Academic Year 2007-2008

The Life and Death of Species: The Sirenians as a Case Study

Ed Keith, Ph.D., associate professor
Division of Math, Science, and Technology
Tuesday, December 2, 2008, 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 241

There are only five extant species in the mammalian order Sirenia. All of them are in danger of extinction, primarily from anthropogenic threats. This lecture will review the biology and natural history of these unique animals, discuss the variety of risks they face, and summarize the efforts to protect and conserve them. The focus will be on the ecological roles of manatees and dugongs and the probable ecosystem consequences of their demise. The philosophical rationale for protecting endangered species will also be addressed.

“Posing Off”: Performance and Body Language on the Jamaican Stage

Andrea Shaw, Ph.D., assistant professor
Division of Humanities
Tuesday, November 11, 2008, 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 240

This lecture will primarily explore reggae dancehall album covers and the seductive yet dismissive ways in which bodies on these albums pose for the camera while concurrently seeming to ignore it. These resistive poses seem particularly prevalent when album images are set in an approximation of a dancehall. What accounts for this intrigue with the camera, as well as an apparent repulsion toward it?

Human Nature: An Integrative Perspective

Michael Voltaire, Ph.D., assistant professor
Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 5:10–6:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 241

This lecture will explore some of the characteristics we commonly share as human beings—such as ways of thinking, feeling, and acting. Are humans intrinsically good or bad? How do moral beings turn into evil individuals? Is the influence of hereditary factors more powerful than that of environmental influences? Various perspectives from the fields of developmental psychology, evolutionary psychology, sociology, biology, theology, and philosophy will be discussed. The views of many writers, such as Aristotle, Rousseau, Locke, Hobbes, Freud, and Zimbardo, will also be considered.

What It’s Like to be Dead: Ancient, Medieval, and Early Modern Philosophers on the Possibility of Disembodied Experience

Darren Hibbs, Ph.D., assistant professor
Division of Humanities
Tuesday, October 7, 2008, 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 241

Is it possible for a person to survive the biological death of his or her body? If so, what sort of experiences would be possible for a disembodied person? This lecture will provide a concise survey of influential responses to these questions, drawing from ancient, medieval, and early modern philosophical sources.

I, Rigoberta Menchu: The Collision of Literature and Politicsas a Life or Death Issue 

Barbara Brodman, Ph.D., professor
Division of Humanities
Tuesday, September 9, 2008, 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 241

The first lecture of the 2008–2009 Faculty Lecture Series will feature an analysis of the controversy surrounding the "autobiography" of Nobel laureate, Rigoberta Menchu, its relationship to life and death issues, and its place in educational curricula.

The Long Reach of Famine: Sex Ratios, Mating Dynamics, and Sex-Biased Parental Investment

Glenn Scheyd, Ph.D., assistant professor
Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Tuesday, March 24, 2009, 5:00–6:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 240

Famine has been a recurrent problem in human evolutionary history. The onset of famine brings with it a sharp decrease in fertility, while the aftermath reliably includes a period of unusually high fertility. This phenomenon, in conjunction with female preferences for mates slightly older than themselves, eventually yields a population with low (male/female) operational sex ratio. The skewed sex ratio, in turn, leads to increased female intrasexual competition, diminished choosiness, more sexually permissive attitudes, and higher male reproductive success. Therefore, those males born or conceived during a famine have unusually high reproductive value. Parents who are biased either toward the production of male as opposed to female offspring during famine (granting that production of any offspring during a famine is rare) or who show favoritism toward sons born or conceived during a famine will consequently be selectively advantaged compared to parents with no such bias. Historical reports of five famines––Ireland (1845-1850), China (1935), Holland (1944-1945), Bangladesh (1974-1975), and Ethiopia (1984-1985)––provide moderate support for the sex-biased parental investment hypothesis.

Indian Classical Dance: A Reflection of Indian Living

Madhavi Menon, Ph.D., assistant professor
Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Tuesday, March 10, 2009, 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Black Box Theatre, University Center

India offers a number of classical dance forms that take their themes from India's rich mythology and folk legends. Each form represents the culture and ethos of a particular region or a group of people. The genesis of the contemporary styles of classical dances can be traced to the period between 1300 and 1400 C.E. Through lecture and demonstration, this presentation will explore the historical context within which classical dances develop in India and their significance to the lives of the Indian people.

Musical Sketches of Divine Life: A Spiritual Gaze at the Incarnation and Birth of Christ by Olivier Messiaen

Jennifer Donelson, D.M.A., assistant professor
Division of Performing and Visual Arts
Tuesday, February 17, 2009, 5:00–6:00 p.m. in the University Center, room 309

Can music speak about non-musical things? Can music be theological? French composer Olivier Messiaen's work for piano, Vingt Regards sur l'Enfant-Jésus, provides not only a beautiful sonic sketch, but also one composer's answers to these questions. This lecture will explore various pieces in the cycle through performance and discussion.

Euthanasia and the Law: Protecting the Right to Life or Violating the Right to Death with Dignity?

Jessica Garcia-Brown, J.D., assistant professor
Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Tuesday, February 3, 2009, 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 240

In preparation for the college's winter Distinguished Speaker, Jack Kevorkian, M.D., this lecture will introduce the audience to the legal ramifications behind euthanasia and question whether the United States is actually protecting a person's right to life or violating their right to death with dignity.

Fiends and Murderers: Edgar Allan Poe's Influence on Death as Depicted in American Media

Christine Jackson, Ph.D., professor
Division of Humanities
Tuesday, January 20, 2009, 5:00–6:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 240

Poe's psychological "tales of ratiocination" create the daring illusion that death can be "figured out." This discussion analyzes selected motifs of villainy and murder in a few of Poe's works and notes how his techniques for generating suspense continue to affect the portrayal of death in today's popular culture.

Stress Kills

Jaime Tartar, Ph.D., assistant professor
Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 240

This talk will highlight the effects of chronic psychological stress on the body. The body's reaction to stress has protective and adaptive effects in the short run. But chronic stress, principally though dysregulated cortisol levels, can lead to poor health consequences such as blunted immune functioning and decreased memory performance.

 

Life and Death in Post-Invasion Iraq

Tim Dixon, J.D., associate professor
Division of Humanities
Tuesday, April 14, 2009, 12:00–1:00 p.m. in the Parker Building, room 240

This lecture will focus on the lives and deaths of the Iraqi people––the threats to life and limb as well as the everyday trials of existence in a war zone where basic services have been devastated. This lecture will include a discussion of the plight of the Iraqi refugees, the war losses of the Coalition forces, and the life they face when they return from the war zone, as well as the conditions of others, including UN representatives, NGO personnel, journalists, and volunteer groups.

Irdische Leben/Himmlische Leben: Life and Death in the Music of Gustav Mahler

Mark Cavanaugh, Ph.D., associate professor
Division of Social and Behavioral Sciences
Tuesday, April 28, 2009, 5:00–6:00 p.m. in the University Center, room 309

The existential symphonies of Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) explore his deepest concerns with his own mortality and the meaning of life. Late in life, Mahler consulted Sigmund Freud as a result of a severe marital crisis. This lecture will investigate the relationship of that brief episode of psychoanalysis to the psychology of Mahler's music, and may feature a brief performance of one of Mahler's songs.

 

For more information, please contact Jim Doan, Ph.D., professor in the Division of Humanities.