Seeing off visiting professor James Anderson

Katie D.

December 8, 2011 - 4:59 PM

Last night the geography department said farewell to Professor James Anderson, who has joined us for fall term from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I was in his "Divided Cities in Contested States" course, and enjoyed hearing about recent ethno-national conflicts from a professor who grew up in that context. I also brought Professor Anderson and his partner to the Oregon State Penitentiary for a lecture about the conflict in Northern Ireland as an extension of our Inside-Out class last spring. They were a big hit at the prison, and we all had the opportunity to hear Roise speak briefly in Irish, as well as hearing about their lives and work in Belfast.

I'm sad to see them leave Eugene, but I was very glad to be able to say "I'll see you in Belfast," rather than saying a long-term goodbye. I even issued a challenge: when they came to the US, I took them to a maximum-security prison. I told them that they had better come up with some off-the-beaten-path activity for me while I'm living on their home turf.

It was also a hoot to hang out with all those folks from the geography department. Professor Anderson hosted the party at the house he rented for the term, and a large group of professors and graduate students gathered to see him off. I've now taken two classes through geography, and I've found myself to be very engaged by this framework for studying human behavior and societies. I have also found the department to be welcoming and engaged, and that I fit in well with the various graduate students I've met. I have always liked being in a casual environment which includes both students and professors: it helps break down some of the distance between teachers and learners, and lets people share other interests and discuss their various research projects.

Is that the nerdiest thing I've ever written? Sheesh-I'm a future academic, so of course I like this kind of thing.

I spent some time talking with Roise about the Irish language and some opportunities I might have at Queens University in Belfast. I picked up some language tapes at the Eugene library, and am hoping to have a bit of competency before I arrive. Everyone in Ireland speaks English, but a few small communities (including Roise's) are primarily Irish speaking. I love the idea of getting to take some classes and meet Irish students who are connecting with their history in that way. I also (nerd alert) was really surprised to learn a bit about the history of my own last name (which is Irish), and which I had heard was changed to Dwyer from O'Dwyer. It turns out that the "O" and "Mc" prefixes to most Irish names actually mean "son of." So the roots of my last name are actually "Ni'Dwyer," or "daughter of the Dwyers."

I feel really lucky to have had the chance to meet these great people and learn so much about the conflict and opportunities in Northern Ireland from some local folks before I even arrive. It was a great time with the geography department, and a nice opportunity to spend that time with some of the most interesting people on campus.

And, as James and Roise said as I left, "it's not ‘goodbye,' it's ‘I'll be seeing you soon.'"