University's Center for Women's Studies hosts conference on importance of fantasy, creative thinking

National and international scholars will explore the significance of fantasy, creative thinking and imagination in the development of social actions and movements at a two-day conference Nov. 2-3 at The University of Texas at Austin.

The conference, which will be held on the fourth floor of the Flawn Academic Center, will include papers, discussions and performances. There will be a special performance Nov. 2 by local dancer Deborah Hay. She will perform "Music" and "Music Stories" at 7:30 p.m. in the Austin City Limits studio, sixth floor, Communications Building B.

Invited speakers include Rosa-Linda Fregoso, professor of Latin American/Latino Studies, University of California at Santa Cruz; Lauren Berlant, professor of English and director, Center for Gender Studies, University of Chicago; Jennifer Terry, associate professor of women's studies, University of California at Berkeley; and Brigitte Hipfl, Klagenfurt University, Austria. Several scholars from The University of Texas at Austin will participate in the conference.

All sessions and events are free and open to the public. "Fantasy: A Scholarly Conference on Play, Peril, Politics" is sponsored by the university's Center for Women's Studies with support from the colleges of Communication, Education, Engineering, Fine Arts, Liberal Arts, Natural Sciences and Pharmacy and the schools of Business and Law.

For more information and schedule visit the conference Website.

New fellowship for study of objectivism established

The Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship has established a $300,000 fellowship within the Department of Philosophy to promote the study of Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism.

Funds from the fellowship will be used to educate objectivist doctoral students and to help them in securing teaching positions, as well as to promote the production and dissemination of scholarly works on objectivism.

"Academic interest in Ayn Rand's philosophy has been growing, and we are honored to be supporting the philosophy department's investment in this new field of scholarship," said John McCaskey, president of the Anthem Foundation.

To date, the fellowship has sponsored a graduate student, and has assisted Tara Smith, university associate professor of philosophy, in publishing two papers, "The Metaphysical Case for Honesty" and "Money Can Buy Happiness." Future projects to be funded by the fellowship will include the appointment of visiting faculty and the development of distance-learning options.

The Anthem Foundation for Objectivist Scholarship is a non-profit organization that sponsors teaching, writing and research on Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism through fellowships at universities and colleges at both the graduate and undergraduate level. Schools interested in such fellowships should contact McCaskey.

Archeological lab starts Web resources for schoolchildren

A new public education Web site, "Texas Beyond History," showcasing more than 13,000 years of Texas cultural history, has been started by the Texas Archeological Research Laboratory.

Please see the "Texas Beyond History" Website.

For the first time, the lab's scientific holdings can be seen through online virtual museum exhibit tours. The site also features a variety of creative resources, including map tools, children’s activities, an illustrated glossary and lesson plans.

The Texas Archeological Research Lab is a research unit of the university's College of Liberal Arts.

The lab is working with the Texas Archeological Society, a 1,500-member statewide non-profit organization composed of professional and avocational archeologists. The lab also is working closely with the university's College of Education to create curricula and other resources for K-12 teachers.