The Savannah Country Day School is pleased to announce a new year of the Faculty Explorations lecture series. Taking place each Tuesday in January and February, the speaker series features Upper School teachers who will explore different topics—based on their areas of expertise—with the larger Savannah community. All seminars are free and open to the public. 

All lectures take place at the Savannah Country Day School (824 Stillwood Dr., Savannah, 31419). Space is limited, and pre-registration is required at: www.savcds.org/facultyexplorations

The 2023 Faculty Explorations schedule is as follows:

Tuesday, January 17: Einstein and Light? How Albert Einstein Helped Validate the Dual Nature of Light
7:00 - 8:00pm in Mingledorff Hall (212 Physics Room) 

Presenter: Adam Weber

In Adam Weber’s last Faculty Exploration, he discussed how human beings developed their process of thinking and analyzing. He ended his presentation with the conundrum that plagued scientists for years; what is the nature of light? In this presentation he will carefully analyze two of Einstein’s thought experiments that helped move the theory of light into realms never thought of before.  Join Adam as he tries to explain the Photoelectric Effect and the Special Theory of Relativity.

Tuesday, January 24: American Voices: Songs and Citizenship in the USA
7:00 - 8:30pm in Johnson Choral Room

Presenter: Scott Joiner

What makes American music extraordinarily rich? What do the songs and music you listen to say about you? What does a musical artist’s music say about themselves?  In this program we explore American song throughout the 20th century, and how songwriters have used their music to foster social change or promote American cultural and national identity, within the backdrop of major political and cultural movements of the 20th Century, including the Gilded Age, Progressivism, WWII, the Civil Rights Era, and Globalism. Live and historic performances ranging from Bel Canto Opera, New Orleans Jazz, Gospel, and Pop Music will be presented in this exploration of American culture as seen through the lens of history and music.

Tuesday, January 31: "Let me be clear...": The Art of Rhetoric & Argument

7:00 - 8:30pm Livingston 15

Presenter: Jen Glisson

Do you ever feel like you have something to say, but you’re not being heard? Would you like to share your ideas more effectively? Whether it’s in the office or at home with an aloof teenager, communication is critical, especially today when we are often reduced to a headline or Tweet to make our points clear. To get your message across, you have to consider not just what you want to say, but how you will say it so that your intended audience will be compelled to hear and respond. Join us to learn about rhetoric, how to understand the whole rhetorical situation, and what makes a convincing argument. Not only will you hear about strong argument techniques, but you’ll also practice them by analyzing a short text and even writing a little of your own while imitating famous authors. 

Tuesday, February 7: Memory and Lost Causes:  A Tale of Two Monuments

7:00 - 8:30pm in Mingledorff Hall (Room 212)

Presenter: Chris Beckmann

We are in a period of genuine historical reckoning over how we remember the Civil War and honor its participants.  Prominent Confederate statuary has been removed in many cities including New Orleans, Memphis and even the former capital of the Confederacy, Richmond, Virginia.  Further, southern military bases named for Confederate generals are now in the process of being re-named.  Within this wider context, Georgians are grappling with two prominent relics from their Confederate past, the monument to the Confederate Dead in Forsyth Park in Savannah and, to a greater extent, the large relief carving of Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee and Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson on the north face of Stone Mountain near Atlanta.  While both of these monuments celebrate the Confederate experience, they are very different in terms of when they were created, why they were created and the messages they hoped to convey.  A comparative examination of these artifacts yields a deeper understanding of the intersection of memory, race and power in our state from the end of the Civil War to our not-too-distant past.

Tuesday, February 14: Biology: It's Always More Complicated Than You Think
7:00 - 8:00pm in Mingledorff Hall (Room 206)

Presenter: Ariane Wright

It’s simple biology” is a phrase you hear in popular speech over and over again, but biology is anything but straightforward.  As living organisms evolved over millions of years as collections of chemicals made of primarily 6 different elements, the processes that sustain life have developed to impressive levels of complications throughout many series of mutations and selections.  A common refrain in my biology classes is, “it’s always more complicated that it seems,” and in this hour, we will dive into some of the biological “facts” that are taught as absolute and explore the ways in which there’s always more to the biological story and see that nothing found in “myriad forms wonderful and beautiful” is simple and straightforward as it might seem.