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FROM THE DEPARTMENT HEAD
WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY
WEST POINT, NY
DEPARTMENT
of
ENGLISH &
PHILOSOPHY
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Cadet and Faculty
Excellence
2-3
Mounger Writing Center 4
States of the Book
Conference
6
Arts in the Armed Forces 8
Faculty News 10
It has been about six months since our last newsletter, and I’m reflecting on change. In Book XV of the Metamorphoses Ovid
wrote that “everything changes; nothing perishes.” This ancient law of conservation might give us comfort that as the land-
scape shifts, foundations remain -- that with great changes come great opportunities. But for me, in the face of rapid change,
the motto of the department, ars longa, vita brevis (“Life is Short; Art is Long”) provides an important touchstone. The value
of what we teach and study does not diminish, but becomes more urgent as the pace of societal and technological change
increases. What we teach our cadets, how we teach them to be effective leaders who continually seek knowledge and ask
questions, prepares them as engaged thinkers and concerned citizens. The humanities, including philosophy and English, are
more relevant today than ever. Perhaps that is why as I write this we have historically high numbers of majors in the Depart-
ment’s two majors combined – and that number is growing as the class of 2020 finish their selections.
Inside this edition of the newsletter, you’ll find ample evidence of the relevant and intellectually rigorous pursuits of our ca-
dets and faculty. Behind the scenes, our effort to enhance the stature of the humanities at West Point is gaining steam as we
proceed with the development of the West Point Humanities Center, an initiative begun by BG (Ret) Scott Krawczyk. We are
working with AOG to examine bids from architectural firms vying to win the opportunity to construct the Center. The Center
we hope to construct on Trophy Point (among the most historic and scenic spots in the Hudson Valley) will itself be a land-
mark, a hub for engagement between faculty, cadets, academia, and the public. Not content to wait until ground is broken on
Trophy Point, we are implementing plans to stand up the Center’s operations. Soon, we will launch the educational mission
by inaugurating the West Point Fellows in the Humanities program. This program will support outstanding cadets and faculty
from across all disciplines as they work together to enrich our understanding of the center’s inaugural theme. In addition to
these exciting developments, this April’s second-annual Zengerle Family Lecture in the Arts and Humanities will feature
renowned author and public intellectual Ta-Nehisi
Coates, author of Between the World & Me. Cadets, fac-
ulty, and staff are engaged in a stimulating colloquium in
which they are reading Coates and related authors.
I hope you enjoy seeing the accomplishments and hap-
penings in the department. If something strikes a chord
with you, or if you want to send me an update about what
you are doing now as a department alum, please feel free
to contact me at [email protected].
- COL Dave Harper
A view from the “Gallery” in the Cadet Fine Arts Forum Building. The photos on display are by COL (Ret) Greg Gadson.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
Page 2
CDT Alex Laval-Leyva participated at the eighth annual
Mid-Hudson Undergraduate Philosophy Conference host-
ed by Marist College on November 4 and 5. Alex deliv-
ered an invited commentary on a paper written by three
students from the University of Delaware on the ethical
distinction between killing someone and letting a person
die. The paper, the commentary, and the responses by the
authors and members of the audience all provided a model
of philosophers at work, detached from the pedagogy of
the classroom and conjointly focused on a difficult prob-
lem concerning the nature and degree of a moral agent’s
intention. The photo shows Alex delivering his commen-
tary in the Henry Hudson Room of Fontaine Hall, and to
his left the Hudson River bordered on the far bank by a
freight train headed south to Newburgh, West Point and
points beyond.
CADET EXCELLENCE
PHILOSOPHY
On November 19, West Point’s Ethics Debate Team won first place at the Northeast Regional Competition. The team,
consisting of five debaters, Araceli Sandoval (Psychology), ‘17, Nathan Hernandez (Economics), ‘17, Robert Laval-
Leyva (Philosophy), ‘17, Carolyn Kehn (Sociology & Spanish), ‘18, and Nathan Frederickson ‘20, recovered from a
loss in the first round and went on to win five matches in a row, including an upset win in the final against reigning
champions, Tufts University. Under the direction of CDT Sandoval, the team distinguished itself with its civility, inci-
sive argumentation, and constructive commentary. Utilizing skills that West Point cultivates better than any other in-
stitution, the debaters responded to last minute shakeups
to the team structure with coolness, quick thinking, and
cooperative spirit. While all the members of the team
made special contributions, CDT Frederickson deserves
special mention. He was participating in his first debate
and had not been expecting to compete until a few days
prior to the competition. As luck would have it, the cases
CDT Frederickson was responsible for were called in the
second round (after the initial loss) and in the final round.
In each case, CDT Frederickson handled the situation
with grace, deftly articulating the team’s position and
showing deep understanding of the issues. As a result of
this win, the Ethics Debate Team will compete in the Na-
tional Competition in Dallas, Texas on February 26. This
is another example of the department’s commitment to developing cadet’s ethical reasoning, civic responsibility, and
effective communication.
The Ethics Debate Team defeated Tufts University (last year’s champion) in the final round.
Cadet Laval-Leyva ’17 presents at the Mid-Hudson Un-dergraduate Conference at Marist College.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
Page 3
FACULTY EXCELLENCE
LTG Robert Caslen presents Michael Saxon (DEP) and LTC Chris Korpela (EECS) the Ap-gar Award.
LTG Robert Caslen presents Professor Bob Tully with the Dean’s Award for Career Teach-ing Excellence.
The Superintendent, LTG Robert Caslen, recognized Professor Bob Tully and LTC Michael Saxon and from the Department of English and Philosophy for excellence in their respective fields. Professor Tully received the Dean’s Award for Career Teaching Excellence for a lifetime devoted to the noble calling of teaching. LTC Saxon received the Apgar Award for his project entitled “Ethics of Lethal Autonomous Weapons Systems.” This award has been established to recognize, encourage, and re-ward faculty members at the Academy by supporting teaching projects that improve cadet learning.
Various faculty members have had their work published this semester, and the publications that have come out over the last six months—both scholarly and creative—demonstrate the myriad areas of specialty and skill within the department. In no particular order, here are this season’s publications:
COL John Nelson co-authored an interdisciplinary essay, “Inefficiently Automated Law Enforcement,” and he co-edited the anthology A Companion to the War Film, recently published with Wiley-Blackwell.
COL Dave Harper published a chapter in Milton in the Long Restoration (Oxford). MAJ Adam Karr published a review of William Finnegan’s 2016 Pulitzer Prize winning memoir Barbari-
an Days: A Surfing Life. Dr. Cassandra Nelson published an essay on Flannery O’Connor in Commonweal magazine, and she also
published a review on Don DeLillo’s latest novel, Zero K. Gold Man Literary Review published LTC Alan Brown’s essay, “Eyes of Realization.” MAJ Bobby Briggs’ article “There’s No Place (Like Home): Craig Santos Perez’s Poetry as Military
Strategy” was published in Green Letters journal. He also published a creative piece entitled “Service with a Smile” in the War, Literature and the Arts journal.
Dr. Matt Salyer has published several scholarly and creative pieces. Most recently, his poem “Copland” was featured in the journal The Common.
COL David Barnes published his book The Ethics of Military Privatization: The US Armed Contractor Phenomenon.
Dr. Seth Herbst published a chapter in Milton in the Long Restoration (Oxford). LTC Todd Burkhardt published his book Just War and Human Rights: Fighting with Right Intention. Dr. Katie Daily-Bruckner has been named a co-winner for the Northeast MLA Book Award.
FACULTY PUBLICATIONS
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
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On Wednesday, October 26, William D. Mounger, USMA Class of 1948, presided over the formal dedication of West Point’s newly named Mounger Writing Center (MWC) on the 2nd floor of Jefferson Hall. The ceremony and naming recognized the generous gifts that Mr. William Mounger has made to the Department of English and Philosophy in support of writing achievement, CFAF, AIADs, and other annual activities large and small in the life of the department. The mission of the MWC, along with the Writing Fellows Program (WFP), is to host reg-ular one-on-one consultations, periodic group workshops, and special events to support the full spectrum of cadet writers. Cadets work with specially-trained Writing Fellows who assist them with writing and communications projects for any academic course, personal interest, or professional opportunity. The conversations that take place in the MWC are designed to help all writers express themselves more clearly, forcefully, and effectively.
WILLIAM D. MOUNGER WRITING CENTER
William D. Mounger, ‘48 and Cadet Cameron Voigt ‘17 unveiled the Writing Center’s placard at the formal dedication of the Mounger Writing Center in Jefferson Hall.
In the 2015-2016 academic year, Cadet Writing Fellows conducted nearly 600 consultations with over 300 dif-ferent cadets; 99% of cadets indicated their experience was “very helpful” (82%) or “helpful” (17%). Mr. Mounger’s generosity has also annually supported Writing Fellows’ participation in multiple academic confer-ences as well as the establishment of “Writing Today,” a two-week summer seminar in which Cadets study the roles of writing across various disciplines and professions in Washington, D.C.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
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PHILOSOPHY FORUM
Thomas Noah spoke to cadets and faculty on Win-ning Hearts and Minds (WHAM) during the Philos-ophy Forum on October 18. Noah argued that tradi-tional "Winning Hearts and Minds" strategies rely upon a problematic psychology of emotion versus reason, and, therefore, almost exclusively focus on economic and security incentives to motivate coop-eration. Instead, a more realistic psychology of mo-tivation suggests that, in order to secure corpora-tion, WHAM strategies should also target socially conditional preferences.
On November 2, the Philosophy Forum hosted Can-dice Delmas for a lecture on “The Ethics of Hack-tivism.” Dr. Delmas is Assistant Professor of Philos-ophy and Political Science at Northeastern Universi-ty and Dworkin-Balzan Fellow at NYU. She is a specialist on issues of political authority, resistance, and disobedience. In her lecture, she argued that Hacktivism is a broad category of political re-sistance that includes electronic civil disobedience, online vigilantism, and whistleblowing. She dis-cussed numerous examples of these types of behav-iors and offered some basic tools for ethically as-sessing them. Cadets asked some excellent questions that provoked fascinating conversations. This event is another example of the department’s continuing efforts to foster ethical reflection among the Corps of Cadets.
Thomas Noah speaking to Cadets and faculty in Jeffer-son Hall’s Haig Room on October 18 2016.
Dr. Varzi answers a question from the audience. The dis-cussion with interested cadets and faculty went on well after the scheduled end of the event.
Candice Delmas takes questions from cadets on the ethics of hacktivism.
On August 30th, Dr. Achille Varzi addressed the Phi-losophy Forum on “Surviving Change: The Problem of Change and Identity through Time.” Dr. Varzi in-troduced the audience to one of the oldest questions in philosophy: How can things change through time yet remain the same? Dr. Varzi discussed the possibility that the problem can be dissolved by reconsidering the nature of objects. Instead of thinking of things as hav-ing only three spatial dimension—height, width, and depth—we can instead conceive of things as having a fourth temporal dimension—what we might call tem-poral extension. Reconceiving things as four dimen-sional seems to show that it is quite simple how one object can change through time. Dr. Varzi is Professor of Philosophy at Columbia University and is a beloved instructor of a number of current and former USMA faculty. The talk was well attended and the discussion that followed was lively.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
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STATES OF THE BOOK CONFERENCE
On the September 23 and 24, The Department of English and Philosophy hosted twenty-nine scholars and guests from a diverse array of prestigious academic, library, and archival institutions from across the world. The conference, enti-tled “States of the Book,” brought together some of the leading voices in the field of bibliography to discuss the meth-ods and effects of state and institutional manipulation of texts and written records. Scholars presented work from di-verse periods and historical locations ranging from declamations in the late Roman Republic, to 17th century Tibetan printing pro-cesses, to contemporary intersections of digital media, identity creation, and extremism. Several scholars were invited to present their work in a series of panels held in scenic Jefferson Hall on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. Attending the panels were guests from the Department Faculty, cadets, and community members.
West Point served as the perfect venue to sponsor an investigation of this kind. The United States Military has long engaged in, from multiple vantage points and in an historically diverse array of con-texts, the documented material history of the United States from the American Revolution to current challenges in this increasingly complex global environment.
The conference also offered an opportunity for guests to get a glimpse of cadet life here at USMA. Cadet majors from the Department hosted several visitors for lunch in Washington Hall on Friday, allowing them to observe formation and witness the unique lunchtime ritual of the Corps, where history, tradition, and discipline intertwine. And with beautiful weather on that Friday afternoon, those attending panels in the Haig Room enjoyed West Point’s Parachute Team dropping onto the Plain as their backdrop! Finally, after the final panel on Saturday morning, visitors had the opportunity to tour the monuments on trophy point with Major Christine Keating from the Department of History.
Headlining the conference was the keynote dinner and address, held in the Lucas Military Heritage Center at the West Point Museum, with the address given by Professor Michael Suarez, S.J., the Director of the Rare Book School and University Professor at the University of Virgin-ia. His address, entitled “The Government of the Tongue: Scenes from the Censorship and Reception of Shakespeare’s Plays,” explored the ways that Shakespeare’s works have been modified, adapted, and
expurgated to conform to institutional and social values.
Faculty and cadets alike lauded the conference as an opportunity to both reaffirm USMA and the Department of Eng-lish and Philosophy’s commitment to the highest standards of scholarly achievement, and bridge the civil-military di-vide through productive engagement. The conference was generously supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Fellow-ship of Scholars in Critical Bibliography at the Rare Book School and the United States Military Academy Association of Graduates.
The conference concluded with a tour of West Point led by Major Christine Keating from the Department of History.
The Special Collections Staff from the USMA Library displayed several items for guests in the foyer of the Haig Room.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
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Members of the Hudson Valley Culture Forum travelled to Hudson and Hyde Park, New York, to tour the Olana and Vanderbilt Mansions. Olana Mansion, a New York State His-toric Site, was the home of Frederic Church, the premier American landscape painter of his era. Cadets received a pri-vate tour that included viewing many of Church’s paintings and his extensive collection of artwork and cultural items from his many travels abroad. The tour culminated with a viewing of “Capturing the Cosmos,” the 2016 exhibition in the Sharp Family Gallery, which explores the influence of the great German naturalist Alexander von Humboldt on Church.
CFAF CLUBS
HVCF enjoys the view of the Hudson River from the piazza of Olana Mansion in Hudson, NY.
USMA — VASSAR INITIATIVE Students from Vassar College travelled to West Point on Friday, September 9 to experience “a day in the life” of a West Point Cadet. Upon arrival, they toured Trophy Point, followed by instruction at the Engagement Skills Trainer, which builds marksmanship, communication skills, and small unit leadership. After-wards, the students received an orientation to the Indoor Obstacle Course Test and then attempted the various events, themselves. Following dinner in the Cadet Mess and evening social activities, the students remained overnight in the Cadet Barracks. The next morning, September 10, the students attended the pre-game parade on the Plain, toured the Branch Week static displays, and cheered the Ar-my Football team on to its 31-14 victory over Rice. Joining them at these events
was Interim President of Vassar College Dr. Jonathan Chenette. The group then as-sembled for a post-game reception hosted by COL Harper be-fore departing West Point.
CDT Mason Conine ‘18 orients a Vassar College student to the M4 rifle at the Engagement Skills Trainer.
CPT Eliot Proctor, DPE Instructor, assists a Vassar College student as she negotiates the shelf.
Cadets from the Creative Writing Forum pose with Sarah Kay and Andrea Gibson at The Linda Theatre in Albany.
Cadets in the Creative Writing Forum attended a spo-ken word poetry event in Albany, NY. The event is part of a tour that renowned spoken word poets An-drea Gibson and Sarah Kay recently began. Sarah Kay, who teaches poetry internationally and has been featured in a TED Talk entitled “If I Should Have a Daughter” began the event with three powerful poems about human experiences. She was followed by An-drea Gibson who is known for holding no punches when it comes to current social issues.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
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ARTS IN THE ARMED FORCES
In October, the Department of English and Philosophy welcomed Arts in the Armed Forces to West Point. AITAF is a non-profit organization whose founders, Adam Driver and Joanne Tucker, bring premier talent from the performing arts community to per-form contemporary American monologues for military audienc-es. This was the first time that AITAF has visited an Academy, and West Point is excited to be part of AITAF’s continued effort to bridge the gap between the military and performing arts com-munities. Under the direction of artistic director, Joanne Tucker and director, Lila Neugebauer, ten actors performed various monologues that had the audience laughing, crying, and on the edge of their seats. Additionally, the cast and crew met with EN152: Literature and EN367: Drama in Cullum Hall where Ca-dets had an opportunity to ask questions about craft and perfor-mance. We are excited to continue our relationship with AITAF for years to come.
Actors and Directors answer cadet questions in Cullum Hall. [Left to Right]: Reg Rogers, Anna Chlumsky, Lila Neugebauer, Shane McRae, Joanne Tucker, William Jackson Harper, Jackie Cruz, Bill Heck, Marylouise Burke, Tonye Patano, and Saidah Ekulona.
Reg Rogers performing as Father Donnally. Rogers also fabulously impersonated bacon on the stage.
Cadets from the Creative Writing Forum, EN367
Drama elective, TAG, and PL300 attended a perfor-
mance of Stephen Belber’s play, Tape for AITAF’s
annual fundraising event in NYC. Adam Driver
(founder), Pablo Tell Schreiber, and Keri Russell
gave an incredible performance with focus on the
dialogue. With only the use of floor mics and music
stands, the actors gripped a sold-out crowd at Stu-
dio 54, powerfully depicting the aftermath of a date
rape.
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
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DEPARTMENT AIADS
Cadets and faculty from DEP stand in front of Michelangelo’s iconic sculp-ture of David, located at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence.
Writing Today cadets meet with NPR broadcasters, pro-ducers, and editors. From Left to Right: Amen Uwudia ’19, Fred Mathelier ’19, LTC Sean Cleveland, Michaela Holmes-Johnson ’19, Gabrielle Alford ’19, Korva Coleman, Kayla Matute ’19. Kneeling: Geoff Brumfiel (Science Editor). Sit-ting: Kathy Rushlow (Senior Producer).
Many cadets and faculty members in and out of the depart-
ment used the summer to broaden their academic experience
on an Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD).
From London, England, where cadets studied Shakespeare’s
war plays to Prague, Czech Republic, to study a historical
case and the ethics of war regarding it, cadets and faculty
were able to enrich their academic experience through cul-
ture, literature, and writing. Here are some photos and high-
lights from the summer:
LTC Burkhardt, MAJ Bernat, CDT Olivia Smith, CDT Claire Jones, CDT Aaqib Syed, CDT Andrew Holden, and CPT Viktor Szitkey are pictured here at St. Cyril and Methodius Cathedral, Prague.
At the Globe Theatre with Cadets Hannah Wentland ’19, Jorie Mason ‘18, Taylor Gordon ’19, Jake Spelce ‘19, David Jacquish ‘19, and Mariah Foster ’19).
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND PHILOSOPHY — WINTER NEWSLETTER 2016/17
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“I’M LEAVING ON A(N) [AH-64 LONGBOW]”
UPCOMING
EVENTS John Calabro Night of the Arts
(Mar ’17) 2nd Annual Zengerle Lecture—
Ta Nehisi Coates (Apr ’17) Projects Day: Academy Idol,
Major’s Picnic, Shakespeare Performance
The Department is losing MAJ Adam Kel-
ler earlier than expected, as the Aviation
branch has afforded him the opportunity to
attend the AH-64 Longbow course. Though
it will be hard to lose such a tremendous
leader and teacher, this course will help
Adam remain competitive in the branch.
Adam has been an instrumental part in the
department’s success for the last year and a
half. He has taken on numerous roles,
which include: primary coordinator and
planner for the First Annual Zengerle Fam-
ily Lecture, course executive officer for
EN101 course, and Officer in Charge of the
Elsie Sannes-Pinell Art Appreciation Fo-
rum. Adam, his wife Karen, and their
growing family will be missed in the de-
partment.
With his hands, MAJ Adam Keller describes the airframe transition course he will attend after leaving the Department.
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK
Many new faces have
graced the Department
this year. We are lucky
to have the following in-
structors and professors
join our ranks. Dr. Katie
Daily-Bruckner, Dr. Col-
leen Eils, Dr. Cordelia
Zukerman, Dr. Molly
Freitas, Dr. Maria Seger,
LTC Stephen Woodside,
LTC Alan Brown, LTC
Jeff Gibbons, MAJ Trivi-
us Caldwell, CPT(P) Mi-
cah Chapman, and CPT
(P) Joe Mazzocchi.
New faculty members pose on the CFAF stage at MAJ Caldwell’s promotion reception: Katie Daily-Bruckner, Colleen Eils, Trivius Caldwell, Molly Freitas, and Cordelia Zukerman.
The Department solicits orders for Department T-Shirts in Spring and Fall Semesters.
Contact MAJ John Madden at [email protected] for more information.
English-and-Philosophy-USMA/116850241718070
Department of English and Philosophy
United States Military Academy
607 Cullum Road
West Point, New York, 10996
Editor:
MAJ Bobby Briggs
Contact:
845.938.1630
MAJ Adam Keller coordinated a helicopter tour with 2nd Aviation as part of this year’s Arriving Faculty Work-shop. This aerial photo of West Point was taken aboard the helicopter on one of the trips.
