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From Orlan to Euler, April intellectual events explore a variety of subjects

March 31, 2008

Connecticut College, a highly selective liberal arts college and thriving intellectual center, will host a number of prominent guest speakers, engaging faculty book talks and stimulating panel discussions during the month of April.

All events are free and open to the public and will take place on the Connecticut College campus. Events include:

- Orlan, an international performer and visual artist who uses her own body and the procedures of plastic surgery to make "carnal art," will speak April 1 at 4:30 p.m. in the Hood Dining Room, Blaustein Humanities Center.

- Eugene Gallagher, the Rosemary Park Professor of Religious Studies at Connecticut College, will give an endowed chair lecture, "Yesterday´s News," about how the study of religion and broader religious literacy is important to understanding today´s world, April 2 at 6:30 p.m. in the Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center.

- David A. Rubin, a 1985 Connecticut College graduate, registered landscape architect and partner with the Olin Partnership, will speak about "Landscape, Art and Integration," April 3 at 4:15 p.m. in the Cummings Arts Center, room 308.

- "Cocaine: From the Coca Leaves of South America to the Streets of New London," a panel discussion about the significance of the Andean coca culture, the impact of the cocaine industry in South America and the demand for cocaine in New London, Conn., April 4 at 11:45 a.m. in Blaustein Humanities Center room 210. The panel, which will be moderated by Connecticut College senior Bianca Kissel, will include Enrique Mayer, professor of anthropology at Yale University; Leo Garafalo, professor of Latin American history at Connecticut College; Manuel Lizarralde, professor of ethnobotany at Connecticut College and Officer Bill Edwards of the New London Police Department.

- "James Baldwin: A Prophet without Honor? The Black Writer and the Politics of Literature in American Culture," a lecture by author, educator and activist E. Michael Thelwell, founding chairman and professor of literature and writing in the W.E. B. DuBois Department of Afro-American Studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, April 7 at 4:30 p.m. in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room, Shain Library.

- The Connecticut College Department of Mathematics and Computer Science will celebrate the 300th birthday of Leonhard Euler, the most prolific of the great mathematicians, with a talk, "Five Pearls of Euler," by C. Edward Sandifer, professor of mathematics at Western Connecticut State University, author of "The Early Mathematics of Leonhard Euler" and one of the founding members of the Euler Society, April 7 at 7:30 p.m. in the Blaustein Humanities Center, room 210.

- "Are We Nearing the Peak of Fossil Fuel Energy? Has Twilight in the Desert Begun?" Matt Simmons, chair of Simmons & Co. International, a specialized energy investment banking firm, will discuss the future of global oil supplies April 8 at 4:30 p.m. in the Ernst Common Room, Blaustein Humanities Center.

- Old Saybrook artist Chiang Chien-fei will talk about his exhibit at Connecticut College, "Watercolors through Eastern and Western Eyes," and demonstrate traditional Chinese painting techniques, April 10 at 4:30 p.m. in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room in the Shain Library.

- A panel of students will talk about coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or queer and discuss how sexual orientation and gender identity affects their lives during a common hour panel discussion, "Speaking Out About Being Out," April 11 at 11:45 a.m. in Blaustein Humanities Center room 210.

- "New Superconducting Detectors for Astronomy," a Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geophysics lecture by Dan Prober, professor of physics at Yale University, April 11 at 3:30 p.m. in the Olin Science Center, room 111.

- Celebrated writer and lecturer Abby Seixas, author of "The Deep River Within: A Woman´s Guide to Recovering Balance and Meaning in Everyday Life," will give a talk about "The Art of Slowing Down in a 24/7 World," and teach audience members how to find balance and practice self care April 14 at 1 p.m. in the Olin Science Center, room 014. A book sale and signing will immediately follow the lecture.

- "Two Misty Poems and an Untrue World: Introducing Contemporary Chinese Literature," a lecture by Yibing Huang, associate professor of Chinese and east Asian languages and cultures at Connecticut College and author of "Contemporary Chinese Literature: From the Cultural Revolution to the Future," April 16 at noon in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room, Shain Library.

- Nina K. Martin, assistant professor of film studies at Connecticut College, will talk about her book, "Sexy Thrills: Undressing the Erotic Thriller," April 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the Haines Room, Shain Library. A book signing will follow.

- "Mediterranean Studies in the Age of Globalization: The Case of Italy," a Department of Italian lecture by Norma Bouchard, associate professor of Italian at the University of Connecticut, April 17 at 4:30 p.m. in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room, Shain Library.

- The Connecticut College Center for the Comparative Study of Race and Ethnicity will host a two-day symposium, "Race, Space and Memory," April 18 and 19. Keynote speakers include James E. Young, professor of English and Judaic studies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and eminent scholar of the Holocaust and the politics of memory; and Anna Deavere Smith, Obie Award-winning actress, performing artist and founder of the Institute on Arts and Civic Dialogue. For a full schedule of events, visit: www.conncoll.edu/academics/centers/ccsre/events.html.

- "Dragon Maidens, Crones, and Captured Brides: Women in Yi Folk Literature," a lecture by Mark Bender, associate professor of east Asian languages and literatures at Ohio State University, April 18 at 4 p.m. in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room, Shain Library. - Sunil Bhatia, associate professor of human development, will talk about his new book, "American Karma: Race, Culture and Identity in the Indian Diaspora," April 24 at 4:30 p.m. in the Charles Chu Asian Art Reading Room, Shain Library. A book signing will follow.

- Professor Claude Thiebeaux of the Universite de Reims Champagne-Ardenne will speak about "The Life and Works of Henri Pitot," April 25 at 3:30 p.m. in the Olin Science Center, room 111.

- "Women and Breast Cancer: Is Perceived Risk Enough to Change Behavior?" A psychology department spring colloquium series lecture by Gabriella Rothman, a post-doctoral fellow at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, April 28 at 4:30 p.m. in Bill Hall, room 106.

For more information contact: Amy Martin (860) 439-2526; a.martin@conncoll.edu