The Colleges of Letters, Arts and Science (CLAS) proudly present this lecture series, bringing stimulating and wide-ranging discussions to the community, led by some of the University of Arizona’s most celebrated faculty. Presenters for 2010-2011 represent each of the CLAS colleges: Fine Arts, Humanities, Science, and Social and Behavioral Sciences, offering access to a highly diverse range of research topics and issues.

Join CLAS for one, two, three, or all four lectures –which includes lunch- all in the enjoyable setting of the Tucson Room of the Arizona Inn. Dates and descriptions for the lectures are below.

Location: Arizona Inn, 2200 East Elm Street, Tucson AZ

Time: 12-1:30PM

Cost: $45/ticket per lecture (non-tax deductible)

Included: Lunch and lecture

Registration: Register securely on-line by credit card (MC, VISA, AMEX) by clicking on link to right. Please indicate your lecture choices(s), names of all attending, credit card information, and if a vegetarian meal will be required.

This year’s four lectures are as follows:

Oct 14 - “Acting in the New Millennium: The Renaissance of Voice”

Dianne J. Winslow, Professor, School of Theatre, Film and Television – College of Fine Arts

Globalization, the internet, broadband communications and new media, present today’s actors with a wide range of opportunities and creative challenges under the umbrella of “voice acting.” To compete in this market, today’s talent must be equipped not only with the “acting chops” required of performers in the past but also with a solid foundation in this evolving vocal craft. Actors, who are trained in areas such as dialects, voiceovers, voice matching, animation, audio books and video games, significantly increase their professional potential. Professor Winslow will present a lecture-performance that demonstrates the vocal skills required of actors in the burgeoning field of voice acting.

Professor Winslow teaches Voice and Movement and Acting Styles in the Professional Actor Training programs. As a professional voice coach, she teaches Dialects, Accent Reduction, Vocal Production and Characterization. Her students and industry clients work in radio, theatre, television and film. She is the creator/director of Touring Shakespeare (TS), an educational entertainment that makes the process of acting Shakespeare accessible to students of all ages. She is the recipient of both the Putnam and the James B. Anthony awards for teaching excellence.

Nov 18 - “Change: Expect the Unexpected”

Donna Swaim, Senior Lecturer Emerita, Religious Studies Program – College of Humanities
Clinical Lecturer - School of Medicine

In the Epic of Gilgamesh, Utnapishtim’s message for Gilgamesh informs our own age. There is no permanence: change is inevitable. Our challenge is to recognize it and deal with it productively, indeed, enjoy it! From Montaigne’s essays to Nasim Taleb’s “black swans,” the message is rational skepticism, the tone is playful, the attitude one of fascination with human consciousness in a world with more questions than answers. The material of the humanities provides us with rich possibilities for dealing with reality with humility and curiosity. When we are free of unreasonable expectations, when we acknowledge our inability to predict the future, we are able to find greater satisfaction in moments of conscious focus and in those unexpected “back swan” discoveries.

Donna Swaim, drawing upon 46 years of teaching undergraduates, prison inmates and physicians, will share insights about what it means to be human. Recipient of many teaching awards, including the 5-Star, her classes are known for challenging students to think and to reflect upon contemporary issues and their own personal lives.

Feb 9 - “What Teachers Owe Students”

David Schmidtz, Kendrick Professor of Philosophy and joint Professor of Economics – College of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Professor Schmidtz will discuss how the mission of educators (and of schools that employ them) is two-fold. Schools hire teachers not only to educate students, but to certify them. As educators, the teacher’s job is to develop talent. As certifiers, the teacher’s job is to measure and evaluate performance. Teaching and certifying are not independent, of course. A grade is supposed to be an achievement on a student’s part, indicating that a student has indeed become educated. Schmidtz’s point is not that the missions are unconnected, but rather that the connection is not automatic: bringing the two missions together, and keeping them together, is an achievement. Teachers have a responsibility to connect getting good grades to worthwhile learning. If we are not thinking hard about how to turn certification into a friend rather than foe of real learning, then we are merely going through the motions, and in response, so will most of our students.

Professor Schmidtz is founding Director of the Center for Philosophy of Freedom at the University of Arizona. He is author of Rational Choice and Moral Agency (Princeton), Elements of Justice (Cambridge), and Person, Polis, Planet (Oxford). He is co-author of Social Welfare and Individual Responsibility (Cambridge) and A Brief History of Liberty (Blackwell). His essays have been reprinted over four dozen times, and his research has taken him to six continents and 27 countries.

Mar 9 - “Lightning – A Striking Phenomenon”

E. Philip Krider, Professor Emeritus, Department of Atmospheric Sciences – College of Science
 

Professor Krider’s lecture will be on the fascinating topic of lightning and the evolving science of lightning detection and protection.

Professor Krider is known world-wide for his work on lightning and thunderstorm electricity. He led the group that developed the lightning sensor technology that is now the basis of the U.S. National Lightning Detection Network. He also chairs a NASA/Air Force/FAA advisory panel that insures lightning safety during space launches. Dr. Krider holds eight patents, co-founded a successful Tucson-based company, and is a noted historian of 18th century science and the work of Benjamin Franklin.

Questions? Call Debra Olson, College of Humanities, at (520) 621-9294