey Cole, Dean of Fine Arts & Humanities, Moderator

Light refreshments will be served.