The University Forum lecture series will feature two presentations in September, the first of which will focus on weddings and the second on West African photography.

On Sept. 18, Erika Engstrom, the associate dean of UNLV's Greenspun College of Urban Affairs, will speak on "Traditional Bride/Modern Woman: Gender Role Portrayals in Reality TV Wedding Shows."

Engstrom will explore how the "traditional" roles of brides and grooms are portrayed on the increasingly popular, reality-based television shows and the impact of these shows on the wedding industry.

During the Sept. 20 lecture, Vera Viditz-Ward, an art professor from Bloomsburg University in Pennsylvania, will present a slide-illustrated talk titled "Through an African Lens: 150 Years of Sierra Leon Photography."

The lecture will focus on the long-standing interest of photographers in documenting the people who live in the West African country of Sierra Leon. The lecture will take place in conjunction with the closing days of Viditz-Ward's photographic exhibition at the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History.

Both lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History. All University Forum lectures are free and open to the public.

The University Forum lecture series is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and is underwritten by the Lodge Kalafatis Trust and the UNLV Foundation. For more information on the series, call 895-3401 or send an E-mail to: forum@nevada.edu.