| Summer 2009: Week Four |
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Greetings,
It is exhilarating to watch the participants work so hard to bring all of the different pieces of the summer together as we get closer and closer to the end of Genesis.
The participants are planning course presentations for the Genesis Showcase. We know many of you are planning to join us on campus on Wednesday from Noon until 5:00 pm. Those of you who registered will get a confirmation email later today.
The summer feels like it has been a whirlwind of questions, answers and then more questions. The participants, the faculty, the community educators and interns are all engaged in such a great deal of learning and exploration - it does not feel like we have enough time for all that we want to do.
We are excited to share highlights of this past week with you. As always, feel free to call (781-736-8416) to learn more about all that is going on at Genesis.
Bradley and Dvora
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| Genesis Video and Photos |
Check out this week's video by clicking here. To look at pictures from the summer, visit our smugmug site.
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| Courses |
Innovation and Revolution
by Melanie Benger, Brooklyn, NY
This past week, we visited stem cell labs at MIT and Harvard, as well as a bioethics lab, where we got some background information about the research they do there and took a tour. It was interesting to see how differently each lab chose to present its information and accomplish its work. Later in the week, we worked on preparing an activity for the Genesis community that we ran on Shabbat. Our topic for the activity was stem cell research, and the goal of the activity was to bring all of Genesis into the conversations we have been having in class about different sources of information and the use of technology in distributing information. We had several stations set up, each providing information about stem cell research from different sources. At the center of the room was a station where participants could go after gathering information to discuss what they had learned and the value of the information they had received. The most interesting part of the activity was watching which sources and in what order participants chose to visit to gather their information!
World Religions
by Molly Cheek, Brighton, CO
The combination of learning the specifics of each religion and taking exciting trips to various places of worship, while having meaningful discussions with my friends has made this a very special course. One really interesting discussion we had was last week with Father Cuenin. He taught us a great deal about the rituals of Christianity and helped us compare these rituals to Judaism. He also taught us to embrace differences, and helped us look at G-d from all angles. Overall, I have been able to learn more about myself through the experience of visiting diverse religious sites, and have been challenged to look deeper within myself to discover my own beliefs, while also gaining a better understanding of the beliefs of people across the globe.
Journalism
by Dani Stern, Woodbury, NY, and Jessica Margulis, Roslyn, NY
This week, all our attention turned toward creating our magazine to be presented at the showcase on Wednesday. Everyone in the course got to be either graphic designers, budget managers, feature writers, editors, or news writers. We then had a session with professional graphic designers, who came and helped us put together the magazine. They taught us how to format the magazine and how to make it look interesting - basically, the ins and outs of magazine design. This project has been an eye opening experience, as we never realized how much work went into publishing a magazine. We are looking forward to taking all the lessons we have learned back home with us and putting them to use in school next year.
Judaism and Justice
by Mollie Elkin, Ormond Beach, FL
This past week, we were working on a project based on the incident that took place at Rubushkins, a kosher meat processing facility in Iowa that had been shut down due to a variety of legal violations. We were tasked with re-designing the business, based on both Jewish and American values, and focusing on four different areas: employment, environment, business practices, and the laws of keeping kosher. After conducting our research, we presented our proposals to Ken Zolot, lecturer at the MIT Sloan School of Management and an entrepreneur, who was impressed with our ability to think about a real-world situation and challenged us to think in an innovative way. I enjoyed participating in a group exercise that required collaboration and I learned how to incorporate both Jewish and American values into my thinking.
Public Speaking
by Shayna Levin
This past week, we presented our persuasive speeches in class and gave one another feedback. This week, we will focus on writing and presenting our last assignment - a personal narrative. I have enjoyed this course and have learned a great deal about public speaking that will be useful for years to come. I have especially enjoyed learning how to capture an audience's attention and how to connect with the audience.
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| Uri L'Tzedek |
by Shlomit Heering, Boca Raton, FL
On Tuesday night, the Genesis community was joined by former community educator Rabbi Avi Weiss from Uri L'Tzedek, the Orthodox social justice movement. Rabbi Weiss spoke with us about tav hayosher, the ethical seal his organization distributes that "brings workers, restaurant owners, and community members together to create just workplaces in kosher restaurants." The majority of our session was spent working in groups making up our own "seals" to distribute and presenting them to each other. My group created a seal for restaurants that focused on employee rights. It was a great activity for me, especially since much of our week in Judaism and Justice was spent discussing similar issues related to Agriprocessors. This activity connected back to what we have been learning about ethics and Jewish and American law. It was surprising to hear how many places are not meeting the standards set by Uri L'Tzedek for receiving their ethical seal.
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| Film Screening: The People Vs. Leo Frank |
by Rebecca Fine, Newton, MA
On Thursday night, we watched the documentary film The People Vs. Leo Frank, written and directed by BIMA film faculty member Ben Loeterman. The film told the story of Leo Frank, an American Jew who was convicted of murder. After the film screening, we got to talk with Ben and ask him questions about the documentary. It was interesting to see the different angles that he took and how he represented the many sides of the story. The film helped me see how prejudices can have an impact on people's lives and how much of a role society plays in determining whether a minority is respected or not.
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| Workshops |
Every Friday afternoon, Genesis and BIMA participants together take a break from their regular schedule to participate in workshops. Each week, participants chose from a variety of activities. Descriptions of a few that were offered this past week are below.
"Workshops allowed me the opportunity to try out a new element, to try something that I wouldn't do at school, and meet people I wouldn't get to meet anywhere else. It's been a great experience."
Gerald Cowen, Newburgh, NY
Improvisational Comedy
“I’d love to do improv, but I’m not funny.” This is probably the most common reaction people have to improv comedy, as if it required some mystical ability that only a handful of people have. In reality, anyone can improvise. In this workshop, participants explored the fundamentals of improvisation, most of which are simple and straightforward, such as finding the “game” in a scene, acceptance and denial and acting in the moment. The underlying principles of improvisation are applicable to all forms of performance, whether they are serious or comic, in film, theater, music, or even in every day life.
Paper Stencil Screen-Printing
From rock posters to T-shirts to Andy Warhol, screen-printing is ubiquitous in the art and design world. The screen-printing workshop focused on the technique of paper-cut stencil printmaking. Stencils are an important means of self-expression both on paper and on the streets of our major urban centers. Participants considered the many ways stencils have been used, cut their own stencils, and printed with them.
DeCordova Sculpture Park and [Contemporary Art] Museum
Participants traveled to the nearby town of Lincoln, MA, where they spent the afternoon exploring monumental outdoor sculptures in a lush and serene landscape. They brought their lunch, picnicking on the grounds of the DeCordova and investigating the relationship between art and their surroundings.
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Genesis at Brandeis University | 415 South Street MS 065 | Waltham | MA | 02454
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