6A
NEWS
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 11,2009
CULTURE
Smaller numbers show up for 'conspiracy theory' films
BY ZACH WHITE
white@kansan.com
On Wednesday, the main theater of Liberty Hall at 7th and Massachusetts Streets was three-quarters empty. The crowd of 75 sat in silence for the two-hour duration of the film "Fabbed Enemies."
The film was an explanation of the filmmaker's suspicions about the United States government's involvement in the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. It cited eyewitness reports, expert testimonies, a series of articles and documents
Almost exactly three years ago, the same room was filled with a much larger, younger and louder crowd. That film, "Loose Change," drew hisses and boos at any mention or picture of then president George W. Bush. Taking a more active stance, this film accused the administration of organizing the attack, demolishing the twin towers and striking the pentagon with a missile.
to propose and support a theory that the government had advance knowledge of the attacks and that the governments of Israel and Pakistan played a role in the attack.
Jonathan Earle, associate professor of history and director of programming at the Dole Institute of Politics, teaches a class called "Conspiracy Theories and Paranoia in American History." He said he thought this loss of interest in the "truther" movement is explainable by the drastic change in our country's political landscape in the past year.
"On both fringes there are these people who are extremely paranoid and view our politics as illegitimate, whether or not you believe that Barack Obama is really Kenyan, or that Bush and Cheney cooked up
these attacks by airplanes on these buildings to sell the Iraq war," Earle said.
A number of Republicans have spent this past summer accusing President Obama of evading the issue of his nationality, including Representatives John Campbell from California and Bill Posey from Florida.
Van Jones, a member of President Obama's White House Council on Environmental Quality, just retired a week ago over questions about his political past, including signing a petition claiming the Bush administration may have allowed the
Sept. 11 attacks to happen.
Tim Hjersted, Lawrence junior and founder of FilmsForAction.org, presenter of both "Fabled Enemies" and "Loose Change," said he recognized the controversy caused by the films he has shown and the messages they intend to spread — and he is frustrated by it.
"The words 'conspiracy theory' have been used consistently as a propaganda tacit. Hjersted said. "Any dissenting opinion or idea you don't like you can just call a crazy conspiracy theory. I get it a lot."
This reputation has led some believers of conspiracy theories to
be wary of talking about their beliefs. A large part of the audience at "Fabled Enemies" wouldn't talk on record about the film, except to say, "That was a pretty scary movie in there."
Lawrence resident Brent Karlin was willing to risk it.
"It was good," Karlin said. "I mean, it didn't tell me anything I didn't already know, but it was good."
— Edited by Jonathan Hermes
RESEARCH
Independent research projects gain popularity among students
BY RAY SEGEBRECHT rsegebrecht@kansan.com
More undergraduate students in the U.S. have been looking beyond the traditional classroom for their learning. University of Kansas undergraduates seem to be at the forefront.
They idea of creating and carrying out an independent research project, particularly one with service elements, has become increasingly common among undergraduates at the University, said Mark
Daly, coordinator for the KU Journal of Undergraduate Research.
"I have seen a lot of interest in the past couple years in research projects that have possibilities for direct application in society." Daly
from the richest country in the Western Hemisphere to the second poorest, Nicaragua, over the summer to serve and study its indigenous Rama population.
In Nicaragua, a nation ahead of only Haiti in per capita income according to the CIA World Factbook, the Rama are the most impoverished. Schaffrath said.
"The number is growing in these service individual research projects."
said. "I think the numbers are still clearly in the minority of students, but the number is growing in these service individual research projects."
One of the students to design one of these projects, Tiago Schaffrath, Lages, Brazil, senior, traveled
"Most of the time they don't make enough money to buy clothes," Schaffrath said. "There's a lot of violence. Many foreigners have come before to study the
MARK DALY
KU Journal of Under-
graduage Research
Tiago Schaffrath, a senior from Brazil, spent his summer in Nicaragua studying a group of indigenous people known as the Rama. The Rama people, indigenous to Rama Cay, a small island on the eastern coast, have been dealing with inadequate quality of living due to the political corruption of the country. Tiago said he hoped to return to Nicaragua and bring resources and funding to benefit the region.
sustainability of the community.
Alex Bonham-Carter/KANSAN
Daly said that research projects could be costly, especially when they take place abroad, but all students could apply for research awards to help cover the expenses.
Rama. A lot of people who come from outside, they're not very much welcome. We were just wandering, talking, trying to explain why we're trying to do what we're doing."
Schaffrath spent a month in and around Rama. Cay, the
largest Rama village in Nicaragua, near its southern Costa Rica border. Schaafrath accompanied and assisted a KU anthropology doctoral student to research the area, but he also completed an independent research project that he designed, focusing on the
"We've been able to get some more funding, so we have been awarding quite a bit more," Daly said. "We're hoping to continue increasing the number of awards as well as the amount of the awards in the near future."
Learning, said the University has also made efforts to recognize students for their independent accomplishments.
"If you survey the other sorts of tier-one research universities, we are right in the running with that."
"If it's service with a non-profit, that could count for the service
MARK DALY
KU Journal of Under-
graduate Research
Daly said that he has noticed more undergraduate students pursuing independent research in colleges and universities nationwide, but that the undergraduate research at KU was some of the strongest.
Amanda Schwegler, assistant director for the Center for Service
"If you survey the other sorts of tier-one research universities, we are right in the running with that," Daly said. "We have one of the longest standing traditions of undergraduate research. It's an old culture we could build on."
learning certification independec project" Schwegler said. "If there's a research option, that could also count for the Research Experience Program."
Daly said the projects often began when a subject in class captures the interest of a student,
The biggest rewards he said he has seen students take away from the projects are the intangible ones, which vary from a new depth of insight to their majors to an overall sense of accomplishment and self-confidence.
or when a student hears about a friend who has done a similar type of project.
Schaffrath said his experience of interviewing more than 200 Rama individuals was one of his most challenging experiences, but also one of his most rewarding. Although he spoke fluent Spanish,
he said he had to use an interpreter because the Rama people spoke Rama Creole.
A student of anthropology and business management, Schaffrath said he now hoped he could start a student group at the University to support the Rama people he met over the summer. He said he also hoped to use his business skills to
later return to Nicaragua some day and help citizens with their development.
"The idea is to come and do something to help out," Schafrath said. "I just want to help get them the supplies for what they already chose to do."
Edited by Jonathan Hermes