Moraine Valley Community College Library Podcast Moraine Valley Community College Library

First published in 1948, does Orwell's 1984 still matter today? How do we think about this book's themes, and how does it speak to us in the year 2006? This event is part of the One Book, One College program.

A filmmaker, writer and teacher, Dan Dinello recently published his first book Technophobia!-a critical analysis of science fiction visions of 21st century technologies. A faculty member in the film and video department at Columbia College Chicago, Dan received a M.F.A. from the University of Wisconsin Madison. He will do a lecture/presentation on Mad Scientists at the November 2006 Chicago Humanities Festival.

What does it mean to be in a community? How do Communities express their ideas? How does modern technology, the War on Terror, and our global economy impact the ways that communities form within and connect with larger society? Our expert panel will tackle these questions and more.

Faculty members discuss what is welcomed, deemed appropriate and what is taboo in social gatherings and personal interaction. This is part of the Arab Heritage Month events.

At the heart of Orwell’s novel 1984, is the love story between Winston and Julia. Their love is one of protest and escape. Yet, in the end, their love crumbles under the oppression of Big Brother. While 1984 is not often discussed as a love story, Orwell does challenge the reader to consider how personal relationships and expressions of love are impacted, supported, or destroyed by our larger society.

Four years ago, on March 19, 2003, the Moraine Valley Library held a panel discussion about the just war theory. Through eerie coincidence, this event fell on the very day that the US started bombing Iraq. Now, four years later, this panel of experts reconvenes to talk about the last four years and the future. As in the book, 1984, war has become an ongoing part of life.