Program

Session Two

1:30 pm – 2:30 pm

Religion and Science in the Public Sphere

Kevin Davey | Philosophy

Can it ever be appropriate for a religious institution to object to a piece of science on religious/ethical grounds? Prof. Davey discusses this question, paying particular attention to the historical case of Galileo.

Harper 135 (1116 E. 59th St.)

The Pedagogy of Booker T Washington Embodied in Architecture

Beth Ann Johnson | Hyde Park Historical Society

The teachings of Washington and development of Tuskegee were influential in producing airmen, scientists and architects. Between 1890 and 1920, Tuskegee was the center of formal architectural training in design and construction producing the first crop of architects under the tutelage of Robert Robinson Taylor. These architects went on to develop offshoot schools (such as Grambling State University) and contributed to the built environment of their own communities and large metropolitan areas like Chicago and New York. What physically remains is a new context for significance in identifying viable structures for preservation.

International House, Home Room (1414 E. 59th St.)

Art in Chicago: The Pilsen Murals

Janice Knight | English Lang. & Lit.

In this session, we will take a look at the area of Chicago known as Pilsen. Historically a port of entry, Pilsen was originally settled by Czech, Polish and German working class families in the 19th century. In the l950Õs, Pilsen became home to recent Mexican immigrants, quickly becoming one of the largest Mexican American communities in the U.S. and one of the most interesting and beautiful neighborhoods in Chicago. In this session we will explore the many murals of Pilsen, focusing on the images, stories, and politics of these compelling visual forms, as well as discussing the power of public art to preserve cultural memory and to build community.

Harper 148 (1116 E. 59th St.)

Song and Dance in Bollywood Cinema

Rochona Majumdar | South Asian Lang. & Civ.

In the years 1913 and 1931, that is during the twenty years or so between the release of the first film "Raja Harishchandra" and the first talkie "Alam Ara" the Indian market was dominated by American films. From 1931 however, Indian films rapidly displaced Hollywood and established their unquestioned dominance of the market. How did this change come about? I propose that it was the presence of music - the ubiquitous song and dance sequences that most people associate with Indian cinema - that marked out this cinema (despite many regional variations) as distinctive. Notwithstanding critiques from directors, actors, and film buffs that song and dance sequences are a sign of the immaturity of this film form, this element has endured in Indian cinema and imbued the latter with tremendous dynamism. By focusing mainly on film music in Hindi cinema Prof. Majumdar shows how song and dance features have transmuted over time and continue to be the most singular characteristic of Bollywood cinema.

Stuart 101 (5835 S. Greenwood Ave.)

Globalization and Language Endangerment: Myths and Facts

Salikoko S. Mufwene | Linguistics

Is globalization really what it has so often been claimed to be? LetÕs assume that it can be reduced to the world-wide interconnectedness of people and industries made possible by improved and increased communication and transportation. Is it true that globalization is reducing linguistic and cultural diversity, or that English is facilitating globalization? Is globalization homogenizing the world in the same way as European settlement colonization has since the 16th century? Is the faster spread of English around the world over the past few decades really endangering other languages? I will address these questions and more.

Stuart 105 (5835 S. Greenwood Ave.)

Music and Mathematics: Rethinking the Relationship

Steven Rings | Music

We often hear that music and mathematics are closely related, but what exactly is the nature of the relationship? How is it that music--in all of its emotional, even irrational, immediacy--can be so closely related to that most rational of all intellectual pursuits? In this talk, Prof. Rings explores this question, suggesting that, despite its long history, the nature of the relationship between music and mathematics is far from self-evident. The talk surveys some central historical traditions in the math/music relationship--beginning with Pythagoras and Plato--and proposes some suggestive ways to rethink the relationship by drawing on work in the philosophy of mathematics and cognitive science. The talk is designed to be accessible both to non-musicians and non-mathematicians.Ê

Classics 110 (1010 E. 59th St.)

CuratorÕs Tour: Drawing as Process in Contemporary Art

Stephanie Smith | Smart Museum of Art

Tour the exhibition Drawing as Process in Contemporary Art with curator Stephanie Smith as she considers the important role drawing plays within the contemporary artistic process as well as in her own work with artists, commissions, and exhibitions.

Smar t Museum of Art (5550 S. Greenwood Ave.)

Anglo-Iberian Captives in the Early Modern Atlantic

Lisa Voigt | Romance Lang. & Lit.

Early modern European exploration frequently involved the capture of foreign sailors and pilots not only as an act of war, but also to obtain navigational, geographic, and ethnographic information. This presentation traces the trajectories of English captives of Iberians, and Iberian captives of Englishmen, to demonstrate the mutual dependence and collaboration between subjects of officially hostile nations and religions. The stories told by these captives reveal how the knowledge held by individuals who crossed borders was highly valued by a variety of publics, and challenge the notion of irreconcilable and unremitting opposition between English and Spanish, Protestant and Catholic identities.

Stuart 102 (5835 S. Greenwood Ave.)

Giving and Getting Advice in the Letters of Cicero

Peter White | Classics

In modern American society, giving advice has largely become a specialty for professionals. We donÕt expect to receive it constantly from our peers. But in Roman society, advising was one of the primary forms of interaction between aristocrats. Prof. White discusses in this presentation why advice looms so large in CiceroÕs letters even though no one felt bound to heed it.

Stuart 104 (5835 S. Greenwood Ave.)

Marriage on the Silk Road

Ilya Yakubovich | Lecturer, the College

We will compare and contrast the three marriage contracts available from Pre-Islamic Central Asia. Originally written in Middle Persian, Bactrian, and Sogdian, they treat a variety of unusual topics, from polyandry to injunctions against selling oneÕs own wife into slavery.

Harper 141 (1116 E. 59th St.)