Calendar
Roth-Johnson
Revell
Tanenhaus
University Forum The free public lecture series is sponsored and funded by the UNLV College of Liberal Arts. Each lecture begins at 7:30 p.m. in the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History. This fall’s talks include: “The Supernatural as Natural: An Evolutionary Approach to Religiosity” (Aug. 27) Arizona State University professor Michael Winkelman argues that evolutionary theory provides a biological framework for understanding how religious practices and beliefs gave our prehistoric ancestors adaptive advantages that may well persist today. “In Search of Dark Matter” (Sept. 9) UNLV professor of physics and astronomy George Rhee discusses how astronomers use telescopic observation to reveal the presence of dark matter and how dark matter plays a key role in understanding the structure of the universe. “The Body as Metaphor” (Sept. 10) UNLV dance professors Louis Kavouras, Margot Mink Colbert and Roberta Sabbath discuss two of their original works. “Do Children Have Constitutional Rights?” (Sept. 17) UNLV professor of history and law David S. Tanenhaus discusses how the law should treat adolescents accused of committing serious and violent crimes, including the role the U.S. Supreme Court plays in answering this question. “Polish Heroes: Those Who Saved Jews” (Sept. 24). In the Greenspun Hall Auditorium, Kate Craddy, director of the Galicia Jewish Museum in Krakow, discusses a photo exhibition that tells the story of 21 Polish citizens who rescued Jews during World War II. “Comedy à la Aristotle” (Sept. 30) Aristotle’s Poetics originally contained a book on tragedy and a book on comedy, but the latter was lost. UNLV philosophy professor Paul Schollmeier offers an account of what Aristotle might have said about comedy. “Graffiti Photos: Self-Photography in Japanese Girl Culture”
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(Oct. 1) Loyola University of Chicago anthropology professor Laura Miller discusses purikura, a popular form of Japanese photography. “Close Calls with Nonsense: Reading New Poetry” (Oct. 15) UNLV English professor Donald Revell and Harvard University English Professor Stephen Burt read from their literary works and discuss relevant issues of form, content and difficulty in American poetry today. “A Poetry Reading” (Oct. 22) UNLV English professor Claudia Keelan reads from her new book, Missing Her. Keelan is the recipient of the Cleveland State Poetry Prize, the Beatrice Hawley Award from Alice James Books and the Jerome Shestack Award from the American Poetry Review. “Green Our Vaccines! Mercury Moms, Autism, and the Immunization Wars” (Nov. 4) UNLV women’s studies professor Danielle Roth-Johnson looks into the debates surrounding the cause, treatments and diagnoses of autism spectrum disorders. “Galileo’s Telescopic Discoveries, 1609-2009: Repercussions and Lessons” (Nov. 12) UNLV professor emeritus of philosophy Maurice Finocchiaro discusses the controversy and lessons from Galileo’s astronomical discoveries. “No Dreaming, No Story: Baz Luhrmann’s Australia” (Nov. 19) Louisiana State University English professor Patrick McGee discusses the movie Australia, which can be viewed in three ways. “The Millennium Villages Project Museum Auditorium” (Dec. 3) Boston University School of Public Health professor Yesim Tozan, an expert on development issues in Africa, provides an overview of the Millennium Project—a United Nations mission to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger worldwide.