2009 RSA Seminar Schedule Overview
Seminars-Monday June 22-Friday June 26, 2009
Note to Seminar participants: coffee will be provided for you Monday through Friday mornings, from 8-12 am outside the Nittany Lion Inn Ballrooms where the seminars are being held.
Monday, June 22
Seminar Registration 8-9 am, Nittany Lion Inn Rotunda
9-12 am, Seminars in Nittany Lion Inn Ballrooms
Rhetorical Criticism Seminar meets in Ballroom A/B
Visual Rhetoric Seminar meets in Ballroom D/E
12-130 pm, Lunch on your own
130-430 pm, Seminars resume
5-7 pm, Reception at Jack Selzer's house
Jack and his Penn State colleagues invite you to his place for drinks, appetizers, and good conversation before you go off to dinner. This will be a good opportunity to get to know your fellow seminarians, so be sure to come. Transportation-the famed Nittany Trolley-will take you there and back, leaving from the Nittany Lion Inn at 5 pm. You can also walk (fifteen minutes from the Inn) or drive (five minutes). Jack's address is 720 Teaberry Lane. A map is enclosed with your registration materials. In case you get lost, Jack's digits are: 814.234.2935
Tuesday, June 23
9-12 am, Seminar meeting
12-130 pm, Lunch on your own
130-430 pm, Seminar meeting
545-745 pm, Dinner at Mt. Nittany Winery
On Tuesday evening, we'll have a catered dinner and served wine at a local winery in a beautiful setting on Mt. Nittany. Buses leaving from the Nittany Lion Inn at 5:15 will take you there. Evening temperatures at the winery run 5-8 degrees cooler, so dress accordingly: this time of year it could be quite warm, not so warm, or even a little cool.
Wednesday, June 24
9-12 am, Seminars continue
12-130 pm, Lunch on your own
130-430 pm, Seminars continue
There are no planned activities on Wednesday evening-so, take some time to enjoy State College and all it has to offer. If you have a car and a designated driver, you might check out Otto's Pub and Brewery (2105 N. Atherton), with its locally brewed beers, for dinner. You don't have to drive anywhere tonight, however, because there are plenty of restaurants, coffee shops, and bars downtown. Some of my (Jeremy Engels) favorite places:
--If you need a cup of coffee, and who doesn't, check out Saint's (123 W. Beaver, open till 6) or Webster's (128 S. Allen, open till 10). Saint's makes a mean latté, Webster's has the best authentic chai lattes.
--If you like independent record stores, visit City Lights (316 College Ave).
--The State Theatre (130 College Ave.) is an amazing place to see a show, and the 2008 independent movie Sugar is playing tonight at 7 pm and 930 pm.
--For dinner: India Pavilion (222 E. Calder Way) has surprisingly good Indian food for Central Pennsylvania. Cozi Thai (454 E. College), ditto for Thai food. Spat's (142 E. College) is good Cajun. The Corner Room (100 W. College) has good burgers. Herwig's Austrian Bistro (132 W. College) is a favorite if you like heavy German food. Inferno (340 E. College) feels like it wants to be in Chicago or NYC, very hip with good drinks and great pizza. And, if your pockets are deep, Zola New World Bistro (324 W. College) is one of the best restaurants in town. In terms of pubs, dig Zeno's, below the Corner Room, or Bill Pickle's, right next to the Corner Room.
Thursday, June 25
9-12 am, Seminars continue
12-130 pm, Lunch on your own
130-430 pm, Seminars continue
5-7 pm, Special presentation of Kenneth Burke Papers at Pattee Library
RSA Institute Seminarians (as well as early arrivals for the weekend RSA Institute Workshops) are invited to a special presentation on archival research in general and on the Kenneth Burke Papers in particular, on Thursday afternoon, June 25, from 5-6 pm in Foster Auditorium, Pattee Library. A reception will follow in the Mann Assembly Room, Pattee Library, from 6-7 pm. (Pattee Library is located at the center of campus, a short walk from the Nittany Lion Inn.)
The entertaining and enlightening presentation will be offered by two experts who have worked with the KB Papers for many years. Sandra Stelts, Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at Penn State, and librarian Jeannette Sabre will offer a lively overview of the Papers, which contain a wealth of materials of interest to scholars in rhetoric. The multifaceted papers, which span over eight decades, from 1906 to 1993, illuminate not only the personal and intellectual life of Burke, but also the lives of his correspondents, many of them major twentieth-century figures.
Friday, June 26
9-12 am, Seminars conclude
12-130 pm, Institute Luncheon (optional) at the Nittany Lion Inn Boardroom (downstairs)
Lunch will be served, and then we will have a Keynote Address by Barbara Johnstone of Carnegie Mellon University