A&S professors share history’s impact on present

University of Louisville professors lecturing in a public, monthly series this semester will examine how history affects the present in their wide-ranging fields of theater, art, political science and humanities.
A&S professors share history’s impact on present

University Club and Alumni Center

University of Louisville professors lecturing in a public, monthly series this semester will examine how history affects the present in their wide-ranging fields of theater, art, political science and humanities.

The College of Arts and Sciences and the Liberal Studies Project offer the Meet the Professor series to highlight the college’s research and cultural offerings.

Here are the spring 2019 semester talks:

Jan. 10: “Reading Kanafani in Kentucky: A Dramatic Journey in Five Acts,” Russell Vandenbroucke, theater arts professor and director of the Peace, Justice and Conflict Transformation program. He will link Greek tragedy to a current project of directing a stage adaptation of Palestinian activist Ghassan Kanafani’s novella “Returning to Haifa.” The Kanafani project affirms theater that engages society rather than providing escape from it.

Feb. 7: “Talking to ‘Others’: The Medieval Roots of Civilized Discourse,” Pam Beattie, comparative humanities professor. She will explore the tension between peaceful and violent approaches to the religious “others” of the Middle Ages by focusing on medieval images and texts that show both.

March 7: “Judges Who Look like America: President Obama’s Appointments to the Federal Judiciary,” Laura Moyer, political science professor. She will talk about how nearly three-fourths of Obama’s U.S. Courts of Appeals nominees were women and/or racial and ethnic minorities, how this is reflected in some court decisions and what that may mean for President Donald Trump’s judicial legacy.

April 4: “Low Resolution: Making Paintings in an Expanded Field,” Tiffany Calvert, fine arts professor. She will discuss her artwork related to fragmenting and obstructing images, as well as how modern painting’s legacy of perplexing images, even back to impressionism, dovetails with changing visual information in contemporary, everyday life.

The Thursday luncheon talks begin at noon in the University Club. Reservations are required, with $15 payment by check. To reserve a spot, contact Janna Tajibaeva at 502-852-2247 or via email by the Monday before each event.