Each academic year, the 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ College of Liberal Arts presents the University Forum lecture series with experts from 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ and across the nation to discuss cultural, legal, political, scientific and social issues. The events are free and open to the public. Events are subject to change.
Sept. 14
An Evening of Traditional Music from Senegal
Where: 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Doc Rando Hall in the Beam Music Center
When: 7:30 p.m.
Musicians: Toumany Kouyat?, master kora player, and his band Bountalo perform the traditional kora, a classic harp-lute used by musicians in West Africa.
Sept. 15
Roads Less Traveled: Chinese Students and Transnational Migration
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Vanessa Fong, Harvard University anthropology professor discusses the appeal of studying abroad and its implications among Chinese students.
Sept. 16
Reading with Malena M?rling
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Malena M?rling, a University of North Carolina, Wilmington professor of creative writing is a Swedish-born poet and winner of the New Issues Press Poetry Prize in 1998 for her book of poetry called "Ocean Avenue."
Sept. 20
Pox Populi: The Epidemic That Changed American Law: A Constitution Day Lecture
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Michael Willrich, Brandeis University history professor, discusses the case of Jacobson v. Massachusetts, which mandated vaccinations against deadly diseases.
Sept. 29
Children, Teenagers, and Grandmothers in Evolutionary Perspective
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Barry Bogin, biological anthropology professor with the Center for Global Health and Human Development at Loughborough University, discusses childhood, adolescence and grandmotherhood stages in human evolution.
Oct. 7
The Amargosa Opera House: A Celebration of Art in the Desert
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speakers: Timothy Jones, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ music professor Rich Regnell, manager of the Amargosa Opera House in Death Valley will discuss the history of the Amargosa Opera House.
Oct. 11
Benjamin Franklin and the Birth of Medical Electricity
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Stanley Finger, Washington University psychology professor, discusses Benjamin Franklin's influence and interest in using electricity for medical purposes.
Oct. 14
The Scientific Case for Global Warming: Problems and Prospects
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: John Farley, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ physics and astronomy professor, discusses global warming, problems of climate change and possible solutions.
Oct. 20
Judicial Selection in Nevada: The Consequences of Change
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Chris W. Bonneau, University of Pittsburgh political science professor, discusses the pros and cons of states, like Nevada, electing judges and whether reform is needed.
Nov. 3
The Other Sex Work: The Stigma of Sexuality Research in American
Culture Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Janice M. Irvine, University of Massachusetts, Amherst sociology professor, discusses the history of sex research and the lives of sex researchers.
Nov. 4
Portraiture and the Fear of Death
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Cynthia Freeland, University of Houston philosophy and honors college fellow, discuss how portraits are used to sustain emotional links to the deceased.
Nov. 10
Africa's Failed States and the Next Generation of Terrorists
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Tiffiany O. Howard, 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ political science professor, discusses how state failure within sub-Saharan Africa has fostered internationally sponsored terrorism.
Nov. 17
"Rivers Last Longer:" A Fiction Reading
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Richard Burgin, editor of the literary magazine, "Boulevard" and a Saint Louis University English and communication professor, reads from his new novel and takes questions on literary editing and publishing.
Nov. 18
Predicting Earthquakes and Volcanic Eruptions: What Can and Can't We Do?
Where: Marjorie Barrick Museum at 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ.
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speakers: Stephen D. Malone, seismologist with the University of Washington Department of Earth and Space Sciences, discusses how predicting earthquakes and volcanic eruptions is a major goal of earth science research.
Nov. 30
The Challenge of Creating a National Museum
Where: 51³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏ Student Union Theater
When: 7:30 p.m.
Speaker: Lonnie G. Bunch III, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African-American History and Culture, discusses the challenge of building the new National Museum of African-American History and Culture on the National Mall.
