AUM Connected 2016-2017 Reading Guide
AUM Connected Committee
Dr. Lee A. Farrow, History & CELT Director (Co-Chair)
Will Fenn, Fine Arts (Co-Chair)
Wendy Anderson, Information Systems
Dana Bice, WAC Program Manager
Dr. Rolando Carol, Psychology
Melanie Higgins, Nursing
Dr. Shannon Howard, English and Philosophy
Dr. Phill Johnson, Dean of the Library
Dr. Tim Kroft, Biology
Dr. Virginia Lacy, WASC
Dr. Ben Severance, History
Jasmine Boutdy, Honors Student
AUM Connected Poster and Logo Design by Will Fenn
Table of Contents
Introduction to AUM Connected
AUM Connected Events for Fall Semester
Can Art Contest and Food Drive
Introduction to The Dinner by Dr. Cliff Browning
Food Insecurity and the AUM Food Pantry by Sonni Gunnels, Honors Student
Food Insecurity: Checking the Facts by Sonni Gunnels, Honors Student
Homelessness in America: Overview of Data and Causes
Gilded Age Advice for Dinner-Table Talk
Dining Etiquette
Resource Guide: Articles, Books, Movies, Videos, and Websites
AUM Connected
History and Goals
In 2012, Auburn University at Montgomery initiated its first Common Reading Program with the
book The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. The program included campuswide discussions, lectures, and even a field trip for AUM students to the Legacy Museum at
Tuskegee Institute. Now, in its fifth year, the AUM Common Reading Program, “AUM
Connected,” has selected The Dinner by Herman Koch for the 2016-2017 academic year. All
incoming freshman will be required to read The Dinner in their UNIV 1000 courses, but
upperclassmen (and women) are encouraged to participate as well. The goals of AUM
Connected are:
1) to engage students in a common academic and social experience that helps to create a sense of
connection to the university and to faculty and peers through a new campus tradition
2) to introduce students to college-level discussion in a non-threatening setting and to
demonstrate the relevance of participating in an academic experience outside of class
3) to provide students, faculty, staff, and members of the local community with opportunities to
interact in meaningful conversations relating to contemporary social and cultural issues
Selection Process
In September of each year, the AUM Connected committee seeks nominations from the campus,
including faculty, staff, and students. The committee asks that the nominators consider the
following elements: 1) availability – A nominated book must be in print, in paperback and digital
formats, and it should be something that students are unlikely to have read in high school, and
unlikely to read in basic college classes; 2) engaging and accessible – A nominated book must be
of reasonable length (no more than 350 pp.), and appeal to a wide range of students and
disciplines; 3) good writing – A nominated book must demonstrate good writing; 4) relevance –
A nominated book must have themes that are relevant to students and can evoke meaningful
discussions of social and cultural issues; and, 5) potential for year-long programming. The
committee then carefully reviews all nominated books and narrows the list to no more than six
possible selections. This list is then put forward for a campus-wide vote in January.
Social Media
AUM Connected has a website (http://www.aum.edu/academics/academic-support/commonreading-program), a Facebook page (AUM Connected Common Reading Program) and a Twitter
account (@AUMConnected). We encourage the campus to use the hashtag #warhawkbook in
their social media posts.
Fall 2016 AUM Connected Events
August 16 – 11 a.m. – 1 p.m. - Zombie Bash – Taylor Center 230
Don’t be afraid. We only want to feed your brain. Join AUM Connected and the WAC Program
for a zombie movie (Warm Bodies, 2013, starring Nicholas Hoult and John Malkovich) and
pizza. Get information on Writing Across the Curriculum and this year’s Common Reading
Program book selection, The Dinner.
August 31 – 12:15 – 1:00 p.m. – Honors Students Speak about Food Insecurity and the
AUM Food Pantry – Goodwyn Hall 112
AUM Honors Program students present information about the increasing problem of food
insecurity in America and the AUM food pantry. Feel free to bring a non-perishable food item
(no glass, please) to donate to the pantry!
September 16 – 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. – Pig Out with a Professor – Library 10th Floor East
Join us for some pizza and a discussion of The Dinner. All students, faculty, and staff who have
read the book are welcome!
September 22 – 6:30 - 8:30 pm – Showing of the film, “The Last Supper” - Library 10th
Floor West
The Last Supper (1995) is a dark comedy (starring Cameron Diaz, Courtney B. Vance, Bill
Paxton, and Ron Perlman) about five graduate students and their tradition of inviting a guest over
for Sunday dinner to discuss social issues. When a guest threatens one of the students, he sets
them on a radical path of social justice serial murder.
October 7 – 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. – Lecture: What Were They Thinking?: Understanding
Teen Brain Development and Decision Making, Bridgette Harper, Psychology – Goodwyn
Hall 112
Even though teens may look like adults, their brains are far from adult cognitive abilities. Recent
research suggests that the frontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for reasoning,
understanding consequences, and self-regulation, continues to develop well into our
20’s. However, there are things mentors can do to encourage and help develop teens risk/benefit
assessment and aid the development of rational thinking and self-discipline in our teens.
October 27 – 6:30 - 8:30 – Showing of the film, “Hannibal” – Liberal Arts Tech Wing 110
Hannibal (2001) is a thriller starring Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic serial
killer with a taste for fine things. Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, and Ray Liotta round out the
cast.
November 9 – 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. – Showing of the film, “The Dinner” – Taylor Center 230
The Dinner (Het Diner; English subtitles) is a 2013 Dutch drama based on Herman Koch’s
novel, this year’s AUM Connected Common Reading Program book selection.
November 15 – 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. – Lecture: Formalizing the Final Solution Over Lunch:
The Wannsee Conference of 1942 - Ben Severance, History – Library 10th Floor West
In January 1942, fifteen Nazi leaders gathered in a villa outside Berlin to clarify the procedures
whereby the Third Reich would eliminate all Jews from the European continent. Presiding over
this meeting was SS General Reinhard Heydrich, one of Hitler's favorite minions. Between
mouthfuls of fine cuisine, the attendees ironed out the administrative details that helped expedite
and legitimize Endlosung, the Final Solution to the Jewish Question.
Can Art Contest and Food Drive
The AUM Student Government Association and AUM Connected Common Reading Program
will host a can food sculpture contest the week of November 14-17. There will be group prizes
for the first and second place teams (more information on the contest and prizes will be made
available in August). Teams must include between 5-30 AUM students and a faculty or staff
sponsor. A class, a student organization, members of a sorority or fraternity, or a group of friends
can be a team. Space is limited, so registration is required. Registration forms will be available
by August 17. Teams must complete a registration form by October 28. But don’t wait until the
last minute to register because display space may fill up before the deadline!
Teams will collect their own cans of food and materials to create their design. After the contest,
all cans will be donated to the Montgomery Area Food Bank. Registered teams will construct
their sculptures in an assigned space on campus on November 14 and 15. The campus will be
able to vote for their favorite on November 16 and 17. Voting will be available onsite and on the
AUM Connected Facebook Page by “liking” the posted photograph of the sculpture. Voting will
end at (noon) on November 17. The first and second place winning teams will be announced
onsite later that day (time TBA, and posted on the AUM Connected Facebook Page). The
sculptures will promptly be dismantled for the Montgomery Area Food Bank donation. At least
one team member should be present to assist with dismantle and to collect remaining sculpture
materials.
Even if you don’t want to participate in the contest, consider donating cans of food. The SGA
will collect cans during the entire month of November.
Guidelines and Tips:
Plan ahead. Sketch your design. The size of the sculpture must fit within a 4 foot by 4 foot area.
Search the internet for can food sculpture inspiration; but also be creative and unique.
Determine how many cans will be needed by measuring the height and width of some of your
food cans. Divide the design’s dimensions by the measurements of the cans to determine how
many you will need to finish the design.
Group cans by colors and face similar cans in the same direction.
Reinforce the structure with cardboard or foam core between layers or individual cans. Make
sure the base of your sculpture is a solid and stable support.
You may incorporate other elements and objects into the design as long as the food cans and
their labels are not altered. The majority of the sculpture must be cans.
For more information, contact Dana Bice at [email protected].
Introduction to The Dinner
By Dr. Cliff Browning
Concerning families, the great Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy classified all families into
two categories: “All happy families resemble one another, each unhappy family is unhappy in its
own way.” Herman Koch’s compelling novel, The Dinner presents two brothers and their
families that give the word unhappy an all new, frighteningly new meaning. Meet Paul, the
younger brother and former high school history teacher, and his wife Claire, parents of fifteenyear-old Michel. Meet Serge, the wealthy older brother running for the powerful Cabinet
Minister, and his wife Babette, parents of fifteen-year-old Rick, first cousin and friend of Michel.
Serge and Babette also have an adopted son, Beau, from Burkina Faso. The novel covers one
meal the four parents share at a pretentious and elite gourmet restaurant. As the expensive
courses are served by pandering food servers, the occasion for the dinner is to decide what to do
about their sons who have done a very bad thing, the thing that propels the action of the novel.
Paul narrates the story, and it is through his mind that we see the story unfold. In a series
of flashbacks, we learn details that have led to the dinner. These flashbacks give us insight to the
characters, their personalities and relationships. They also slowly reveal details of the event that
had led to this tense dinner, details which are slowly uncovered to the reader like the courses of a
meal. With each new piece of information, the story changes ever so slightly and the reader is
prompted to reconsider his or her assumptions and beliefs.
The major reason I find this book well worth reading is that Koch has created a popular
fiction (a term I find somewhat offensive) that explores serious and relevant issues about politics,
the family, and human nature - all three treated seriously and truthfully. Popular fiction belongs
to the artistic body called popular culture. There are those who discount pop culture as frivolous.
I contend that media pieces such as Will and Grace (which it has been said did more for the
LGBT movement than laws), the TV show Blackish (which makes us laugh and then think about
serious racial issues), the music of Lady Gaga, and films like Silver Lining Playbook (which we
may also find humorous but treats bipolar illness honestly and clearly) have all challenged and
changed how Americans feel about issues that have long been hidden in the shadows. While
some readers will focus only on the narrative themes of class, politics, parental responsibility,
and crime, on a deeper level Koch asks one of the most important questions about human nature.
To what degree are we at the mercy of our DNA, or does our environment shape us? When and
why do we listen to the light or dark sides of our psychological make up? Koch will leave you
with questions that will make you discuss the novel long after you have finished it.
Food Insecurity and the AUM Food Pantry
By Sonni Gunnels, University Honors Program Student
It is no secret that hunger pains grip the lives of many both today and have throughout
history, forever threatening to choke the breath out of humanity. Hunger has started and
ended wars. Its product of desperation has inspired crime culture and forced the young into
roles of maturity and responsibility. In the United States alone, the USDA estimated 14% of
families experienced food insecurity 1 in 2014. As of late, studies have revealed an especially
high prevalence of food insecurity in a particular community—college students. A 2013
study of two community colleges in Maryland discovered food insecurity plagued over half
the overall sample 2. Feeding America reported on over sixty thousand clients that benefit
from their hunger programs in 2014 and more than ten percent of their adult clients were
students continuing their education 3. As higher education becomes more available and more
expected, the pressure to take on immense student debt grows. Students fighting to better
their means through education are paying for tuition and textbooks in lieu of consistent,
healthy meals and living instead off low-quality pastas and vending machine dinners.
When discussing an issue as complex as food insecurity, it is important to outline the
parameters of the term itself to ensure its appropriate application. Food insecurity affects a
majority of college students across the nation, and its symptoms have come to represent a
sort of humorous and seemingly inevitable college culture stereotype. Because of this
stereotype, students often mistake food insecurity and hunger for an unavoidable way of life
that has been and always will be. A student who is food insecure may face any level of its
severity. At its lowest, students may be forced to purchase cheap, unhealthy food alternatives
that lack necessary nutritional value. A student may be forced to go without a meal, or be
unsure of their next meal due to their financial situation only once in a given month. A
student may even shrink the size of their meals because their income dictates it from time to
time. Students that meet these circumstances are often unlikely to recognize their insecurity,
and even less likely to seek out options that could easily banish their strife. Those with
moderate food insecurity may be more aware of their hunger; however, they may still
hesitate to seek assistance assuming their situation is not severe enough. A student may be
forced to buy poor food, skip a meal, or face uncertainty concerning the financial possibility
1
According to the USDA, “food insecurity” is defined by a variety of factors “such as being unable to afford
balanced meals, cutting the size of meals because there was too little money for food, or being hungry because there
was too little money for food.”
2
Maya Maroto, “Food Insecurity Among Community College Students: Prevalence and Relationship to GPA,”
Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior 45, Issue 3 (Sept 2013): 209-14.
3
Feeding America, Hunger in America 2014 National Report: 175.
of their next meal just as in the lower severity. A student may also be forced to shrink meal
sizes as mentioned before. The difference in the two comes most obviously in the frequency,
with lower cases experiencing these situations maybe once per month and the moderate cases
being faced with them three to four times per month or about once per week. In severe cases
of food insecurity, the main component that prevents students from seeking out assistance
comes either from embarrassment or pride or simply being unaware of the possibilities
available. Severe cases are faced with their hunger five or more times per month, or more
than once per week. A student in this position may experience all of the scenarios associated
with food insecurity as their daily norm.
Unfortunately, students at Auburn University at Montgomery have not been exempt from
these issues. In 2012, a survey4 of 500 students, then roughly ten percent of the student
population, was conducted to examine the presence of food insecurity on campus. Of the 500
surveyed, 261 students, more than half, had reported experiencing some degree of food
insecurity since coming to AUM. A shocking 28% of those who faced some degree of
insecurity reported that they were faced with their hunger more than five times per month,
averaging over once per week. Many factors were shown to influence the presence of food
insecurity. Perhaps the most blinding statistic, 80% of students surveyed that were out-ofstate and living on-campus claimed to have been subject to food insecurity in their time at
AUM. Half of these reported a frequency of 3-4 times per month.
The cure for hunger is not simple, nor is it a reasonable ideal. The number of college
students will continue to grow, and with them the cost of an advanced education will grow,
too. The best approach thus far is volunteers’ joint efforts to at least reduce the threat of
hunger pangs in college communities through aid and awareness. The AUM Food Pantry
began its operations in 2014, and since opening has fed hundreds of hungry AUM students.
Food pantries are just one solution to a complex problem, and are largely effective in their
efforts to curb hunger. Educating students on the threat of insecurity is incredibly important,
and providing low-pressure environments for assistance is vital in working towards
establishing a full-bellied, utopic campus culture.
4
Conducted by AUM students, Fall 2012.
Food Insecurity: Checking the Facts
By Sonni Gunnels, University Honors Program Student
What is food insecurity?
According to the USDA, “food insecurity” is defined by a variety of factors “such as being
unable to afford balanced meals, cutting the size of meals because there was too little money
for food, or being hungry because there was too little money for food.” There are levels to the
severity of insecurity based on the number of applicable factors and the frequency a person is
faced with them.
Food Insecurity on College Campuses
Food insecurity threatens college students juggling high tuition costs and the cost of food.
-One study of two community colleges in Maryland revealed more than 50% of the overall
sample had struggled with food insecurity
-Feeding America reports on over 61 thousand clients that benefit from their assistance
programs. Over 10% of their adult clients reported being a student continuing their education.
Food Insecurity at AUM
In 2012, a survey of 500 students (then roughly 10% of the student population) revealed over
52% of those surveyed had experienced food insecurity since coming to AUM. Of those 261
students, 28% reported a frequency of five or more times per month (averaging more than once
per week). Shockingly, 80% of out-of-state students that live on-campus surveyed reported
some form of food insecurity, half of which reported a frequency of 3-4 times per week.
Solutions
The AUM Food Pantry began its operations in the Spring of 2014, and has fed hundreds of
hungry students.
While assistance programs are hugely beneficial, solving hunger also relies on education on
both food insecurity and the availability of aid options.
Homelessness in America: Overview of Data and Causes
The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty currently estimates that each year
at least 2.5 to 3.5 million Americans sleep in shelters, transitional housing, and public places not
meant for human habitation. At least an additional 7.4 million have lost their own homes and are
doubled-up with others due to economic necessity.
But data related to homelessness are far from exact. Part of the difficulty is that there are
different definitions of homelessness now in use. For example, the U.S. Department of Housing
and Urban development (HUD) uses a narrow definition largely limited to people living in
shelters, in transitional housing and in public places. The U.S. Department of Education (DoE)
uses a broader definition that includes families who are doubled-up with others due to economic
necessity. The numbers and percentages below derive from different sources; many are from the
HUD counts and thus must be viewed with caution. Others are based on DoE data, and reflect
the more expansive definition; these also are likely undercounts since not all homeless children
are counted. The numbers thus may not be consistent.
Overall population
- Before the 2008 recession, an estimated 2.5 to 3 million men, women, and children were
experiencing homelessness each year (using the HUD definition), including a total of 1.35
million children, and over a million people working full or part-time but unable to pay for
housing. Since then, indications are that the crisis has deepened:
- The number of people who have lost their homes and are living doubled-up with family or
friends due to economic necessity remained at 7.4 million people in 2012 (the last year for which
data is available), consistent with 2011, but some states saw as much as an 80% increase.
- Over 1.2 million school children were homeless (using the DoE definition) during the 20122013 school year, an 8% increase over the previous school year. Almost 2.5 million children
overall were homeless in 2013, an 8% increase over 2012.
- A 2014 survey in the Law Center’s report, Welcome Home: The Rise of Tent Cities in the
United States, showed media reports of tent cities in 46 states across the country.
- According to a June 2014 report by the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University,
there is now a crisis in affordable rental housing. In 2012, more than one out of every four
renters (27%) paid over 50% of their income in rent. The number of cost burdened renters has
increased each year since 2007.
Demographics
According to data collected by HUD, during 2012 the “sheltered” homeless population was:
- 63% male; 37% female (data based on sheltered adults)
- 83.7% non-Hispanic/non-Latino; 16.3% Hispanic/Latino
- 38.9% White, non-Hispanic; 9.5% White, Hispanic; 39.4% Black or African American; 5%
other single race; 7.2% multiple races
- 22.6% under age 18; 23.5% 18 to 30; 35.0% 31 to 50; 15.6% 51 to 61; 3.2% 62 and older
- 63.1% single-person household
- 38.6% disabled (data based on sheltered adults)
When compared to the total population and those living in poverty, those who are homeless are
more likely to be adult, male, African American, not elderly, unaccompanied/alone, and
disabled.
Veterans
- On a single night in January 2014, veterans accounted for about 11.3% of all homeless adults.
Domestic violence survivors
- In a 2014 survey of 25 US cities, 15% of all homeless adults were identified as survivors of
domestic violence. For women in particular, domestic violence is a leading cause of
homelessness.
Causes of homelessness
Insufficient income and lack of affordable housing are the leading causes of homelessness:
- In 2012, 10.3 million renters (approximately one in four) had “extremely low incomes”
(ELI) as classified by HUD. In that same year, there were only 5.8 million rental units affordable
to the more than 10 million people identified as ELI.
- After paying their rent and utilities, 75% of ELI households end up with less than half of their
income left to pay for necessities such as food, medicine, transportation, or childcare.
The foreclosure crisis also played, and continues to play, a significant role in homelessness:
- In 2008, state and local homeless groups reported a 61% rise in homelessness since the
foreclosure crisis began.
updated January 2015
This information was taken from a report from the National Law Center on Homelessness and
Poverty
Gilded Age Advice for Dinner-Table Talk
Dinner Party by Charles Dana Gibson (1900s)
“The conversation at the dinner-table should be general, unless the company is large, and the
table too long to admit of it. But in any case, each one is responsible first of all for keeping up a
pleasant chat with his or her partner, and not allowing that one to be neglected while attention is
riveted on some aggressively brilliant talker at the other end of the table. No matter how
uninteresting one's partner may be, one must be thoughtful and entertaining; and such kind
attention may win the life-long gratitude of a timid debutante, or the equally unsophisticated
country
cousin.
Dinner-table talk should be affable. The host and hostess must be alert to turn the conversation
from channels that threaten to lead to antagonisms of opinion; and each guest should feel that it
is more important just now to make other people happy than to gratify his impulse to ‘floor’
them on the tariff question. In short, at dinner, as under most social conditions, the watchword
ever in mind should be, ‘Not to myself alone.’” – From Etiquette: An Answer to the Riddle
When? Where? How?? By Agnes H. Morton.
http://etiquipedia.blogspot.com/search/label/Dinner%20Table%20Conversation%20Etiquette
Retrieved 06/08/2016.
Dining Etiquette
Proper etiquette is essential for making a favorable impression at both lunch/dinner interviews as
well as in social business situations. Although common sense is often your best guide, the
following suggestions will help you stand out as a polished professional.
Arrival/Sitting Down
•
•
•
Arrive on time and call ahead if you know you will be late.
Do not place any bags, purses, sunglasses, cell phones, or briefcases on the table.
Have proper posture and keep elbows off the table.
Table Setting
•
•
•
When presented with a variety of eating utensils, remember the guideline to "start at the
outside and work your way in". For example, if you have two forks, begin with the fork
on the outside.
Do not talk with your utensils and never hold a utensil in a fist.
Set the utensils on your plate, not the table, when you are not using them.
Napkin
•
•
•
Typically, you want to put your napkin on your lap (folded in half with the fold towards
your waist) soon after sitting down at the table, but follow your host's lead.
The napkin should remain on your lap throughout the entire meal. Place your napkin on
your chair, or to the left of your plate, if you leave the table as a signal to the server that
you will be returning.
When the host places their napkin on the table, this signifies the end of the meal. You
should then place your napkin on the table as well.
Ordering and Being Served
•
•
•
Do not order the most expensive item from the menu, appetizers, or dessert, unless your
host encourages you to do so. While it is best not to order alcohol even if the interviewer
does, alcohol, if consumed, should be in moderation.
Avoid ordering items that are messy or difficult to eat (i.e. spaghetti, French onion soup).
Wait for everyone to be served before beginning to eat, unless the individual who has not
been served encourages you to begin eating.
During the Meal
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Eat slowly and cut only a few small bites of your meal at a time.
Chew with your mouth closed and do not talk with food in your mouth.
Pass food items to the right (i.e. bread, salad dressings). If you are the individual starting
the passing of the bread basket, first offer some to the person on your left, then take some
for yourself, then pass to the right.
Pass salt and pepper together, one in each hand. If someone has asked you to pass these
items, you should not pause to use them.
Taste your food before seasoning it.
Do not use excessive amounts of sweeteners - no more than two packets per meal is the
rule of thumb.
Bread should be eaten by tearing it into small pieces, buttering only a few bites at a time.
Do not cut bread with a knife or eat whole.
Gently stir your soup to cool it instead of blowing on it. Spoon your soup away from
you.
You do not have to clean your plate. It is polite to leave some food on your plate.
Be Aware of Different Eating Styles
•
•
Continental or European Style: Cutting the food with the right hand and using the left
hand to hold the food while cutting and when eating.
American Style: Cutting the food with the right hand and holding the food with the left,
then switching hands to eat with the right hand.
When You Have Finished
•
•
•
When you are finished, leave your plates in the same position, do not push your plates
aside or stack them.
The person who initiates the meal generally pays and tips appropriately (15% for
moderate service, 20% for excellent service).
Always remember to thank your host.
https://www.kent.edu/career/dining-etiquette Retrieved 06/08/2016.
Resource Guide
Articles
“Teen Brains on Trial: The Science of Neural Development Tangles with the Juvenile Death
Penalty,” Bruce Bower. Science News, Vol. 165, No. 19 (May 8, 2004), pp. 299-301. JStor
stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4015157
“Trash Eaters,” Scarlett Lindeman. Gastronomica, Vol. 12, No. 1 (Spring 2012), pp. 75-82.
JStor stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/gfc.2012.12.1.75
Books
Defending Jacob. William Landay. 2012. When his 14-year-old son is charged with the murder
of a fellow student, assistant district attorney Andy Barber is torn between loyalty and justice as
facts come to light that lead him to question how well he knows his own son.
The Girl on the Train. Paula Hawkins. 2015. Rachel sees something shocking from the window
of her train commute to work and is soon entangled in the lives of others. This psychological
thriller will make you question what you think you know about your friends, family, and loved
ones.
Gone Girl. Gillian Flynn. 2014. Nick's wife Amy suddenly disappears. Nick is immediately
suspected. How well do we know our loved ones and spouses?
The Good Father. Noah Hawley. 2012. An intense, psychological novel about one doctor's
suspense-filled quest to unlock the mind of a suspected political assassin: his 20-year old son.
Summer House with Swimming Pool. Herman Koch. 2011. A film star on vacation with his
doctor winds up dead. Was it medical error or murder?
We Need to Talk About Kevin. Lionel Shriver. 2003. The mother of an incarcerated teenager who
murdered seven of his fellow high school students tells of his upbringing and her own
shortcomings in a series of letters to her estranged husband.
Movies
The Dinner/Het Diner (2013) - a Dutch drama based on Herman Koch’s novel (English
subtitles).
It’s a Disaster (2012) – a comedy about the worst brunch ever: the eggs are cold, the tensions are
high, and the end of civilization is near. [This film will be a spring event]
The Gleaners and I (2000) - follows individuals who hunt for the discards of others (includes
food and the notion of sell by/use by dates).
Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (1967) – a couple’s attitudes are challenged when their daughter
introduces them to her African-American fiancé. [This film will be a spring event]
Hannibal (2001) - a thriller starring Anthony Hopkins as Hannibal Lecter, a cannibalistic serial
killer with a taste for fine things. Gary Oldman, Julianne Moore, and Ray Liotta round out the
cast.
The Last Supper (1995) - a dark comedy (starring Cameron Diaz, Courtney B. Vance, Bill
Paxton, and Ron Perlman) about five graduate students and their tradition of inviting a guest over
for Sunday dinner to discuss social issues. When a guest threatens one of the students, he sets
them on a radical path of social justice serial murder.
Match Point (2005) - Woody Allen film hinted at in The Dinner which deals with covering up a
crime.
A Place at the Table (2012) – a documentary that investigates incidents of hunger experienced
by millions of Americans, and proposed solutions to the problem. [This film will be a spring
event]
The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015) – a thriller about the dark side of power and the effects
of imprisonment. As part of a college psychology study, twenty-four male students are cast in
roles of inmates and guards in a simulated prison. What could go wrong? [This film will be a
spring event]
We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011) – when Kevin grows from a fussy, demanding toddler into
a sociopathic teen, his mother, Eva, is forced to deal with the aftermath of her son’s horrific act.
Websites
http://www.crimetraveller.org/2016/04/the-warrior-gene/ “The Warrior Gene: Genetics and
Criminology”
http://www.endhomelessness.org/ National Alliance to End Homelessness website
http://www.endhomelessness.org/library/entry/SOH2016 The State of Homelessness in
America 2016 Report
http://www.feedingamerica.org/ National charitable organization fighting hunger and poverty
http://www.montgomeryareafoodbank.org
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/neuroprediction-crime.html “Neuroprediction and Crime”
Videos
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLEdi49XEhA The Beauty of the Dinner Scene [in films] (4
minutes and 26 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGf9zefv_u8 Herman Koch at Clarkson University (1 minute
54 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWriN6kh3c Mari Gallagher, Food Deserts, TED Talk (20
minutes and 5 seconds)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhkXJh2lFu8 Without a Roof (Homeless Documentary) (29
minutes and 7 seconds)