BRATTLEBORO — As Marlboro College takes its first steps in leaving Vermont to become the “Marlboro Institute for Liberal Arts and Interdisciplinary Studies” on the Emerson College campus in Boston, the Windham World Affairs Council is holding what may be its last “Marlboro event” while the college is still a cherished neighbor.
On Friday, Dec. 6, at 7 p.m., at 118 Elliot, WWAC will host two Marlboro students presenting on topics related to their senior research projects.
Over the years, WWAC programs have benefited tremendously from proximity to Marlboro College.
“For years, the college offered the council the privilege of holding monthly talks at their Marlboro Graduate Center in downtown Brattleboro, never asking for a rental fee,” the council said in a news release. “Their faculty members often served on the WWAC Board. Their students attended its lectures. They shared their prestigious Presidential Seminar Speaker Series with the organization. WWAC will really miss their presence in our community.”
An important feature of the Marlboro College program has always been the individual project, known as a “Plan.”
“Plan” is a major research project designed by the student. It's somewhere between a senior project and a master's thesis. Students spend their second two years at Marlboro “on Plan,” taking advanced classes and tutorials, and working independently on their projects.
At this event, the audience will get to sample two Marlboro “Plans.”
Leni Charbonneau has been in Marlboro's World Studies Program, traveling to conduct research and field work in Northern Japan and working closely with activists and organizations representative of Japan's Ainu community. Her presentation is entitled “Japan and the Ainu: A Spectacle of Sustainability.”
Adam Weinberg immersed himself in Marlboro's formal adjudicating body, its Community Court. His talk, based on this experience is entitled “Compassion for the Inconsiderate: Local Politics, Global Values.”
The Dec. 6 program, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7 p.m. with coffee, tea, and conversation. The talks will begin at 7:30 p.m.