On Wednesday 15^th January, TEDx Klagenfurt Curators, Eithne Knappitsch and Marko Haschej, visited students in the Department of English and American Studies. The aim of the guest lecture was for students to find out about TEDx Klagenfurt and learn more about public speaking as part of the course titled, “Professional Speaking Skills.”

Who and what is TED?

Many people are familiar with the inspiring TED videos on Youtube. But what is TED and how did it all begin?

TED is short for Technology, Entertainment and Design. It began as a conference founded in 1984 by Richard Saul Wurman and Harry Marks. Today, TED is a global non-profit organisation with the mission to research and discover “ideas worth spreading.” In 2009, TED opened up its conference format to local, independently organised events called TEDx. Since then, thousands of communities around the world have come together to host their own annual TEDx events, including Klagenfurt.  

TEDx Klagenfurt

Last year, Ms Knappitsch took over the role of TEDx Klagenfurt Curator from Mr Haschej, who was previously the Curator for 7 years. During their talk, the Curators shared the history of TED with the students and explained how TEDx events are organised. The group were given an insight into how guest speakers are selected and what goes on back stage on the day, which includes lots of rehearsing with coaches and even massages to help speakers relax!

Mr Haschej and Ms Knapptisch then gave the students advice on speaking in front of an audience. Some of their top tips included:

·         When you have finished what you want to say either move on to your next point or wrap up, do not talk aimlessly.  

·         Think about who your audience are and why they should care about what you are saying.

·         Be authentic.

At the end of this semester, as part of the course, the group will deliver individual presentations to their colleagues on the topic of institutional talk. This visit was not only an opportunity for the students to ask questions and prepare for their upcoming presentations, but also to find out how they could get involved with TEDx.

We would like to thank Mr Haschej and Ms Knappitsch for speaking to our group and wish the students all the best with their final presentations.

If you would like to learn more about TEDx Klagenfurt or attend an event, then you can find further information on the following website: https://tedxklagenfurt.com/home.

Alien invasion has been one of the most persistent fantasies in US speculative culture since the emergence of science fiction in the late nineteenth century. A technologically superior, extraterrestrial “race” arrives on Earth and defeats most or all of world’s nations. Sometimes the United States alone is able to defeat the aliens; sometimes the planet is saved only by a miracle. Ranging from American revisions of H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds to Ted Chiang’s “Arrival,” this talk asks: why has US popular culture dreamed so often and so vividly of America’s destruction by an alien power? Why, in other words, is US speculative culture always waiting for the Martians? Is alien invasion a symptom of dystopian pessimism, utopian hope, or something else?

About the presenter:

Jesse Ramírez teaches and writes about speculative cultures. He holds a PhD in American Studies from Yale University and is currently Assistant Professor (Assistenzprofessor) of American Studies and co-director of the Technologies concentration in the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of St Gallen, Switzerland. His monograph Un-American Dreams: Apocalyptic Science Fiction and Bad Hope in the American Century is under review for Liverpool University Press’s series Science Fiction Texts and Studies, and his monograph Ruse of the Robots: Against Automation Mythologies is under review with Routledge. Jesse grew up near the Sal Si Puedes neighborhood in East San José, California, where César Chávez began his organizing for the United Farm Workers. He is the first person in his family to graduate from college.

Date and place:

January 15, 2020

12-13:30

HS 4