Commencement 2007 - Villanova University

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©MICHELINE PELLETIER/CORBISEvents Explore Legacy of Renowned Egyptian NovelistBY MICHAEL NATARO ’06 A&S, ’08 G.S.Naguib Mahfouz(left), who wonthe 1988 Nobel Prizein Literature, was awidely celebrated yethighly controversialauthor in the Arabworld. Many believehe was the mostinfluential writer inmodernizing Arabic literature because hewrote about such contentious contemporarysubjects as existentialism, socialism, homosexuality,even God—literary topics consideredtaboo in mainstream Islamic society.In April, Villanova University’s Centerfor Arab and Islamic Studies co-sponsoredfour events celebrating the life of Mahfouz,who died in August 2006.The first one was the April 3 screening ofthe Egyptian film, “Adrift on the Nile,” basedon Mahfouz’s novel centering on a houseboatin 1960s Cairo. Following the film, NasserChour, an instructor in communication,discussed the film and the author’s legacy.On April 10, Dr. Roger Allen, a Universityof Pennsylvania professor of Arabic languageand literature, lectured on “NaguibMahfouz: Retrospect on a Literary Life.”Dr. Allen, who had done much of his academicwork in Cairo, knew Mahfouz personally.He considers the author to have beenone of the most profound humanists ever tolive, and described him as having a “killersense of humor” in his use of one-liners.Mahfouz, born in Cairo in 1911, was a devoutMuslim, despite what his detractors said,Allen noted. The Nobel laureate describedEgypt and Egyptian society with “disarmingaccuracy,” noted Allen, particularly in KarnakCafé, his novel exploring a pillar of Egyptianculture: the coffee house. A writer of sagaswith recurring heroes, Mahfouz publishedmany works that allegorically addressed issuesof religion, politics and society.In 1994, as Mahfouz was leaving his Cairoapartment, he was stabbed by an Islamistfanatic, which severely damaged his writingarm and almost cost him his life. Allen notedthat the Arabic language has no clear wordsfor “fiction” or “irony,” and to some in theArab world, these concepts can seem nebulousand unclear, and even blasphemous.Allen’s lecture in the St. AugustineCenter for the Liberal Arts was followedby a wine-and-cheese reception.The third event, co-sponsored by thedepartments of theatre and of classical andmodern languages and literatures, were twoone-act plays by Mahfouz that were performedin the Connelly Center Cinema.On April 17, the two performances of TheMountain featured Villanova students andwere directed by Dr. Dina Amin. She is anassistant professor of theatre and of Arabicliterature and culture. The evening performancewas followed by a reception. Thesecond play, Death and Resurrection, onApril 17, was directed by the Rev. DavidCregan, O.S.A., assistant professor oftheatre, who also acted in the production.The final event was a screening of“Midaq Alley,” a Mexican film starringSalma Hayek and based on Mahfouz’s vividnovel set in Cairo’s alleys during WorldWar II. The film was shown on April 24 inthe Connelly Center Cinema. Dr. José LuisGastañaga Ponce de León, assistant professorof classical and modern languages andliteratures, then discussed the film.“The events were extremely successfuland well-attended,” said Chour. “Theywere a wonderful opportunity to show theVillanova community the artistic contributionsof the Nobel Prize laureate in theareas of theatre, cinema and literature.”Mahfouz’ influence reached not onlythroughout Egypt and the Arab world, butglobally, he added.The Legal Challenges of Islamic Law in Western DemocraciesBY ANTHONY MAALOUF ’08 G.S.Muslim immigrants do not alwaysassimilate into Western-style societies,especially in Europe where they representa growing population. Dr. CatherineWarrick, assistant professor of political scienceat Villanova University, is researchingthe serious legal questions these democraciesnow face when religious law and civillaw conflict. She gave a talk about herresearch on March 16 in the Bryn MawrRoom of the Connelly Center. It was thefirst in a faculty research series sponsored bythe department of political science.The paper Dr. Warrick presented,“Islamic Law in the Legal Systems of WesternDemocracies,” examined the question ofwhether democratic legal systems can incorporatedifferent legal traditions, particularlyIslamic law (shari’a). She is studying cases—in Canada, the United Kingdom andIndia—where Muslim minority populationshave argued, in some cases successfully, for64 Villanova MagazineIncorporatingreligious law intodemocracies raisesserious questionsbut could also leadto “modernizing”of the religiouslaw, accordingto Dr. CatherineWarrick, an assistantprofessor of political science at Villanova.the state’s extension of legitimacy to legalpractices based on shari’a.For example, Canada had an option toallow a Muslim couple’s divorce case to behandled by a Muslim tribunal, rather thanby the Canadian legal system. “It was a voluntaryoption, designed to relieve the statefrom all the cases it had to deal with,” Warrickadded. However, the problem is whetherthe state should enforce religious law. “Whatdo you do when there is an appeal to theJOHN WELSHruling? Eventually the state needs to take arole, and this poses problems for a pluralistsystem like this one,” she said.The question of whether religious law,particularly Islamic law, can be incorporatedthrough pluralism has a mixedanswer. “It is ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ depending onhow skeptical one is,” Warrick said. “TheCanadian system, which also allowed forCatholics and Jews to conduct their ownlegal practices, held for 14 years before itwas outlawed.”Incorporating different legal traditionsinto democracies raises serious questions,especially about gender equality, Warrickconcluded. However, there also could bereformatory outcomes, where the integrationof religious law into democratic systemscould, in fact, “modernize” the religious law.Warrick earned her Ph.D. at GeorgetownUniversity in 2002 and researches comparativelaw, Middle East politics and genderissues. To encourage discussion following hertalk, those attending had been asked to readher paper in advance. She also presented thepaper during the fall 2006 conference of theAmerican Political Science Association.
Scholarships and Awards Go to Three VillanovansEach year, Villanova University studentsare honored with prestigiousscholarships and awards. Here are justthree of these outstanding students.Jaclyn K. “Jacy” Farwell ’07 Nur.this summer begins a year of teachingEnglish as a Second Language in SouthKorea, thanks to winning a FulbrightTeaching Grant. Farwell’s selection wasbased not only on her academic achievementsbut on her diverse and extensivecontributions to the Villanova community.She served as a leader and mentor inthe College of Nursing, as a tutor throughProject Sunshine and the department oftheology and religious studies, and ascommander of Bravo Company in Villanova’sNROTC.Through the Fulbright program, Farwellalso is learning Korean, which connectsher with her family heritage. One ofher career aspirations is to improve healthcare for those with language barriers.Christine Feldmeier ’07 A&S receivedthis year’s Thomas J. Mentzer MemorialHaving tutored in Philadelphia and taught healthpromotion in Peru, Jaclyn K. “Jacy” Farwell ’07Nur. is spending her Fulbright year in SouthKorea teaching English as a Second Language.Award from Villanova’s Center for Peaceand Justice Education. The award recognizesa graduating senior who has contributedsignificantly through volunteer workto “expanding opportunities for the poorand underprivileged.” Feldmeier, whomajored in chemistry and biochemistry, willbegin studying medicine this fall at ThomasJefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.In the Dominican Republic, Feldmeieras a student was instrumental in initiatinga health clinic project and a program toteach piano to children and teen-agers inthe impoverished province of San Juan laMaguana. She plans to enlist support forand serve at the clinic and to make a differencein the lives of the poor throughher medical training. She also was activeon the Villanova Habitat for Humanitysteering committee and took part in missiontrips to Peru and South Africa. Shevolunteers at SILOAM, a center for AIDSwellness in Philadelphia.Haig Norian ’08 E.E. was one of 317juniors and sophomores selected nationallyto receive a 2007 Barry M. GoldwaterScholarship. This prestigious award recognizesexcellence in the sciences, engineeringand mathematics and supports a year or twoof graduate study for students who planresearch careers in these fields. Norian wantsto conduct research on energy harvestingand conservation, specializing in electronicmaterials science and signal processing.Seeing the Artistic and Literary Sides of GarbageBY ANTHONY MAALOUF ’08 G.S.or contemporary writers, what“Fgleams is trash,” observed Dr.Patricia Yaeger, who is the Henry SimmonsFrieze Collegiate Professor of Englishand Women’s Studies at the University ofMichigan. “Junk is becoming more fascinatingalso for modern artists, who areamazed at both the busted and the rusted.”At a March 20 faculty luncheon, Dr.Yaeger examined the social status of trash inmodern and postmodern literary and visualcultures. Titled “Luminous Trash: The Deathof Nature and the Apotheosis of Detritus,”her talk in the DeLeon Room of the St.Augustine Center for the Liberal Arts waspart of a series of faculty luncheons andlectures sponsored by the Villanova Centerfor Liberal Education.Yaeger earned a doctorate in Englishliterature at Yale University. She has publishedon 20th-century American literature,visual arts, Southern fiction, feministtheory, literary theory, geography andtrash in modern literature.Reading selections from modern andpostmodern poets, she observed that a literaryfascination with nature is rivaled bya literary fascination with trash.Using slides, the literary critic documentedseveral visual examples of trashused in the arts. Among them were thousandsof dead flies mounted on a canvasthat twinkled with reflected light, an abandonedhouse cut down the middle by achainsaw to allow sunlight to shine throughand a sculpture of a human dischargingshimmering jewels as a waste product.“There is a glorification in trashing,”Yaeger noted. Businesses have caught on,too, she said, referencing a commercialshowing a garbage truck driving throughbeautiful scenery and ending up at a natureReading from poems and showing slides,Dr. Patricia Yaeger, a University of Michiganscholar, explored “luminous trash.”preserve. A voiceover notes that the trashremoval company’s efforts have led to convertinga landfill into a nature preserve.“So are we talking about waste, natureor culture?” Yaeger asked. “Maybe theanswer is all three.”Trash is such an interesting culturaltopic, she noted, because these items arehuman-made and have a human history tothem, which enable them to tell a story tothe observer. The anthropologic fascinationwith discarded items, Yaeger said, isnot all that different from an antique collector’sfascination with very old objects.For more information on the VillanovaCenter for Liberal Education, whichwas inaugurated on April 16, visit www.villanova.edu/artsci/vcle.Summer 2007 65JOHN WELSH
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A Word from the PresidentWhat You C
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Institutional AdvancementPAOLA NOGU
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“Why did I decide on Villanova? W
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Guidance Center in New Rochelle, N.
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The vision behind a visual artscent
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For the 164th year—and the first
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Commencement2007Four Extraordinary
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