The best event of the spring semester is upon us: the Conference of World Affairs.
Hope you’ve saved up a couple of absences, because you will want to skip more than a few classes this coming week. Sorry, professor, but inspiring experts in every field imaginable coming to talk about “everything conceivable” is a lot more intriguing than that lecture on World War I propaganda you had planned. With talks about politics, medicine, humor and everything in between, looking at the schedule of panels for this coming week can be overwhelming.
To help you out, here are 10 talks (two a day) worth skipping a (between class) nap for.
MONDAY
Bots on the Ground: War Without Soldiers
1:00 to 2:20 p.m. UMC Center Ballroom
Panelists:
Sarah Holewinski
Merle Lefkoff
Phillip James Walker
Isaiah (Ike) Wilson III
All a-Twitter: The Fleeting Nature of Digital Communications
3:00 to 4:20 p.m. UMC East Ballroom
Panelists:
Mark Frauenfelder
Ross Haenfler
Andy Ihnatko
Sanho Tree
TUESDAY
How The Jews and Gays Built Hollywood
12:30 to 1:50 p.m. Old Main Chapel
Panelists:
David Bender
Michael Fink
Steve Sauer
Daniel Sladek
DIY: Hipster Economy
2:00 to 3:20 p.m. ATLAS Black Box
Panelists:
Mark Frauenfelder
Tom Preston-Werner
Kiki Sanford
Eric J. Wilhelm
WEDNESDAY
Music: Death by Internet
1:00 to 2:20 p.m. ATLAS Black box
Panelists:
Justo Almario
Charlie Bisharat
Mark Frauenfelder
Jeff Lieberman
Revolting Youth: Arab Spring to Occupy
4:30 to 5:50 p.m. UMC Center Ballroom
Panelists:
Robert A. George
Ross Haenfler
Gigi Ibrahim
Scott Olsen
THURSDAY
Pakistan: The Most Dangerous Country in the World
3:30 to 4:50 p.m. UMC Center Ballroom
Panelists:
Joe Cirincione
Phillip James Walker
Isaiah (Ike) Wilson III
We the Angry People: The Tea Party and Occupy
5:00 to 6:20 p.m. UMC Center Ballroom
Panelists:
Margot Adler
Guy Benson
Matt Howard
Robert G. Kaufman
FRIDAY
Vampires! They Suck!
11:00 to 12:20 p.m. Macky Auditorium
Panelists:
Margot Adler
Jim Emerson
Ross Haenfler
Liz Weir
Sacrificing Culture on the Altar of Development
1:00 to 2:20 p.m. Eaton Humanities 150
Panelists:
Andrew Butcher
Louis Goodman
Donna Morton
Judithe Registre
One of the fun things about CWA is that you never know what directions the talks could take. But when you put four very smart people in a room and give them a broad starting point like “drones” or “vampires,” something interesting, controversial or hopefully inspiring will come of it. If these talks don’t appeal to you, don’t give up; there are many many more. Check out the full schedule here, and if you find time between work and term papers and lectures, go to a panel and learn something new.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Isa Jones at Alexandra.i.jones@colorado.edu.