Diaspora Dialogs [.com]

Born in Birmingham, England, to Jamaican parents much of my art historical work centers around the specific cultural milieu of Britain and the Caribbean in the past century. I see my work as mediating between two estranged but nevertheless entangled communities. I believe my educational background has placed me perfectly for this process of negotiation.

I am currently a freshman at the Cornell University School of Engineering. I have a mixed ethnic background, but I care nothing for my personal heritage or culture. I have never studied art before, nor have I considered it pertinent to my own life. Still, I recognize its role as a means of expression and communication, and I hope to learn something of its past and current uses.

Hi, my name is John and I'm originally from the great state of Texas. I live in the border city of El Paso, so all my life I've been exposed to a mixing of two cultures (Mexican and American) and issues on a wide variety of topics, some of which include immigration and border patrol problems. Living there has opened my eyes up to understanding the desperate situations of immigrants as well as issues in the United States government dealing with Mexico. At this point in my life, though, I find myself to be an eager young mind at Cornell majoring in Applied Economics and Management. I look forward to obtaining an undergraduate business degree, developing friendships, networking and having fun. In my leisure time I hope to further develop many of my interests and hobbies, such as writing and recording music, and helping in community service programs.

I am a student in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University. I have come to Ithaca without any specific major but I have always been interested in architecture and business, both of which I intend to explore throughout my time here. I was originally born in Stony Brook, NY and since then have lived in Colorado and most recently Miami. In my free time I enjoy playing various sports and musical instruments.

My name is Noah Van Horne and I have grown up living a rather nomadic lifestyle. The greater portions of my life have been spent in Boulder Colorado, (5 years,) and Peru, (5 years.) I am half French by blood, and have spent a cumulative amount of time equal to 3-4 years living or visiting in France. Most recently I lived in Bradenton Florida, and graduated from an "IB" program in may of 2007. I am now very excited to be here at Cornell surrounded by endless opportunities, both cultural and educational. I am currently a freshman pursuing a double major in physics and biology in the college of Arts and Sciences, but have many less nerdy interests such as climbing, playing tennis, and other more physical activities.

I am a freshman in CALS with an Animal Science major. I hope to work with elephants and international livestock and agriculture. I am of mixed background and love to immerse myself in different cultures. My mother is an art teacher and is working on her masters at Weslyan University in Connecticut - together we go to many local museums and art shows. She took an American Music and History course that took great advantage of the internet and its resources. Her positive experience, and my mixed background, encouraged me to take this course.

I am a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences at Cornell University. My major is physics. I was borned in Ithaca, New York but I grew up in Taiwan. I came back to the U.S. on my freshman year in high school. I did not speak English at that time. The name of my high school is Whippanypark in New Jersey. I am more of a science and math guy than a writer.

My name is Brandon Lainhart, I'm a freshman in the college of Arts and Sciences. As of right now I'm an economics major but I'm not sure what I want to do. I am also on the football team. I am from Cincinnati, Ohio. Neither of my parents went to college. I am from a public school and I am the first athlete to go to an ivy league school.

Hey, my name is Darragh Brady. I was born and raised in New York City. My entire family is from Ireland, and my Irish heritage is very important to me. I attended Regis High School before coming to Cornell, where I plan to major in Mechanical Engineering. When I don't have to do work--and many times when I do--I hang out with my friends or go to crew practice.

Hi, my name is Barrie. I am from Westchester, NY and am currently studying engineering at Cornell. I have always been interested in my Jewish heritage and have read many books about Jewish history, specifically about the Holocaust. In this course, I would like to learn about another people that was geographically dispersed just as the Jews were after the Holocaust. Although, I am not studying art at the moment I have for most of my life, which is also why I find this course particularly interesting. I enjoy both creating and looking at art, mostly because I find it relaxing. My mom shares my interest in art so I spend some of my weekends venturing in and out of art galleries in downtown NYC. The combination of art, culture, and use of the internet in this course is intriguing and I'm eager to experience it.