Next year at this time, Dr. Melissa Zinkin won’t be teaching classes. Thanks to a Research Semester Award from Harpur College Dean Mileur, she will use the time off to finish writing a book about German philosopher Kant’s concept of force. The award is granted to select junior faculty who are not yet eligible for sabbatical leaves because they do not have tenure. The Dean and his committee of faculty, the Provost, and the President select winners among applicants. Recipients spend the semester concentrating on a significant scholarly or creative project.

The January 2001 Harpur Hotline included a list of faculty who have received the award and their intended research.

In addition to teaching Philosophy, Dr. Zinkin along with Dorit Naaman of Cinema coordinates the Interdisciplinary Film Workshop, sponsored by the Harpur Dean's office. She was hired in 1999 and brings new ideas, and limitless opportunity to Harpur College.

What will you be doing with your sabbatical?

M. Z.: I’ll be completing a book manuscript on Kant’s philosophy, and I’m going to focus on what Kant says about natural forces, by which I mean what makes things move and interact with each other.

What got you interested in that area of research?

M. Z.: This topic combines a lot of interests of mine. I’m interested in the history of Philosophy, Kant, the philosophy of science, and aesthetics. My book will reveal some problems that Kant had with explaining the possibility of natural forces in his philosophy of science and then go on to show that his aesthetics can be understood in part to be an attempt to finally provide an adequate theory of natural forces. That was my dissertation.

Why did you choose those particular subjects?

M. Z.: When I went to college I was originally and art major. [Yet, I had] a cerebral side that made me switch to Philosophy. I guess I always assumed that I would be an academic. I’ve always loved to read, think about things, and write, so I decided to do that in Philosophy. But I still love art, so I’m trying to incorporate that into Philosophy. It’s also the reason why I’m doing this film workshop. I was interested in film and I thought now I have a chance to bring back that interest and do something with it.

What are you going to do during your sabbatical? How will you get the information you need to write your book?

M Z.: This summer, I plan to finish a rough draft of the whole book and send it off to various academic presses in September. Then in December, get comments back from reviewers saying, "You have to change this, you have to add a chapter here," and then I’ll use my research leave in the Spring to make the whole thing perfect. So then by the end of next year, my book will be ready to be published. I plan to use the materials in the library here or interlibrary loan.

Will it be a textbook?

M. Z.: It will be an original work of philosophy.

Why did you choose to write about Kant?

M. Z.: Kant was the most important philosopher of the enlightenment and most philosophers today refer to him as their starting point. They either have to argue against him or support him. He looms large in the history of philosophy and you have to take account of his arguments.

Please explain the film workshop.

M. Z.: It came from a late night conversation. A bunch of faculty were together and we were debating who has the right to talk about film. People in Literature talk about film, people in History talk about film... But there’s a film department too, and they seem to be the ones who should have the authority. So we decided to put together a workshop to have these different disciplines talk about why film was important to them. Of course it included the film department. I think that conversation was about a week after I got a notice from the Dean announcing the deadline for workshop proposals. The workshop is a really good idea because so many different faculty members from different departments are interested in film.

What have you done with the film workshop and what is on the horizon?

M. Z.: Last year was the first year, so we only had time to get one outside visiting speaker. His name was Toby Miller, and everybody loved him. He was very good, from NYU. This year we’ve had Hamid Naficy and Ella Shohat. We’ve also had our own faculty give presentations. Michael Kohler from the Comparative Literature department showed "Chinatown" and then he read a paper about it. It was early in the morning and we ordered food and we watched the film and talked about his paper and then went to lunch and that was nice. And Ingeborg Majer O’Sickey showed an early film by Douglas Sirk "Zu neuen Ufern" ("To New Shores") and she presented her commentary on it, so it’s just a way for people to share their work with each other.

What sort of things would you like to do in the future?

M. Z.: I’d like to either continue my interest in Kant and aesthetics or do something with social or political philosophy.

Where did you go to college and graduate school?

M. Z.: My undergraduate was at Brown University, and my graduate was at Northwestern. As a graduate student I took a year and a half and studied in Tübingen, Germany.

How do you like it here?

M Z.: I really like Harpur College and I like the students a lot. They remind me of the kids I grew up with in New York City. They have different backgrounds, are city smart, don’t mind that I talk fast in class, and will talk fast back. It’s an atmosphere that I’m used to. I think the students are very interesting and fun to teach. The faculty and administration are very supportive. It’s really nice to get this sabbatical. Harpur College is a good place for a young faculty member.

HARPUR COLLEGE STUDENT PROMOTES FIRST ALL SUNY REGATTA

Amy Messersmith '01 is excited about making history. As a member of the crew club, she will be participating in the 1st Annual All SUNY Regatta on Saturday, April 21, hosted by Binghamton University. More than 200 athletes from SUNY campuses - including Binghamton, Albany, Geneseo, Stony Brook, Buffalo, Oswego and Maritime - are expected to compete.

Crew was established at Binghamton as a club sport in 1988. Head Coach Dan Hogan has been there through the long haul. "He stuck with us even when we only had less than the bare essentials, " said Messersmith. " The crew club began in someone’s back yard on the West side of Binghamton." The club has since grown to 45 + members. For the complete history of Binghamton crew and several exciting photos, check out their web site at http://www.binghamtoncrew.com.

When it’s too cold outside, the crew races indoors. How is that possible? Messersmith explained, "We train and race individually on ergometers, which are stationary machines you row on. We race 2000 meters against the clock." All that hard work has paid off. "The program has built a strong reputation in collegiate rowing, from breaking records, winning trophies, and winning races. After 12 years, the regatta is an excellent way to draw attention to this sport in this area and to promote Binghamton University."

Rowing fans can look forward to heated competition in both men's and women's four and eight person shells in the varsity, junior varsity and novice categories. The first heat will begin at approximately 11 a.m. on April 21^st at the Hiawatha Island Boat Club. Crews will head down the Susquehanna River toward the finish line located at the boat launch ramp in Hickories Park, Owego.

Medals and points will be awarded to the winners of each race. The campus scoring the highest number of points overall will receive the SUNY Cup at a presentation ceremony scheduled to begin at approximately 3:15 p.m. that day.

Amy Messersmith hopes the regatta will raise awareness of BU’s crew. "It’s not simply a club sport. We’re at the level where we can compete against other teams who are in Divisions I, II or II, such as the Dad Vail Regatta. Our program has developed this well because people have remained on the tea m. Other SUNY schools are coming into our town now and we’re showing them our river."

As a Spanish major at Harpur College, Amy feels crew participation has given her self discipline to succeed both academically and athletically. "I guess I would say fitting in crew and studying together was a personal challenge that had a positive effect on my life. The challenge included putting myself up to the commitment, giving up my weekends, and sacrificing a few hours of sleep. Since my first year involved, my GPA has increased, I've even been on the Dean's List along with other team members, and I'm in a stronger physical condition that I've ever been in.

For more information on the regatta, contact Erik Peterson, club sports administrator, at 607-777-4883.

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