Month: August 2014

Our conversation about the “dog pee test” and the “honeybee dance” got me thinking about dolphin language.The complexity of the way dolphins communicate and interact with each other is particularly intriguing to me. That is one of the reasons why dolphins are my favorite animals. This article from the Dolphin Communication Project provides some interesting views and information regarding dolphin language.

I thought I’d do the homework as well, and write a blog post introducing myself.  I’m an Associate Professor in the English Department, and I teach a variety of classes here including Literary Questions (ENG 205), Literary History (ENG 206), Intro to Children’s Literature (ENG 218), Writing Genres (ENG 250), 19th C. British Novel (ENG 341), Studies in Writing and Rhetoric (ENG 250), and The Dog Course (soon to be offered as an FYS).  I’m also the Director of the College Writing Program.

I grew up in Pittsburgh, attended Swarthmore College (a small liberal arts college not too far from here), and then went to graduate school at the University of Pittsburgh.  I came to Lafayette in 1998, and I’ve lived in a few different spots on College Hill since then.  After growing up in the suburbs where you hopped in a car whenever you wanted to do something or go somewhere, I love living in a neighborhood where most of what I do is within walking distance.

I like that some of your introductions have included introductions of the non-human animals in your lives.  Very appropriate for our topic this semester.  🙂  So let me introduce my crew.  My husband and I live with two parakeets, Vinny and Rocky, and two dogs, Arlo and Katie.

When I’m not being a professor, I’m usually gardening, knitting, reading or doing something with my dogs.  You may run into us on campus.  The dogs love to hang out there because they can always find two of their favorite things:  food and tennis balls.

I thought I’d provide you with some context for our essay author John Berger.  Berger is a person of many talents and diverse interests.  Born in London in 1928, he left school at the age of 16 to study art.  In the 1950s, he turned from painting to writing.  He is the author of a dozen novels, the most recent of which won the distinguished Booker Prize.  He is perhaps even better known for his writing about art and culture.  One of Berger’s most influential (and popular) books, Ways of Seeing (1972), was concerned with how we look at images.

In the essay you read for our class, he is also concerned with looking–in this case why (and how) we look at animals.  As you might be able to tell from the essay you read, particularly the final pages, Berger draws as a critic on concepts and ideas from Marxist criticism.  “Why Look at Animals?” was published in the leftest periodical The Guardian in 1977.

A recent interview with Berger, also published in The Guardian, provides more information about his life and work.

Sources for this post

Wroe, “John Berger:  A Life in Writing.”  http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2011/apr/23/john-berger-life-in-writing
Cuba, “John Berger–Ways of Seeing.”  http://douglascuba.blogspot.com/2010/05/john-berger-ways-of-seeing.html

My name is Giovanni Girardi. I am a junior and I am an economics major. I have recently transfered into Lafayette College from Hofstra University this semester. I am also fortunate enough to have a spot on the lacrosse team here. A major component in transferring was picking a school where I would see time on the field, but also recieve a better education, and Lafayette seemed like the perfect place.

I choose this class because animals, particularly dogs have been a part of the Girardi household for a long time. My family and I own a dog named Cocoa, and she is a Puggle. A Puggle is a mixed breed of a Pug and a Beagle. In May of 2006 Cocoa became a part of the Girardi family. Before Cocoa  we owned  a dog named Rocky who was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Unfortunately Rocky passed away in 2004 due to cancer at only 5 years old. Luckily my Puggle has lived passed that age and is now 8 years old (in human years that is)! My brother Nicholas and his wife own two dogs. Their oldest dog is a Mini-Pincher named Primo, he’s 3 years old. The youngest is a Chihuahua named Giulia and she is 2.

As dogs play a big role in my family, so does spending time with my family. Besides my brother Nicholas, I have two sisters Maria and Giuseppina. The newest addition to our family is sister in law Samantha. As I said earlier, my brother is married. The wedding took place in Long Island, New York just this past summer in June. If my name as well as my siblings’ names hasn’t given it away by now, I come from a typical Italian family. My mother Filippa was born in Sicily. She immigrated to America with her parents and three sisters in 1969. My father Florestano was born in America, but has not strayed away from his Italian heritage what so ever. I enjoy spending time with my family, as family means a great deal in Italian culture. Whether its eating my mothers infamous Sunday dinners or just talking and telling funny stories, the Girardi family always enjoys spending time with one another. I look forward to getting to know everyone much better this semester as well as reviewing and commenting on your blogs!