Esteemed Carleton professor Roger Jackson will present the College’s annual Argument and Inquiry Seminar Convocation on Friday, Sept. 23 from 10:50 to 11:50 a.m. in the Skinner Memorial Chapel. Entitled “As Is/As If: The Anxious First-Year’s Guide to Argument and Inquiry,” Jackson’s presentation is designed to stimulate student reflection on the nature of liberal arts and a liberal arts approach to learning. His presentation will highlight the ways in which scholars ask questions, discover and evaluate information, and effectively and ethically construct arguments.
This event is free and open to the public. Convocations are also recorded and archived online at go.carleton.edu/convo/.
Roger Jackson is the John W. Nason Professor of Asian Studies and Religion, Emeritus. For 27 years, Jackson taught courses at Carleton in religion, Asian studies, and cross cultural studies. In his presentation, he will draw on Asian and Western sources from both "high" and "low" culture to focus on two different, but related, ways in which humans engage their world and try to make sense of it.
The "As Is" model relies primarily on the collection of empirical evidence, and is realistic and naturalistic in outlook. The “As If” model relies primarily on creative imagination, and is speculative and aspirational in outlook. Jackson’s talk will discuss the points of tension and harmony between these two ways of approaching the world, and will connect them to processes central to life at Carleton, including inquiry into and argument about the basic questions and problems facing us in the early 21st century.
This event is sponsored by the Carleton College Convocations Committee. For more information, including disability accommodations, call (507) 222- 4308. The Skinner Memorial Chapel is located on First Street, between College and Winona Streets, in Northfield.