BSOS Faculty & Students Present at TEDxUMD

Late this Spring, a TEDx event was hosted at the University of Maryland! The talks are finally available to watch online!

TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED conferences, which began in 1984, represent the intersection of Technology, Entertainment and Design, and cover almost all topics — from science to business to global issues. Smaller, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in local communities around the world.

TEDxUMD was a full-day, UMD-affiliated event led by ten University of Maryland students who form the TEDx executive board. Their goal is to bring together bright minds to give talks that are idea-focused, and on a wide range of subjects, to foster learning, inspiration and wonder – and provoke conversations that matter. The theme of the event was The Human Experience, which opened the door to countless potential topics, conversations, and learning opportunities for the entire UMD community.

The College of Behavioral and Social Sciences (BSOS) is proud to have been represented at TEDxUMD by no less than four presenters; Dr. Shibley Telhami (Anwar Sadat Chair for Peace and Development), Dr. Scott Roberts (Department of Psychology), Dr. Dylan Selterman (Department of Psychology), and Camila Uechi (Bioengineering/Law & Society). They were selected from a large pool of faculty, student and staff applicants to deliver their own unique presentations at the inaugural TEDxUMD event. 

The event was sold out, and was live-streamed online for audiences around the world. Visit the TEDxUMD website to watch the presentations and to learn more about TED, the presenters, and the mission behind these fascinating events. Below are short descriptions of the talks given at TEDxUMD by members of the BSOS community:

Dr. Shibley Telhami
"Identity and The Prism of Perspective"

"My talk focuses on how much of what has been happening in the Middle East has been a function of the change in personal identity away from seeing oneself as a citizen of the state and toward identification as “Muslim” and “Arab,” something that I documented in 10 years of public opinion polls I conducted. But contrary to conventional wisdom, these shifts are not indications of the rising power of political Islam, but an embrace of those aspects of identity that most Arabs felt were under assault in the decade after 9/11, when most believed the West was out to weaken the Muslim world. Through the rhetorical question “why is Barack Obama black?” I explore the fact that one is what one has to defend. The consequence is that identity itself is always a function of a relationship with an important other. In turn, when people say they are Arab or Muslim, it means that they care about others who identify themselves in the same way, even outside their own state boundaries, thus raising the importance of foreign policy issues in their priorities. In that sense, the dignity that millions of Arabs said they were seeking in their uprisings was not simply in the relationship between rulers and ruled, but also between their nations and the outside world."

Dr. Scott Roberts
"Confessions of a Course Instructor"

"I have not been completely honest about my experience as a course instructor, and I hope that confessing my truth will mean a more engaging, genuine and effective experience for my students.  I cannot confess on behalf of all instructors but I hope that others can relate and are inspired to share these confessions, or their own, with their students."

Dr. Dylan Selterman
"What Can We Learn from our Dreams?”

"My talk focuses on how people’s dreams are associated with subsequent activity, including psychological change, problem-solving, and relationships (even if the dreams include negative content, there may be some benefit to having them)."

Camila Uechi
"Language is a Gatekeeper"

"Language is an innate and thoroughly integral part of our lives. I know this very well and offer a unique perspective of language. I invite you to journey through my own experiences with language and discover the truth about its nature."

All of the presentation videos are now available on the official TEDxUMD website. Check them out and share them with your friends and family! Please join us in congratulating our participating faculty & students! We're exceptionally proud!

Published on Fri, May 2, 2014 - 5:57PM