University Forum is a free public lecture series sponsored by the UNLV College of Liberal Arts and underwritten by the Jerry Kalafatis Lodge Charitable Foundation and the UNLV Foundation. The following lectures will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History, located on the UNLV campus. The lectures are free and open to the public.

March 1
"U.S. Empire in the Twentieth Century: From Exuberant Missions to Hearts of Darkness"
Emily S. Rosenberg, professor of history at Macalaster College, will discuss 20th century U.S. imperial practices, paying particular attention to what happens when foreign cultures reject American intervention. She will examine several episodes of imperial "darkness," including the torturing of prisoners in the Philippines and the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. Rosenberg is a past president of the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations and has served on the editorial board of the Journal of American History.

March 8
"The Marimba in the 21st Century: Nevada's Contribution to an International Art Form"
In this lecture/recital presentation, UNLV Department of Music lecturer Timothy Jones will examine the development of the six-mallet marimba technique and perform a number of six-mallet works. The marimba is a percussion instrument resembling the xylophone with roots in Africa and the Orient. The six-mallet technique requires an advanced mastery of the instrument that only a few have been able to accomplish.

March 15
"The Social Psychology of Terror"
What could possibly motivate people to commit suicide in the name of a political or religious cause? Jonathan H. Turner, professor of sociology at the University of California, Riverside, will answer this burning question, focusing primarily on the biology of emotions and the psychology of terror. Turner, who has lectured worldwide on the origins of human emotions and the structure of sociological theory, won the American Sociological Association's Distinguished Book Award in 2002 for "On the Origins of Human Emotion."

March 31
"Muslim Culture and Politics"
UNLV Political Science Chair Mehran Tamadonfar will discuss the theological and cultural foundations of Muslim politics in the wake of Sep. 11, positing that Western cultures will have to recognize Islam as a major political force of the 21st century. Tamadonafar, an expert on comparative foreign policies, will attempt to provide an understanding of Muslim politics and their contemporary propensity towards violence.