Faculty Lecture Series
The Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences will continue its annual Faculty Lecture Series with three lectures presented throughout the fall 2009 semester. Each lecture will explore a different topic related to the college’s 2009–2010 academic theme of “Good and Evil.” These lectures are free to the public.
The Faculty Lecture Series draws from the knowledge and expertise of more than 120 full-time faculty members within the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences. The series explores the faculty's diverse areas of interest in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences. In addition to mentoring students in independent research projects, guiding study-abroad experiences, delivering campus lectures that share their passion for education and research, and participating in the development of their fields through publications and involvement in their disciplines' global communities, faculty members of the Farquhar College of Arts and Sciences support the college mission by sharing their experiences with students through this insightful series.
Fall 2009 Semester Schedule“Oscar Wilde, Roger Casement, and Cathal Ó Searcaigh: The Rise and Fall of the Gay Irishman”Jim Doan, Ph.D., professor, Division of Humanities This opening lecture will cover the lives of three Irish writers and political figures ranging in time from the late 19th to the early 21st Century. What all three have in common is spectacular success in their respective fields and being initially lionized by their societies, coupled with a predilection for young men, which either helped lead to their downfall (Wilde), or at least demonized them in the public eye (Casement and Ó Searcaigh). Doan will examine legal, moral, and psychological aspects of all three cases, as well as examine them from the perspective of Irish and British cultural attitudes. This lecture will coincide with the college’s production of Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, presented by the Division of Performing and Visual Arts, October 23–November 1, 2009. “Keeping Marine Mammals in Captivity: Good or Evil?”Edward O. Keith, Ph.D., associate professor, Division of Math, Science, and Technology Keeping marine mammals in captivity has a long and troubled history. Justifications for marine-mammal husbandry range from using the creatures to educate the general public to preventing the extinction of endangered species. Arguments against this activity usually center on: the high rates of mortality in captivity and during wild-capture activities; an increase in social and behavioral pathology in captive animals; and the lack of humane treatment of captive animals. Keith’s presentation will explore all sides of this contentious issue and suggest possible compromises. “The Evil Regime? North Korea Unveiled”Tim Dixon, J.D., associate professor, Division of Humanities The final fall 2009 faculty lecture will explore the development of the Kim regime in North Korea, the world's only dynastic communist regime. What is the North Korean “cult of personality” really like? What is life really like there? Should the world fear or pity North Korea? What will a change of leaders bring to it? Dixon’s lecture will provide a look inside the closed society of North Korea.
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Winter 2010 Semester Schedule“'Good Moves, Bad Moves': Black Female Migration and Mobility in Discourses from the African Diaspora”Andrea Shaw, Ph.D., assistant professor, Division of Humanities General Tree’s popular reggae tune, “Gone a Negril,” opens with a female character asking for assistance in getting a visa to travel abroad. The male protagonist responds by offering her the much less valuable opportunity of a trip to Negril, a popular resort town in Jamaica. This comedic opening banter raises the question of how race and gender are represented as impacting black women’s ability to traverse geographic and social spaces in various forms of cultural discourse. What is the “good” these women hope to accomplish through relocation? What “evil” do they have to encounter on their journeys? Is the source of their desire for movement related to the nature of the obstacles they encounter? This talk explores the “good” and “evil” in narratives of black female mobility and migration. Primary texts include Jamaican writer H.G Delisser’s novel Jane’s Career, African filmmaker Ousmane Sembene’s movie, Black Girl, and reggae dancehall artist General Tree’s song, “Gone a Negril.” “Representations of Evil in the Cinema: The Film Music of Bernard Herrmann”Mark Cavanaugh, Ph.D., associate professor, Division of Social and Behavioral
Sciences From the ominous low-brass chords which open Citizen Kane, to the violin glissandi from the unmistakable shower scene in Psycho, few film composers have had as much impact on the art of film music as Bernard Herrmann (1911-1975). Hermann’s characteristic use of ostinato, drones, and the half-diminished seventh chord to create tension and dread in films, such as J. Lee Thompson’s Cape Fear (1962), represented an advance in film scoring which is still with us today. This presentation examines the career of the composer, which reached its apotheosis in his collaboration with Alfred Hitchcock, and traces his influence on such modern film composers as John Williams, John Ottman, and others. Film and recordings will illustrate the presentation. “Blurring the Line: Good, Evil, and the Western Film Hero”David McNaron, Ph.D., associate professor, Division of Humanities Hardly showcasing the traits of the “white hat-black hat” caricature of the genre, Westerns offer complex moral dilemmas and characters for reflection. The most intriguing figure is the Western hero, with his unspoken code and divided identity: in between the “good” group (homesteaders or townspeople) and the “bad” group (cattle barons or outlaws), having characteristics of both. This change occurred mainly in the “vengeance”- and “transition”-plots of the early 1950s. But the character, and perhaps the genre, reached its ultimate potential in The Man with No Name films starring Clint Eastwood. Can such a personage as these “heroes” or antiheroes be admirable or virtuous? This lecture explores how philosophy can help us to understand the characters and themes of these Westerns. “Visions of Prussia: Good and Evil”Stephen Levitt, LL.M., associate professor, Division of Humanities Today, the term Prussia describes a historical state that no longer exists. However, during the 17th and 18th Centuries, Prussia became one of the most powerful states in Europe. In 1871, this state played the critical role in the unification of Germany. However, in light of the German tragedy as well as the Holocaust, how should historians and political scientists today regard the historic state of Prussia? What were its traditions, morals and values? Was Prussia an evil force in Europe, a center of radical nationalism and militarism, as the leaders of the Allied nations proclaimed in 1945? With the passage of time and greater objectivity, what can historians and political scientists say about Prussia's good and long-lasting accomplishments as well as its positive legacies? |
Previous Series
Academic Year 2008-2009
Academic Year 2007-2008
For more information, please contact Jim Doan, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Humanities.
