Evening Public Lectures
The Seminars @ Calvin Summer Lecture Series events are free and open to the public. All lectures will be held at 7:30pm in the Gezon Auditorium. Please see below for more information about speakers, general topics, and descriptions.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
"The Hunger Games and Philosophy: Discipline and the Docile Body"
Christina Van Dyke, Calvin College
Calvin philosopher Christina Van Dyke looks at the popular film and book, The Hunger Games, and asks what it is that we hope for when it comes to participating meaningfully in social and political life. The people of the Capitol, where the games are held, dress in extreme fashions and dramatically alter their bodies with wild tattoos and dramatic color changes to their skin and hair. Why are they doing this? Is it simply because they lack strong sources of personal identity? Is it because it reinforces the system of social control for the Capitol’s regime? What are we to make of the stylists who are so eager to effectively costume the contestants, or the show host, Caesar, who tries to empathize with every contestant? They're largely sympathetic characters, even though the premise for the whole event is so disgusting. Professor Van Dyke will “exegete” these and other aspects of this fascinating story to show why even the most elaborate systems of social control cannot satisfy our hunger for meaningful relationships with our neighbors and fellow citizens.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
"A Fast Ride with Cowboys of the Americas"
Richard Slatta, North Carolina State University
We’ll take a look at cowboys at work and play, trailing them from Alberta, Canada, south throughout the US, and further south to Mexico and South America. We’ll also probe how their images and myths became part of popular culture throughout the Americas.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
"Religion and the Origins of Modern Science"
Peter Harrison, University of Queensland
While it is sometimes thought that modern science developed largely independently of, or even in opposition to, religion, historians of science have proposed various ways in which religion might have played a positive role. This lecture will evaluate some of the standard arguments about the origins of Western science, and set out some new ideas about the influence of religion on the development and persistence of science.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
"Worship and Globalization"
Charles Farhadian, Westmont College
The talk will highlight some of the ways that worship becomes the site of different kinds of orientations, competing claims, and possibilities under conditions of globalization.
Seminars @ Calvin
Calvin College
1855 Knollcrest Circle SE
Grand Rapids MI 49546-4402
616.526.8558
fax 616.526.6682
seminars@calvin.edu
