The College of Liberal Arts at UNLV presents the University Forum fall lecture series. Free and open to the public, the University Forum brings experts from UNLV and across the nation to discuss a range of political, social and cultural issues. Unless noted otherwise, the following lectures will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History located at UNLV. For more information, call the College of Liberal Arts at (702) 895-3401. Events are subject to change.
Oct. 15
"Close Calls with Nonsense: Reading New Poetry"
UNLV English Professor Donald Revell and Harvard University English Professor Stephen Burt will read from their literary works and from others and will discuss relevant issues of form, content and difficulty in American poetry today.
Oct. 22
"A Poetry Reading with UNLV English Professor Claudia Keelan"
UNLV English Professor and Poet 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.
Nov. 4
"Green Our Vaccines! Mercury Moms, Autism, and the Immunization Wars Wednesday"
UNLV Women's Studies Professor Danielle Roth-Johnson looks into the debates surrounding the cause, treatments and diagnoses of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Some groups argue exposure to mercury has caused an increase in diagnoses while others argue there is a lack of research on the subject. Roth-Johnson talks about the response media and health professionals have made for reforms in treating ASD.
Nov. 12
"Galileo's Telescopic Discoveries, 1609-2009: Repercussions and Lessons"
On improving the telescope in 1609, Galileo began making startling new observations: lunar mountains, Jupiter's satellites, Venus's phases, and sunspots. Such discoveries undermined the traditional belief that the earth stands still at the center of the universe, confirming instead Copernicus's view that the earth rotates daily on its axis and revolves yearly around the sun. The controversy over whether the earth's motion is compatible with Scripture climaxed in 1633 when the Inquisition condemned Galileo as a heretic. A new controversy, over whether Galileo was justly condemned, shows no signs of abating. UNLV Professor Emeritus of Philosophy Maurice Finocchiaro discusses the controversy and lessons from Galileo's astronomical discoveries.
Nov. 19
"No Dreaming, No Story: Baz Luhrmann's 'Australia' "
Louisana State University English Professor Patrick McGee discusses film director Baz Luhrmann's motion picture "Australia." The film, he suggests, can be read in three ways: it reconfigures elements from the traditional Hollywood Western; it embodies and complicates the imperialist romance; and it imitates the sensibility of cinematic fantasies like the "Wizard of Oz."
Dec. 3
"The Millennium Villages Project Museum Auditorium"
Boston University School of Public Health Professor Yesim Tozan, an expert on development issues in Africa, will provide an overview of the Millennium Project - a United Nations mission to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger worldwide. She will show how reducing extreme poverty requires the integration of social, economic, environmental and public health policy decisions.
