News

Ian Buruma examines the cause of Hong Kong's pro-democracy activists and the complex colonial history behind their grievances.

"There is a deep anachronism at the heart of India’s Northeast policy: the continuing reliance on archaic colonial-era institutions," writes Sanjib Baruah in this op-ed.

Assistant Professor of Classics Lauren Curtis has won the 2014 research prize for best unpublished Ph.D. dissertation in the field of Greek and Roman music from the International Society for the Study of Greek and Roman Music and its Cultural Heritage (MOISA). Professor Curtis's dissertation, On with the Dance: Imagining the Chorus in Augustan Poetry, explores the poetic and cultural significance of Greek song-and-dance culture in Augustan Rome. Professor Curtis is revising her dissertation for publication and will present work from the book-in-progress at the MOISA panel at the next Society for Classical Studies meeting in New Orleans in January.

Cecile E. Kuznitz, associate professor of history and director of Jewish studies, discusses her book YIVO and the Making of Modern Jewish Culture: Scholarship for the Yiddish Nation.

Dutch artist Jeanne van Heeswijk begins her work in Annandale this week as the inaugural Keith Haring Fellow in Art and Activism.

Bard College Professor of Historical Studies Myra Young Armstead has been awarded a fellowship as a Schomburg Scholar-in-Residence. The fellowship, which is funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities, gives access to the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture and other centers of The New York Public Library. Schomburg Scholars research and write about black history and culture throughout the black diaspora, interact with other participating scholars, and give lectures on their findings. Professor Armstead has begun her six-month residency, during which she will research progressive public history in Harlem.
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A huge circular structure discovered underground at the site of the ancient Greek city Amphipolis is one of the most puzzling finds of modern archeology.

The Bard Globalization and International Affairs program and the West Point–Bard College Exchange will present “New World Disorder: U.S. Grand Strategy in a Chaotic Middle East,” a panel featuring Walter Russell Mead and James Ketterer of Bard College and Ruth Beitler of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. The panel will address the increasing and overlapping challenges facing the United States across the Middle East and North Africa. It will take place on Monday, September 22 at 6:30 p.m. in the Weis Cinema at the Bertelsmann Campus Center at Bard College.

Hannah Arendt Center director Roger Berkowitz examines a new book about the life of Adolf Eichmann, the Nazi who was responsible for the logistics of the Holocaust.

President Botstein lectured on "Beyond the Fiddler on the Roof: The European Jewish Experience before 1933 and Contemporary European Anti-Semitism" in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last weekend.

Richard Aldous interviews Walter Russell Mead on the American Interest podcast, considering the state of world affairs and the American role in conflict abroad.

The Hannah Arendt Center at Bard College, together with Bard's Center for Civic Engagement and Human Rights Project, is launching a new initiative, Hate and the Human Condition. The initiative aims to promote sustained reflection on what hate is and how it works, and to organize its exploration through a range of interdisciplinary and co-taught courses. Both a theoretical and a practical endeavor, it seeks to foster the academic study of hate while also connecting scholars and students to institutions and organizations whose work involves dealing with hate-related issues. Four such courses will take place this fall at Bard College in New York and three Bard-affiliated campuses: Al-Quds University, the American University of Central Asia, and Bard College Berlin.

The Center for Curatorial Studies and the Human Rights Project are pleased to announce that Jeanne van Heeswijk, an artist based in the Netherlands, has been selected for the first Keith Haring Fellowship in Art and Activism at Bard College. Made possible through a five year-grant from the Keith Haring Foundation, the Keith Haring Fellowship is a cross-disciplinary, annual, visiting Fellowship for a scholar, activist, or artist to teach and conduct research at both the Center for Curatorial Studies and the Human Rights Project at Bard College.

Peter N. Miller considers the power of artifacts to conjure human history.

Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program faculty and Carnegie Council president Joel Rosenthal discusses Andrew Carnegie's vision for peace on the World War I centenary.

How can the United States mitigate the strategic and humanitarian crises across the Middle East? Richard Aldous interviews Walter Russell Mead.

Bard College and the University of Witwatersrand collaborated on an innovative, interdisciplinary workshop on the arts and human rights at the Wits campus in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 5 to 7. A project of Bard and the Wits Institute for Social and Economic Research, the event featured presentations by curators, practicing artists, legal advocates, and social scientists. The workshop explored the intersections of human rights and the arts, aiming to foster an intellectual community across disciplines and institutions.

Professor Buruma looks at the troubled history of "strategic bombing" in this op-ed.

Journalist, author, and policy expert Andrew Nagorski, a faculty member at the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program, writes that anti-Semitism flourishes in modern Europe.

As the world's worst Ebola epidemic yet spreads through western Africa, Professor Specter calls for an improved global system to address future health disasters.

Omar Encarnación looks at how political regime influences the ways in which gay rights are expanding in some countries and contracting in others.

Mark Danner considers Robert Gates's career in light of his two books, Duty: Memoirs of a Secretary at War and From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider’s Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War.

The Bard Center for Civic Engagement announces more than 50 winners for the 2014 Community Action Award program, which supports student efforts to engage with communities locally, nationally, and internationally by providing funding for participation in internships that address issues impacting people around the world.

"The life of the first emperor is an ideal vehicle for a historical novel," writes Professor Mendelsohn. "Augustus is a figure about whom we know at once a great deal and very little ..."

How are colleges and universities using drones? For art projects, library delivery systems, and more. Bard's Center for the Study of the Drone is front and center.

Professor Mendelsohn considers how writers have responded to national trauma, from ancient to modern times.

As seniors, Arthur Holland Michel ’13 and Dan Gettinger ’13 created the Center for the Study of the Drone, an interdisciplinary research and arts project based at Bard. Now the center is becoming a leader in the national conversation about the social, economic, ethical, and political implications of drone use.

Though Hamas's new drone program may not have an immediate impact on the conflict with Israel, drones could play a bigger role should Israel send ground troops into Gaza, according to Gettinger.

In the Bardian

By Dan Gettinger ’13 and Arthur Holland Michel ’13

As seniors, Arthur Holland Michel ’13 and Dan Gettinger ’13 created the Center for the Study of the Drone, an interdisciplinary research and arts project based at Bard. The idea was to bring together academics from a variety of disciplines to discuss, study, and learn about unmanned and autonomous systems technology and its implications for warfare, law enforcement, and other civilian applications. Their project has evolved to include seminars, lectures, debates, roundtable discussions at Bard and in New York City, a blog, and a weekly news roundup that Thomas Keenan, associate professor of comparative literature and director of Bard’s Human Rights Project, calls “one of the most authoritative sources anywhere for news about drones of all sorts.”

Gettinger’s interest in drones began in his sophomore year, when he took a seminar taught by Walter Russell Mead, James Clarke Chace Professor of Foreign Affairs and the Humanities. Gettinger was intrigued by Thucydides’s account of the Peloponnesian War and how choices in weapons platforms affected the strategies of the ancient city-states. His Senior Project explored drones and the changing nature of modern warfare. Holland Michel, a double major in historical studies and written arts, broached the idea of a center for studying drones to Gettinger. In fall 2012, the two assembled a faculty team and helped design a course on drones that met with overwhelming student response, and the center took flight.

At the time we first talked about creating the Center for the Study of the Drone, U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen were peaking. Al Jazeera and the New York Times were regularly running stories about these operations, which the CIA was refusing to acknowledge. Drones hadn’t become a media sensation yet, but a public debate on the issue had begun. Advocates claimed that drones were more precise, surgical, and humane than the alternatives, while human rights activists decried the loss of civilian life, the psychological trauma of living under drones, and the threat that drones pose to privacy. The debate seemed inarticulate, misinformed, and immobilized by its own narrowness. This, we soon figured out, was no accident. Nobody really understood the drone—nobody really even knew what a drone was.

Defining the word “drone” is an exceedingly complex challenge. In the public imagination, a drone is a weaponized, unmanned aircraft that watches, and engages, members of extremist organizations in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, and the Horn of Africa. But from a technological perspective, this definition is too narrow. An unmanned submarine is technically a drone, too. One of our goals was to help broaden the public definition of drones to include all kinds of unmanned vehicles, be they airborne, land borne, or aquatic. As we understand it, a drone is a machine that uses sensors to collect information about its environment, and then uses actuators to either manipulate its own location and orientation in that environment or manipulate the environment itself. Some drones require a human controller to be in the loop; others can respond to their environment autonomously, according to their programming. All drones, no matter their shape or size, are irresistible, fascinating, uncanny, and somewhat terrifying; we want to find out why, and how, the combination of appeal and fear influences the public conversation. This is becoming increasingly important, as drones are not just for foreign operations anymore.

In 2015, the Federal Aviation Administration plans to create licensing procedures and air traffic rules for unmanned aerial vehicles in United States airspace. Unmanned technology is set to become an enormous industry, with some insider optimists predicting that the sector could be worth up to $400 billion in the next few years. More realistic estimates range between $13 billion and $85 billion. Whatever the dollar figure, demand for drones is expected to be extremely high. A farmer who previously operated a $3 million helicopter to survey his crops for $6,000 an hour will be able to run a $20,000 multirotor drone for a few hundred dollars per day (agriculture is expected to account for 80 percent of domestic acquisitions). Police departments will turn to unmanned aerial vehicles as a cheap and effective alternative to manned helicopters. NASA and NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) already fly military hand-me-down drones to survey animal migratory patterns and weather changes. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection bureau maintains a fleet of drones, which it lends to police departments, the FBI, and U.S. Department of Justice agencies.

The unmanned vehicle industry is growing despite the fact that the use of drones by law enforcement agencies is controversial. In this era of pervasive surveillance, the idea of government agencies acquiring yet another highly capable surveillance platform to monitor the domestic population is unpopular. Fears of an era of unbounded aerial surveillance have prompted state and local legislatures across the nation to pass bills that curtail aerial surveillance by both private citizens and government organizations. But drone technology, like the Internet, has developed far more quickly than the policies that are meant to regulate it. Driven by the promise of high profits, the industry is developing ever more sophisticated drones, from solar-powered drones that can remain airborne for up to five years to drones the size of insects. Each new drone is accompanied by a set of new ethical questions and policy challenges.

When Amazon announced in December that the company was developing a system for drones to deliver packages under five pounds to Amazon customers in 30 minutes, the prospect of large-scale domestic drone use departed from the realm of hobbyists and futurists and entered mainstream society. By putting its weight behind the controversial idea of domestic drones, Amazon thrust the drone debate into high gear, and highlighted the need for an informed policy response. Crucially, the Amazon announcement put pressure on the FAA to develop a domestic drone integration plan—an extremely complex task. The announcement mattered because it will require society to develop a framework for understanding the implications of unmanned technology beyond the current limited scope of the drone debate. What remains to be seen is whether Amazon’s drone delivery system will actually work in time for the prospective 2015 launch date. Critics note a long list of safety concerns. For example, many believe that Amazon drones can’t possibly work in crowded urban environments. Nevertheless, Amazon’s backing could help the technology and regulatory communities resolve lingering safety and privacy concerns. The question seems to be “when will this happen?”
rather than “will this ever happen?”

This past fall, Keith O’Hara, assistant professor of computer science, taught (De-)Coding the Drone. The four-credit class, which we designed with Professor O’Hara, combines hands-on training in unmanned systems programming with a humanities-based reading list and guest speakers from philosophy, the arts, history, and political science. The fall also saw a formal debate on drones (“Resolved: Drones Do More Good Than Harm”) with Bard students, cadets from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and faculty from both institutions.

In a bid to help the public organize the mass of information and media buzz surrounding this subject, we created the Weekly Roundup, a short, accessible list of the latest news, analysis, commentary, art, and tech from the drone world. Each week, the roundup goes out to an expanding community of interested citizens, researchers, pilots, artists, journalists, and writers. The blog features news analysis, portfolios, and interviews, while the website is a platform for historical, cultural, and aesthetic perspectives on current events. The interviews on the website attempt to bring unheard voices into the conversation about drones. In late fall, for example, we interviewed Natalie Jeremijenko, an artist and engineer who uses unmanned technology to create environmental solutions, and is considered a leading voice on the intersection of art, environmentalism, and technology. In 1997 she created the first-ever piece of “drone art,” flying a small, camera-equipped drone over large tech campuses in Silicon Valley.

The center’s efforts have been praised by a number of influential people and organizations. When Dan wrote about how the German Pirate Party (a socially liberal party favoring Internet freedom and political transparency, among other issues) flew a drone toward German Chancellor Angela Merkel at a campaign rally, the story was distributed widely among the Pirate Party and its supporters. Our work has been quoted by Bloomberg News, and featured in Slate, USA Today, Wired, Artforum, and elsewhere. In January and February, we cosponsored two panel discussions at the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. We are also providing research for the filmmaker Carl Colby’s forthcoming feature documentary on domestic weaponized drone use.

Initiatives to expand the center’s programs include concepts for tech literacy programs at Bard’s partner institutions, including the Bard High School Early Colleges, and development of an online archive for research about drones. We are confident that, through this collective enterprise, the public will be better equipped to face the social, economic, ethical, and political challenges that lie ahead.

Read the spring 2014 issue of the Bardian:

"Romm ... gives us a fresh and empathetic exploration of a man who, tantalizingly, seems destined to stay just out of reach," writes Bettany Hughes.

Ian Buruma examines the Japanese government's decision to revise the country's pacifist constitution.

Many weeds and invasive, non-native species are edible and sometimes delicious. Eradicate them by adding them to your diet, writes Environmental and Urban Studies executive administrator Tom O'Dowd.

Bard College is hosting a multinational group of 18 university-level scholars and educators on a six-week academic exchange program from June 21 to August 3. Entitled “Grand Strategy in Context: Institutions, People, and the Making of U.S. Foreign Policy,” this Study of the U.S. Institute (SUSI) is designed to foster a better understanding in academic institutions overseas of how U.S. foreign policy is formulated, implemented, and taught. Sponsored by Bard’s Center for Civic Engagement (CCE) and the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, the program features an academic residency at Bard’s campus in Annandale-on-Hudson and a week in Manhattan with the Bard Globalization and International Affairs Program.

Bard High School Early College's Steven Mazie looks at the Supreme Court's decision that police may not search a mobile phone in most cases without a warrant.

Bard High School Early College faculty member Steven Mazie looks at the ways in which humor helps us learn—with a little help from HBO late-night host John Oliver and Dr. Oz.

Four covers from Bard's La Voz magazine will be displayed in the exhibition “Vive La Guelaguetza: An Encounter with Oaxaca” at the Mid-Hudson Heritage Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, through July 19. The exhibition commemorates La Guelaguetza, a world-famous cultural festival from Oaxaca, Mexico, which for the last five years has been celebrated locally at Waryas Park in Poughkeepsie. The festival, which attracts thousands of spectators, will take place on August 3 this year. The La Voz covers on display feature the town's past La Guelaguetza celebrations, and are on view alongside paintings, photography, and traditional costumes from the state of Oaxaca. Bard College students Mariel Fiori '05 and Emily Schmall '05 founded La Voz in 2004 as a Trustee Leader Scholar (TLS) project, aiming to serve the Latino community of the Hudson Valley with a free Spanish-language magazine. Fiori is still editor at La Voz, and the award-winning publication now has an estimated 20,000 readers in the area. La Voz will mark its 10th anniversary with a celebratory evening at the Spiegeltent at Bard's Fisher Center on August 12.

Manuela Hoelterhoff reviews Professor James Romm's new book Dying Every Day: Seneca at the Court of Nero.

Bard College announces the appointment of Wilmot James, notable South African Member of Parliament and academic, as Senior Visiting Fellow at the Hannah Arendt Center for Politics and the Humanities at Bard College. James will be in residence at the College from April 2 to 12, 2015, and will offer a series of lectures on topics ranging from evolution, ethical considerations in the use of genetic information, and South African politics and history. He will also work with the Hannah Arendt Center to host a dynamic weeklong working group on current politics in South Africa.

In the face of rapidly expanding drone use, Roger Berkowitz asks, "What does it mean that the once obvious boundary separating human and machine intelligence is being diminished?"

Alan Sussman explores the meaning of human rights, drawing on philosophers from antiquity to modern times.

Experimental Humanities Director Maria Cecire talks about how the new concentration draws on innovative methods to help students explore the human condition in the digital age.

History Professor Richard Aldous talks with Stanford's Francis Fukuyama about his famous essay, “The End of History?”, 25 years after its publication.

Daniel Mendelsohn reviews Fermor's The Broken Road, the long-anticipated, posthumously published final volume in the trilogy chronicling his famous walk across Europe in the 1930s.

What led to the sudden resignation of one of the modern era's most successful monarchs? Omar Encarnación describes the royal family's many recent scandals, and how the new King Felipe hopes to restore the monarchy's reputation.

Human Rights and Written Arts joint major Corinna grew up in the small town of Sherman, Texas. She has been active with Bard’s Center for Civic Engagement and the TLS (Trustee Leader Scholar) program, which supports student volunteer efforts. In this interview, she talks about falling in love with Bard's campus, getting involved in the community, and how Bard has changed her.

Bard High School Early College's Steven Mazie discusses the Bond v. U.S. Supreme Court case, in which it was determined that the Chemical Weapons Convention Act—intended for large-scale acts of war and terrorism—cannot be applied to small, local crimes.

"The only people worth envying are the dead. That much, at any rate, is clear once you’ve spent some time reading the Greeks," begins Daniel Mendelsohn in this "Bookends" piece, which honors a most enviable ancient writer.

Political Studies Professor Omar Encarnación writes that Pope Francis is changing the Catholic church with a focus on social issues that stems from his time working in Latin America.

Arthur Holland Michel, Bard graduate and cofounder of the Center for the Study of the Drone at Bard, reports on the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International convention.