Overview
A program unique to the College of Arts and Sciences is D3: Dinner and Discussion at Drexel, an interdisciplinary series aimed at bringing together students, faculty members, and outside experts from diverse fields of study. Open to courses throughout the University, the D3 structure allows members of the Drexel community to share an educational experience beyond the classroom setting, and encourages participants to think outside of their disciplines.
D3s are held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday evenings, with up to three D3 events occurring per quarter. The events typically include a brief panel discussion, lecture, or film screening, followed by dinner and an informal discussion.
To view currently scheduled D3s for this quarter, please visit the CoAS Calendar.
Faculty Members: Interested in Organizing a D3?
Dean Donna Murasko invites College of Arts and Sciences faculty to imagine creative ways to join their interests with the themes of courses offered throughout the University. A minimum of two faculty members from two different departments teaching complimentary courses should collaborate to design an event around a single topic, film, guest lecturer, etc. Of special interest will be D3 proposals related to current events—topics that will take the discussion out of narrow disciplinary boxes and into the larger world of ideas.
Here you will find: the D3 proposal application [pdf], the D3 evaluation form [pdf], and general guidelines for organizing a D3 [pdf]. The proposals will be reviewed by the D3 Committee, which hopes to report back within two weeks.
Please note that only three D3s will occur per quarter. However, whenever possible, we have reserved 4 dates to provide more options for scheduling. The following dates are currently available:
WINTER TERM
- January 20, 2010
- February 3, 2010
- February 18, 2010
SPRING TERM
- April 14, 2010
- April 28, 2010
- May 12, 2010
- May 26, 2010
The Launch of D3
by William ValerioDrexel students took part in a new and exciting program initiated by the College of Arts and Sciences, the unveiling of "D3." Not to be confused with Disney's "Mighty Ducks" movie of the same name, the acronym stands for "Dinner and Discussion at Drexel." The brainchild of the CoAS Dean, Dr. Donna Murasko, D3 is an innovative interdisciplinary series aimed at bringing together students and faculty members from different fields. This program is unique in that it allows members of the Drexel community to share a common intellectual experience outside a classroom setting and then discuss their ideas over dinner.
This first-time event took place on November 17, 2004 at the Behrakis Grand Hall in the Creese Student Center. In attendance were over 30 students who had been especially invited to the inaugural gathering. They represented a wide range of majors, not only from CoAS but from the University's other colleges as well. Dr. Murasko welcomed the audience and talked briefly about the new D3 series.
D3's inaugural program was created and organized by Dr. Gabriella Ibieta, Director of Drexel's English Major and Programs in the Department of English and Philosophy. Having worked closely with Dean Murasko to develop D3, Dr. Ibieta was very pleased to introduce the premise of the evening's festivities: students would watch a film, then, over dinner, they would share their reactions and ideas with discussion leaders.
These leaders were from various academic fields within CoAS and the Drexel community, which helped reinforce the interdisciplinary atmosphere. There to stimulate discussion among students were Professors Naomi Goldstein (Psychology), Kali Gross (History and Africana Studies), Julia Hall (Criminal Justice), Harriet Millan (University Writing Program), Marilyn Piety (Philosophy), and Abioseh Porter (English and Comparative Literature).
Selected for discussion was a documentary, the winner of the "Freedom of Expression" award at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. What I Want My Words to Do to You: Voices from Inside a Women's Prison is a powerful, emotional, and often moving film focused on a group of female inmates from Bedford Prison in New York. Over four years, the group took part in a writing workshop helmed by Eve Ensler, the playwright behind The Vagina Monologues. The inmates go through a process of personal discovery and atonement through writing that is described in the film. The culmination of this is seen when the women watch their own writing come to life, as actors Rosie Perez, Marisa Tomei, Mary Alice, Hazelle Goodman, and Glenn Close give dramatic readings in front of the entire prison (more information on the documentary can be found here).
Shortly after the film concluded, the audience split into groups with one discussion leader per table. Over a delicious dinner of lasagna, salad, and desert, the groups conducted lively conversations with their leaders. Much of the discussion involved the prison system and the problems that go along with it. Many other ancillary issues branched off from this subject, such as drug offenders and racial issues, economics and wealth inequality, the role of parents in the development of children, misplaced priorities in terms of money spent on prison rather than education, and the use of writing as a powerful tool of self-discovery.
When asked about the selection of D3's inaugural program, Dr. Ibieta explained: "I had seen the film in December of 2002 and was moved and impressed by its contents. Most importantly, the film showed the kind of process that the participants of the workshops experienced as they started to write about their personal histories and their crimes. I knew I wanted to present this film at Drexel, and soon found just the right venue. What I Want My Words to Do to You confronts us with problems and processes that are important not only to students of writing and literature, but to everyone - I thought that the issues raised by this film would provide an excellent forum for an interdisciplinary program such as D3."
What was most encouraging about Dinner and Discussion at Drexel was that it was indicative of a new trend in CoAS, an inclination toward unity. Interdisciplinary series such as this help bring together students from across the college and the University who would not normally interact with each other very much. Students and administrators have also received a chance to come together thanks to D3, with the evening's discussion facilitating interaction on a more informal level.
Initial reaction to the event has been very positive, so CoAS will most likely be seeing much more of D3 in the future - and that's certainly a good thing for professors and students alike.