2018 Plan II Family Day Events

Sunday, October 28th, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

Registration is required - see link below.

2018 Model Class Offerings

Helping Your Child Get The Most Out of College., or What I’d Do If I Could Do It All Over Again
Dr. Stephen Sonnenberg, Dell Medical School, Plan II Honors
This model class will focus on Dr. Sonnenberg’s efforts to help students with an interest in healthcare professions decide whether this is a wise career decision. The readings (available on the Plan II website and at the Family Day check-in table) are ones he uses in both his large lecture course, The Doctor-Patient Relationship, and his Plan II Seminar, The Doctor, The Patient, The Society, The Culture. Two short readings will be discussed in this class, copies of the readings are available here and also will be available at the Family Day check-in table.

Casting a Critical Eye on Chinese Tradition: The Real Stories of Lu Xun
Dr. Brian Doherty, Department of English
This model class is on the modern short story master Lu Xun finds Chinese Literature at a crossroads—one that leads from the Manchu dynasty and neo-Confucianism to Mao Tse Tung and the Communist Republic of China. In the class we will look at the stranglehold of tradition on Chinese ideas and conformity, against Lu Xun’s biting criticism of superstition, cowardice, and self-defeating refusal to entertain new ideas. As a writer, Lu takes on the role of the healer of what it is that ails the soul of China, and the short works read in class make a powerful argument for the necessity of the change that is the medicine for a diseased nation. One short reading will be discussed in this class, a copy of the reading is available here and also will be available at the Family Day check-in table (a longer, optional reading is also available for those interested!).

The 5 Elements of Effective Thinking
Dr. Michael Starbird, Department of Mathematics
The root of success in everything from academics to business to leadership to personal relationships and everything else, is effective thinking—whether it’s thinking disguised as intuition or as good values or as decision-making or problem solving or creativity, it’s all thinking. Practical methods of effective thinking can be described, taught, and learned. They are not inborn gifts of a special few. All people can learn them and use them. This talk will describe practical, memorable elements of effective thinking and how to learn them.

Exploring UK Education
Dr. Richard J. Reddick, Educational Administration, Plan II Honors
In this model class, Dr. Reddick will give a sneak peak of his upcoming Study Abroad Maymester program in Cambridge, England. The program will provide a comparative lens to understanding issues of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and immigration status in the UK context – and compare them to US experiences. Issues of vocational training, financial support, and policy implementation will be examined, in both parallel and contrast with the US context.

Parking information: There is no free parking on campus without a UT or handicapped permit, so please plan accordingly. The closest parking garages to the Alumni Center are listed below, and will be charging the usual hourly rates. There are some handicapped parking spaces available in front of the alumni center on San Jacinto Blvd for those who need it (no charge). 

• Brazos
• San Jacinto
• Manor

If you have questions or need accommodations for this event, please contact the Plan II Family Day Coordinator, Mary Dillman at mdillman@austin.utexas.edu.

• For hotel reservations at the AT&T Executive Education and Conference Center

• Information for Visitors Coming from Outside Austin  (other hotel and Bed & Breakfast listings, restaurant information and more)

• Printable Campus Tour Maps: 

  • Use The University's Self-Guided Walking Tour of the UT Campus to learn about campus on your own and at your own pace.  This makes your day more flexible and allows attendance at other college or program information sessions, tours of dorm(s) and visits to the wonderful Blanton Art Museum, the world-renown Humanities Research Center or the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum. 

  • The Diversity Tour introduces you to the diversity that is represented on campus through various academic units, programs, notable buildings, statues and collections. Learn more about the historical background of The University of Texas as it continues to serve all people in the state of Texas through a culture of inclusive excellence.

• Campus Maps and Parking Information

• Texas Parents