March 12, 6 pm Green Hills, Silver Waters and Maple Syrup
- The Vermont Experience -
Presentation in English by Balázs Venkovits (University of Debrecen)
Balázs Venkovits is part-time instructor at the North American Department of the Institute of English and American Studies, University of Debrecen. His academic interests include 19th-century Hungarian travel literature on Latin America and the United States, US-Hungarian relations since 1989.
March 17, 6.30 pm From Slavery to Obama - Milestones in Black History
A presentation in English by judge London Steverson, on African-American history.
"From segregation to the Inaugaration of Obama was only 45 years.
From President Lincoln to President Obama was 145 years.
From Dred Scott Decision to Obama was 152 years.
From Brown vs. Board of Education to Obama was 54 years…"
Judge London Steverson is going to talk about the plight of African-Americans for equality and acceptance. History could be cruel at times: segregation, Jim Crow and violent attacks are only a few of the threats Blacks had to face. Many were crushed in the fight and their martyrdom will also be commemorated.
Judge Steverson is going to share his experiences and impressions as a Black American growing up in Jim Crow segregated America during the Civil Rights Era. The speaker will also tie in some historical events from the beginning of the Slavery Era and touch upon some landmark legal decisions of Black History.
March 25 Irving Roth Holocaust Survivor Speaks in Debrecen
11 am Growing Up During the Holocaust - Personal Perspective A presentation in English in the American Corner
2 pm State-Sponsored Terrorism, Fundamentalism and Nazism - How Are They Related? A presentation with Hungarian translation at the University of Debrecen (Main Building, Room XII)
Irving Roth was born in Kosice, Czechoslovakia on September 2, 1929 and landed in New York Harbor in 1947 via Auschwitz and Buchenwald. The memories of the Nazi death camps never faded and he devotes his time and efforts to educating young and old on the horrors of the Holocaust and the evils of prejudice and anti-Semitism.
Mr. Roth is the Director of the Holocaust Resource Center – Temple Judea of Manhasset and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Maine. He is a recognized speaker on anti-Semitism and the Holocaust and is a frequent lecturer at colleges and universities in the United States, Canada and Europe. As a Holocaust survivor, he provides personal testimony on his experiences during WWII.
April 2, 6 pm An Interdisciplinary Panel on the U.S. and 9/11
Since the election of President Obama, many believe that American policy relating to the threat of international terrorism will be re-examined, if not reformed. Given the rhetoric of the campaign and election, many anticipate that Americans will be asked to reaffirm traditional core values as they confront the challenges of the present. This panel would present a variety of responses in American society to the trauma of 9/11 stressing an interdisciplinary approach that examines American literary, political and diplomatic, and cultural reactions.
Participants: Dr. Carol MacCurdy (Am. Literature – Pecs): Cormac McCarthy, The Road and the Post-Apocalyptic Vision Dr. Margaret Manchester (Am History-Debrecen): Balancing Security and Civil Liberties in the Age of Terror Dr. Paul Swann (Am. Studies – Eger): Changing Images and Commoditization of the Twin Towers in American Culture
April 14, 5:45pm To Be Forgiven, Or Not To Be Forgiven...
- Movie Screening and Discussion with Dr. Margaret Manchester
As a Wild West Month event, the AC shows a western movie starring Cllint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman and Richard Harris. After watching the movie that won 4 Oscars, we"ll have a discussion with Western-expert Fulbright professor, Margaret Manchester.
In English, with English subtitles.
Free entrance.
April 16, 6 pm The History and Future of AIDS in the U.S. Presentation in English by Dr. Douglas A. Feldman
HIV/AIDS has had a tremendous impact on American society over the past 28 years. The epidemic has tested our humanity, and taught us much about the nature of social stigma. This presentation will trace the history of HIV/AIDS in the United States from the first report in the medical literature in 1981 to the present, and briefly look at what may be the future of the epidemic in the coming years. It will include a discussion of the growth of AIDS service organizations, the discovery of the cause of AIDS, the impact of Rock Hudson's AIDS death, the role of condom in HIV prevention, the influence of ACT-UP, the importance of federally-funded programs, the effect of needle exchange programs, the role of Magic Johnson's HIV infection in promoting HIV testing, the invention of protease inhibitors, the rise of barebacking among some gay men, and the emphasis of faith-based organizations and abstinence-only programs during the Bush Administration. It will also include a discussion of what key policy issues the Obama Administration faces both in the U.S. and Africa. The future of microbicides and possible HIV vaccines will be examined, as well.
Douglas A. Feldman, Ph.D. is a medical anthropologist, a Visiting Professor with the Institute of English and American Studies at the University of Debrecen, and a Professor of Anthropology at The College at Brockport, State University of New York in the U.S. His most recent book is AIDS, Culture, and Africa (Gainesville, Florida, USA: University Press of Florida, 2008).
The American Corner recommends:
April 20, 6 pm The Verins: Family Violence and Liberty of Conscience in
Early Rhode Island History
- a presentation by Prof. Margaret Manchester (Providence College, Rhode Island - Fulbright Professor) at the University of Debrecen, Studio 111. (Main Building - IEAS)
April 22, 6 pmThe Railroad and the Taming of the (Wild) West - presentation by Dr. Zoltán Simon, University of Debrecen
Technology has long been viewed by Americans as a means of “civilizing the wilderness,” and nowhere is this more apparent than in the West. Among less obvious tools of transforming the American West, such as the windmill, barbed wire, or irrigation canals, it was probably the railroad that had the biggest impact over the shortest time. This 45-minute presentation – combined with the viewing of a short documentary on the first transcontinental railroad line, dubbed "one of the greatest American technological feats of the 19th century" – will discuss some of the historical background, the fascinating story of the construction, as well as the wide-ranging consequences of the advent of the railroad in the West.
April 23, 6 pm (American) English(es) Some Linguistic Thoughts on What It Means To Be a Speaker of American English
- Presentation by Dr. György Rákosi, University of Debrecen
American English is a widely used term, but it turns out on closer inspection that it need not be immediately obvious how we can draw the boundaries of this variety of English. In this presentation, I would like to revisit this issue from the perspective of a linguist, and discuss the following questions in particular: What is the relation between American English and British English? Can they be considered to be two different languages, or not?
What do we actually mean by the term American English? Does this term refer to a discrete language variety or is it just an abstraction over various forms of speech?
After all, what are some of the typical features of American English, and how can we classify them? What sort of dialectal variation do we recognize within American English?
György Rákosi is a lecturer in linguistics at the Institute of English and American Studies at the University of Debrecen. As a linguist, he is mainly interested in how natural languages encode grammatically relevant meaning features in their sentence structure. He is also involved in the development of a computational grammar of the Hungarian language.
April 27, 6 pm Indians, Pioneers and the Olympics - Wild Utah!
- presentation by Christina J. Hernandez, U.S. Embassy
Her grandfather was a Sheriff, chasing Butch Cassidy, and her great-great-grandparents crossed the plains with the pioneers in 1847…
A native of Utah and a descendent of the pioneers, Christina will take us on a short journey in Utah history, highlighting native Americans, pioneer settlers, law men and the 2002 winter Olympics. She will share Utah's natural beauty and famous muffins with honey.
April 28, 3.30 pm-5 pm American Citizen Service Day
A representative of the Consular Section of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest will visit the American Corner to provide certain services for American citizens and to answer questions related to Consular matters. In case you would like any of the following services, please pay us a visit. April 28, 6.30 pmAmerican Roots Music
- A Concert and Discussion by Robert R. Mearkle, U.S. Embassy
We’ll travel East Coast to West, exploring some of the traditional themes of American Roots Music. More concert than lecture, Consul and (very modest) amateur musician Robert Mearkle will play songs from contemporary folk, country and blues artists which draw of the musical heritage of the days of coal mines, red clay and railroads. Come and follow the tour on the map, read along with the lyrics and learn about the truly American musical tradition that eventually gave birth to rock and roll.
May 5, 6.30 pm The Greening of the American Economy
- a presentation by Jeffrey Jordan, Economic Officer at the U.S. Embassy
Jeffrey Jordan will outline some of the efforts by cities, states, the federal government, the private sector, and private citizens to move the US toward a new energy model based on more efficient use of energy and a renewed drive to address climate change. We will look at how investment in energy conservation, alternative energy and related clean-energy technologies can move the economy toward a more sustainable energy equation and create opportunities for entrepreneurship and job creation.
May 6, 5 pmDigital Video Conference on Anti-Americanism
DVC with Dr. Paul Hollander, Harvard University
The Public Affairs Office of the U.S. Embassy would like to invite you to a discussion on the impact of the Obama presidency on the decline or persistence of “Anti-Americanism” with visiting Harvard University scholar, Dr. Paul Hollander.
