Every year we seek to hold a series of public forums in which faculty can meet and deliberate with members of the broader community. The following symposia were held in the academic year 2004-2005:*

April 2: Teachers Speak Out!
This symposium addressed the changing nature of education through a discussion between local teachers from public and private schools and four faculty members from UW. The discussion centered on the following three themes: teaching to the test; competition and monitoring; and participation, democracy, and civic engagement.

May 7: The Changing Face of Childhood
This symposium was held at the Richard Hugo House and addressed the transformations that have occurred in the roles and relationships between children and adults. Parents, grandparents, counselors, mentors, teachers, and coaches who have close contact with children in their everyday lives participated in the discussion. The event explored the following broad themes: hyper-parenting, vigilance, competition, participation, diet, playtime, playspace, responsibility, caretaking, mentoring, television, and time-scheduling.

August 25: The Principal View
This symposium brought together principals from local public and private schools and members of the Seattle school board to discuss issues affecting children in the school system. It was themed around the following subject areas: allocating resources in times of scarcity; democratic responsibility and citizenship; and envisioning childhood: past, present, and future.

Public Lectures

The Reclaiming Childhood lecture series began in October 2005. Lectures take place on the first Wednesday of every month, from 5-6:30pm in
Communications 226 on the University of Washington. See below for more information on the 2005-2006 lecture series.

October 5
Katharyne Mitchell (Geography and Simpson Professor in the Public Humanities, UW)
“Pay to Play: Privatizing Childhood?”
What is the value of free time and free space? What happens to democracy when it’s gone?

November 2
Sharon E. Sutton (Architecture, UW)
“Youth as Actors in the Public Sphere”
Drawing from a national study of youth programs, this lecture explores how context and culture shape the way youth participate in organizations and communities.

December 7
Frances McCue (Richard Hugo House)
“Chasing Richard Hugo: A Poet's Beginnings”
This talk will explore one poet's development and speculate how "authentic" voices arise in writers who are children.

February 1
Ann Anagnost (Anthropology, UW)
“Reclaiming Childhood Reverie”
In what ways do the imaginary spaces of childhood (the secret garden, the desert island) inhabit our innermost sense of self?

March 1
Denise Gonzalez-Walker (Pediatrics, Harborview Hospital)
“Childhood: Is it Worth the Risk?”
The world seems to be a more dangerous place for children than ever before. How real are the risks? Are we being too overprotective?

April 5 - Cancelled due to illness
Patricia Campbell (Music, UW)
“Musically Expressive Children: Natural or Nurtured?”
A look into children's musical play and experiences in playing music. Where do parents take the lead in nurturing the natural, and how can professionals take it from there?

May 3
Walter Parker (Education, UW)
“Educating Democratic Minds Under the Shadow of Globalization”
At school, children are immersed in a social culture and a curriculum, which together orient them to political life. What is that orientation? Dare the schools build a new social order?

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