Seven.Stellar

http://www.kevinduong.com

Finally.  Except, I copped out when making it.  I still like it.

Spring 2008 Schedule of Courses

My schedule, according to OASIS and after some readjustments in accordance to my major advisor’s recommendations:

• PHIL.213.01 Contemporary Philosophy - Foucault & Biopower
• PHIL.260.01 20th Century Continental Philosophy - Foucault & Derrida
• PHIL.272.01 Ethics and Law
• PSCI.103.01 Intro Political Theory <— Ugh…I shouldn’t have put this on my contract
• PSCI.201.01 Contemporary Political Theory
• PSCI.261B.01 Constitutional Law and Civil Liberty

Edit: Still in the process of getting permission to take PHIL.353.02 - Sp.Tp. Major Figures in Philosophy: Levinas

Edit 2:  Accepted into PHIL.353.02 Levinas!

Come Together

My ASB site: Come Together ,which essentially entails working with the enormous Islamic population in Lansing, Michigan. I am pumped. That, and the Iowa Caucus are going to be the two things I look forward to the most until Summer Break.

I’m worried about my lab and my coworkers. As everyone knows already, my lab no longer has enough grant money from the NIH to continue doing experiments past January… I suppose we’ll all just sit around and write reviews about other people’s research and just not do any of our own for awhile. It’s unfortunate, and there’s not much any of us can do - Ana’s Christopher Reeve Foundation Grant ran out in September, so we’re down to just one NIH grant. As annoyed as I am that I’ll have to hold off on my research until May, I can’t even imagine how much this will impact my coworkers. How are my graduate student coworkers going to graduate on time if they can no longer do their experiments for almost five months? Bah, and the recent vetoed bill by President Bush included a huge increase in the NIH budget, too. That was perhaps the last opportunity for a very long time in increasing biomedical research funding. I can only hope that things will improve in the next few years for my coworkers sake - too much rides on their continual ability to publish their research.

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving Day; its time for the final stretch of our semester, so let’s all finish strong, eh?

McGill Finer Things Club and the Iowa Caucus Roadtrip

The McGill Finer Things Club, with members John, Alexa, Kevin, and Levy partaking in Mint Shisha smoking in a Hookah, Mint Tea, and boardgames. Fun and civil times were had by all.

Power to the Meeples.

I’ve signed up to go on the Iowa Caucus trip, so I will be gone for more than half of Winter Break participating in various rallies and campaigns with Alexa up in Iowa leading up to the Democratic and Republican caucuses. I’m ultra pumped - its going to be really fun and exciting. We’re leaving campus December 31st to drive up in a Charter Bus and will be staying up there for awhile. I haven’t decided who’s campaign I’m going to join while I’m up there, so I might just join whichever campaign most of my friends are choosing so I can be with them. I’m thinking if I work for Kucinich’s campaign, though, I’ll have the best shot of actually meeting him, unlike Barack or Hillary. Who knows though. I’ll definitely begin blogging more and give really detailed accounts of my trip of the days leading up to the first caucus of the 2008 Presidential Race!

In The Tower Above the Earth

Schedule for next semester, assuming everything works out and the Committee of Individual Programs decides not to adjust my contract any further:

• PHIL.272.01 Ethics & Law
• PSCI.261B.01 Constitutional Interpretation II: Civil Liberties and Rights
• PHIL.213.01 Contemporary Philosophy
• PSCI.103.01 Political Theory *
• MUSL.264.02 Exploring Film Soundtrack <— Blair School of Music
• DIV.2564.01 MLK and the Social Role of Religion <—-Graduate Divinity School

* = If I get approval, I’ll substitute this class with a three hour Directed Research and Study within the Philosophy department, hopefully to study either Critical Race Theory or Postmodern Liberalism.

Good luck to everyone (everyone at Vanderbilt, at least) with class registration. Sign up for any of my Philosophy, Political Theory, or Religious Study courses and suffer my company.

Pumpkin Carving

Alexa, John and I holding our proudly carved pumpkin for the year. I’ll get a picture of Wade and Levy’s pumpkins as soon as I can, too. Maybe I’ll also tack on pictures from this weekend which will be full of McGill Halloween party/Rocky Horror Picture fun. Thanks to Sarah for taking the photo, by the way.

Top ASB sites for this year on my application:

1. Something To Say (Boston, MA) - Lobbying for Public Health Care for Elderly and Retired Citizens
2. Get Up, Stand Up (St. Paul, MN) - Working with the second largest Tibetan population in the U.S. for Tibetan National Uprising Day
3. Change Your Mind (Washington, D.C.) - Working with Metro Teen AIDS program in the D.C. and surrounding areas.

I really hope I get selected for one of those three sites.  Or get selected at all, actually.

Long Time No See

I’d be surprised if anyone still reads this hahaha.

Currently busy with:

• LSAT Practice Tests
• Making a rather extensive list of law schools to apply to/start visiting (I’m aiming for fifteen law schools that I’ll apply to) Of the following schools, the first few are reach schools, the middle ones are the possible/probable schools, and the last is a safety school.

1. New York University Law School
2. Northwestern University School of Law
3. University of Chicago Law School
4. University of Toronto Law School <—–  I really, really want to go
5. Boston University School of Law <—— If I can’t get in U of Toronto, this is my second choice
6. Vanderbilt University Law School <—— Just to see if I get in, I would never go
7. Boston College Law

• Moral Philosophy papers in three classes due this Wednesday
• Studio Art project due Wednesday (and another 1500 frames to animate… the horror)
• Reading East of Eden

What a bad semester for blogging.  Wish me luck.

To Be a Catastrophe of Melodies and Thoughts in Order to Fly So High, Up Into the Deepest Wells of the Earth

I finished my Major proposal and Contract of Courses. I also have my Major advisor. Now, the only thing left to do is have the Committee of Individual Programs approve my proposal. That…could take awhile. I’ve also submitted my application to change my graduation date. That also will probably take awhile (they’ll only accept the latter upon approval of the former)

School is challenging. Not surprising, but always good. I’ve probably learned more in the past 5 weeks then I did in all of high school. Perhaps not in terms of sheer useless volume of material, but in terms of useful philosophy and literature.

I have my next art piece due Monday. It’s a sound piece, which is proving to be fairly difficult. I might recruit some people to make some noise for me later. Who wants in?

There’s a Philosophy Conference in Boston that I’ve been invited to attend. I need to submit my works by October 5th though, which is really soon. I’m not particularly confident in my works, but we’ll see. It could be fun if I decide to apply and get accepted.

Salman Rushdie gave his lecture yesterday, and it.was.amazing. I’m not exaggerating, I really enjoyed listening to someone as infamous, funny, and articulate as him. Wade got a copy of Midnight Children autographed as well. Too bad we didn’t get a group picture with him. I think I’m going to pick up a copy of Satanic Verses during Fall Break and see if I can plow through it. My weeks of anticipation of the lecture were well rewarded.

I went hiking/picnicking/beer-houring with my lab last weekend. Super fun. The Pirate & Ninja party (or the whole hour of it that I just spent with John and Sarah) was fun too, as was Play with Alexa and Marc.

Final Note: I’m obsessed with The Go! Team now, along with Andrew Bird, and the Apples in Stereo. Oh, and A Theory of Justice and Justice as Fairness: A Restatement by John Rawls.