Lecture Notes
October 20 - November 2, 2008
Does Intergroup Conflict Promote Norms and Hierarchies?
Oct. 20, 12 p.m.-1:30 p.m., Workshop Seminar Room, 513 N. Park Ave., Bloomington -- Does conflict causes groups to develop stricter norms and more hierarchical leadership structures? Case studies and journalistic accounts, ranging from 19th-century Corsica to contemporary Iraq, suggest that participants in conflict pressure their fellow group members to join them. IU Sociology Professor Stephen Benard will explain results of his laboratory experiments. For more information, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~workshop/colloquia_lectures.html.
Ideas Have Consequences: George W. Bush, Weapons of Mass Destruction and the End of Conservatism
Oct. 20, 3 p.m.-5 p.m., School of Law, Faculty Conference Room, Bloomington -- The Center on American and Global Security (CAGS) presents the last lecture in its Fall 2008 lecture series on WMD Proliferation and U.S. National Security Policy. J. Peter Scoblic, executive editor of The New Republic will present a talk titled "Ideas Have Consequences: George W. Bush, Weapons of Mass Destruction, and the End of Conservatism." For more information, contact dfidler@indiana.edu.
"Personalized Genetic History: Science and Cynicism"
Oct. 20, 4 p.m.-5 p.m., the IMU Wittenberger Auditorium, Bloomington -- Dr. Rick Kittles, associate professor of medical genetics at the University of Chicago, will present the ninth annual James P. Holland Lecture on "Personalized Genetic History: Science and Cynicism." Kittles studies the genetics of prostate cancer and is the co-founder and scientific director of African American Ancestry, an organization that uses DNA to trace the ancestry of African Americans. For more information, visit http://development.bio.indiana.edu/holland/holland_lecture.htm.
"Secularism, Violence and Feminist Critique"
Oct. 21, 5 p.m.-6:30 p.m., Swain West 218, Bloomington -- In 2006 the Somali-born feminist Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of the memoir Infidel and an outspoken defender of women's rights in Islamic societies, left the Netherlands under death threats. How is it that a woman who describes herself as self-emancipated from Islam should have become, in America, both a celebrated symbol of Western feminist progress and the "trophy bride" of the Bush Doctrine's aggressive unilateralism? The question invites consideration of the twinned genealogies of liberal feminism and secular governance, both of which assume an Enlightenment narrative of emancipation from a purportedly more violent religious "past." This lecture seeks to reorient feminist discourse in relation to this emancipatory narrative of secularization, in order to leverage critique both of secular states' presumptions to the universality of their norms, on the one hand, and of postcolonial, "post-secular" attempts to use religion as a code word for the control of women, on the other. For more information, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~relstud/news/FessendenLectureSecularismViolenceandFeministCritque.shtml.
"Torture, Democracy and Our Future"
Oct. 21, 7 p.m.-9 p.m., Woodburn Hall 101, Bloomington -- Darius Rejali, Reed College, will examine the long history of modern torture, from the late 19th-century to the aftermath of Abu Ghraib, as well as the controversial question whether torture really works. He will reach surprising and troubling conclusions about the relationship of torture to democracy and the consequences of torture for democracies that use it, consequences that elections may not have in their power to alter. For more information, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~ias/clecture.php.
Is There an Arab Democracy Deficit? Reflections on Democratization in Iraq and the Arab World
Oct. 21, 7:30 p.m., the IMU Frangipani Room, Bloomington -- Professor Eric Davis, Rutgers University, will explore questions surrounding why there has been such little progress toward democratization in the Arab world. He will argue that in actuality there is widespread support for democracy in the Arab world, as manifested in numerous public opinion polls. The lecture will examine the impact of oil wealth on democratization as well as exogenous factors, especially U.S. foreign policy in the region. For more information, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~nelc/.
"Sketchbooks and the Aesthetics of Tourism"
Oct. 22, 12:15 p.m.-1 p.m., Special Exhibition Gallery, IU Art Museum, Bloomington -- Jenny McComas, IU Art Museum Curator of Western Art after 1800, and curator of the exhibition The Grand Tour: Art and Travel, 1740-1914, will present the noon talk "Sketchbooks and the Aesthetics of Tourism." The 18th- and 19th-century practice of traveling with a sketchbook combined art and travel at a basic level. Keeping a sketchbook -- much as tourists today travel with cameras -- induced travelers to view the landscapes they traveled through in an inherently aesthetic fashion. This talk will focus on the sketchbooks and illustrated travel books on display and will consider the tourist's desire to create a personal visual record of travel. For more information, visit http://www.artmuseum.iu.edu.
Early Results from the Fermi Telescope
Oct. 22, 4 p.m., Swain West 119, Bloomington -- Eduardo do Couto e Silva, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology/SLAC, will give a brief overview of the Fermi Space Telescope and will then focus mostly on the principal instrument the Large Area Telescope, as well as review the scientific potential and present early results. For more information, visit http://www.iub.edu/~iubphys/.
Coming Apart at the Seams: Anatomy of a Pipe Bomb Explosion
Oct. 22, 4:30 p.m.-6 p.m., University Library Lilly Auditorium, 755 W. Michigan St., Indianapolis -- John Goodpaster, Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program, will present an IUPUI Office of Academic Affairs Cutting Edge Lecture. Crude pipe bombs are utilized in hundreds of crimes every year, ranging in severity from criminal mischief to homicide. Forensic analysis of the post-blast debris can provide crucial information about the original explosive device such as the type of pipe, its size, and what explosive filler was used. In addition, both the fingerprints and DNA left behind by the bomber may survive the blast. Ultimately, the materials chosen by the bomber to construct the device have a large effect on what remains following an explosion. Goodpaster uses a high-speed video camera to capture the initial moments following an explosion to study bomb materials and reveal key differences between various pipe bomb designs. For more information, visit http://www.iupui.edu/~eventsin/cal/?c=d&id=ssc080909_3&s=45.
Economy, Energy, National Security and Health Care
Oct. 22, 6 p.m., Kresge Auditorium, Kokomo -- Join the Kokomo Perspective as they host a panel discussion on the economy, energy, national security and health care. Panelists scheduled to participate are: James Alender from Howard Regional Health System, Kirk Daniels from Freedom Financial and United States Representative Dan Burton. For more information, visit http://www.kokomoperspective.com.
The Economic Crisis and the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
Oct. 23, 4-5:30 p.m., Inlow Hall, Wynne Courtroom, Indianapolis -- Foreclosures rise. The stock market plummets. Credit markets freeze. Huge companies go bankrupt or are effectively nationalized. Former Federal Reserve chief Alan Greenspan says we're in a "once-in-a-century" financial crisis. Politicians and pundits predict a depression. Members of the faculty of law at the IU School of Law-Indianapolis will gather to discuss their analyses of those issues and to answer questions in a roundtable discussion format. For more information, visit http://www.indylaw.indiana.edu.
Feminists vs. The Media: Sexism and Gendering of the Hillary Clinton Campaign
Oct. 24, 12 p.m.-1 p.m., 2170 Wiekamp Hall, South Bend -- The Women's Studies Public Form focuses on Revolutions in Gender and Feminism in 2008. Dr. Elizabeth Bennion, political science, IU South Bend, will host the brown bag forum "Feminists vs. The Media: Sexism and Gendering of the Hillary Clinton Campaign." For more information, call 574-520-4122.
"The Next Internet Revolution is Already Happening!"
Oct. 24, 3 p.m.-4 p.m., Lindley Hall 102, Bloomington -- In less than 40 years, the Internet has moved from the margins of everyday life into a range of mainstreams: Internet connectivity can be found on personal computers and laptops, in cell phones and other mobile devices, in satellite navigation systems, connected consumer electronics, gaming consoles and even personal health technologies. Similarly, the Internet touches and is touched by people all over the globe. It is an evolving sociotechnical system, rather than simply a technology. In this talk, Genevieve Bell, Intel Corporation, explores the many different pathways and trajectories along which the Internet is evolving and transforming with a particular attention to cultural forces and global trends. For more information, visit http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/events/.
The Evolution of Modularity and Normativity in Technological Evolution
Oct. 24, 4 p.m.-6 p.m., Ballantine 003, Bloomington -- William Wimsatt, Department of Philosophy at the University of Chicago, will discuss the difficulties in specifying relevant units in cultural evolution, the fact that most obvious modules are differentiated parts of larger systems, rather than replicators, and the reasons why -- even more than for evodevo -- a theory of cultural evolution must be developmental. Wimsatt will also talk about the necessary components of a theory of cultural change, consider the biological and cultural significance of modularity, the roles of modularity in the explosive increase of technological variety in the 19th century, and discuss the common stages through wihich modularity and a class of normative standards can arise in technological evolution, illustrating with technological examples. For more information, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~hpscdept/.
"The Beauty of Compromise: Political Reconciliation in South Asia"
Oct. 24, 5 p.m., the IMU University Club President's Room, Bloomington -- Ramachandra Guha, an environmental author, historian and biographer based in Bangalore, India, will present the Hrishikesh and Sailabala Bhattacharya Memorial Lecture. Guha's lecture, "The Beauty of Compromise: Political Reconciliation in South Asia," will present a case for a philosophy of political moderation. For more information, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~isp/.
Former Editor from The Washington Post to Speak
Oct. 28, 7 p.m., Buskirk-Chumley Theater, 114 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington -- Most recently executive editor of The Washington Post, Leonard Downie spent nearly his entire journalism career at the newspaper, which he joined as a summer intern in 1964. Early in his career, Downie became a well-known local investigative reporter, specializing in crime, courts, housing and urban affairs. Downie will speak about his career as part of the School of Journalism Speaker Series. For more information, visit http://www.journalism.indiana.edu.
'Two Hundred Years Is a Long Time (for a historian), or, What Should Historians Write About?'
Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Ballantine 109, Bloomington -- Classicist James O'Donnell, provost at Georgetown University, will question what history should be "about" considering the long-term movement of DNA-carrying peoples and their economic development, as well as the crises of a given president or prime minister in his first of two Patten Lectures. Ancient history and its narratives shaped much of what people think of as history, so this lecture will use Greco-Roman examples to think through these issues and show that the title of the lecture, though seemingly an obvious fact, is actually a daring proposition for a historian. A source for the content in this lecture is his recently published book The Ruin of the Roman Empire: a New History. For more information, visit http://patten.indiana.edu.
Framing the Issues on the Left and Right: A Debate on Health Reform
Oct. 29, 4 p.m.-5 p.m., Inlow Hall, Wynne Courtroom, Indianapolis -- What do you know about health care reform? Are you prepared for Nov. 4? The Consortium for Health Policy, Law & Bioethics, the Health Law Society, the Hall Center for Law & Health and IUPUI welcome speakers: Aaron Carroll, MD, MS, IUSM Professor of Pediatrics, and David A. Hyman, J.D., University of Illinois Professor of Law & Medicine, to the Wynne Courtroom. For more information, visit http://indylaw.indiana.edu/news/events.cfm?eid=220.
"Attitudes about Democracy and Governance in the Arab World: Findings and Insights from the Arab Barometer Project"
Oct. 29, 4 p.m.-5:30 p.m., Woodburn Hall 100, Bloomington -- Professor Mark Tessler of the University of Michigan will give the Second Iliya Harik Memorial Lecture, titled "Attitudes about Democracy and Governance in the Arab World: Findings and Insights from the Arab Barometer Project." Tessler is Samuel J. Eldersveld Collegiate Professor of Political Science at the University of Michigan, where he also serves as vice provost for international affairs. He is the author, coauthor or editor of 12 books and more than 100 scholarly articles in leading journals. For more information, contact asinno@indiana.edu.
Meet the Author: Matthew Guterl
Oct. 30, 5 p.m.-7 p.m., College Arts & Humanities Institute, 1211 E. Atwater Ave., Bloomington -- The College Arts & Humanities Institute presents a presentation by Matthew Guterl on his book American Mediterranean: Southern Slaveholders in the Age of Emancipation. How did slave-owning Southern planters make sense of the transformation of their world in the Civil War era? Matthew Pratt Guterl shows that they looked beyond their borders for answers. He traces the links that bound them to the wider fraternity of slaveholders in Cuba, Brazil and elsewhere, and charts their changing political place in the hemisphere. For more information, visit http://coas3.coas.indiana.edu/recruiting/CAHI/details.cfm?ID=53.
'Ten Years Is a Long Time (on the Internet), or, What Will Cyberspace Make of the Humanities?'
Oct. 30, 7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m., Ballantine 109, Bloomington -- Classicist James O'Donnell, provost at Georgetown University, takes a close look at the mass usage of the Internet in its second decade and how it is described in his book Avatars of the Word, which is a study of the place of media in cultural history in his second lecture of the Patten Lecture Series. O'Donnell will discuss what people have and haven't learned, and especially -- what sense do people make of the scale and speed of change for the most traditional ways of building and preserving culture. For more information, visit http://patten.indiana.edu.
"The Power of Self-Representation in Filmmaking on Issues of Gender and Sexuality"
Oct. 31, 12 p.m.-1:15 p.m., 800 E. 3rd St., Room 100, Bloomington -- Transgender filmmaker Gwen Haworth presents "The Power of Self-Representation in Filmmaking on Issues of Gender and Sexuality." A screening of Haworth's film She's a Boy I Knew will be shown Oct. 30 at 7:15 p.m. in Wylie Hall 015. The film discusses the transition from biological male to female. A question and answer session will follow Haworth's talk on Friday. For more information, contact 812-856-1986.
"Computing and Information Science and Engineering: What's all this?"
Oct. 31, 3 p.m.-4 p.m., Lindley Hall 102, Bloomington -- Professor Marc Snir, director of the Illinois Informatics Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, will present "Computing and Information Science and Engineering: What's all this?" The computer science discipline continues to evolve rapidly. New schools are established that include CS but expand beyond the narrow confines of CS into informatics and various application areas -- the School of Informatics at IU being one notable example. Snir will argue that it is appropriate to think of computing and information (C&I) as one broad discipline, and that it is high time to stop arguing about the precise boundaries between the various sub-disciplines or have sterile discussions about science vs. engineering. For more information, visit http://www.informatics.indiana.edu/events/.
"That Noble Art: Netherlandish Renaissance Sculpture"
Oct. 31, 4:30 p.m., Woodburn Hall 120, Bloomington -- Matt Kavaler, associate professor of art history at the University of Toronto, will present the Robert and Avis Burke Lecture, "That Noble Art: Netherlandish Renaissance Sculpture." Kavaler's research focuses on Late Gothic and Netherlandish Art of the 15th-17th centuries. For more information, visit http://www.indiana.edu/~arthist/.
For more lectures around the state, visit http://events.iu.edu.
