Boston Area Public Lectures and Forums, Spring 2008


Since the founding of Harvard College in 1636, 16 years after the arrival of the first Pilgrims at Plymouth, Boston has been a hub of scholarship, education, and the life of the mind. 100 years ago the intellectually curious Bostonian could have witnessed public addresses by William James, Theodore Roosevelt, W. E. B. DuBois, Jane Addams, or Charles and Mary Beard.  Indeed, little has changed.  Today one can hear talks by any number of scholars and public figures—ranging from Clifford Geertz, Eric Foner, John Lukacs, Cornell West, Bill Clinton, or John Milbank—at the dozens of colleges, universities, libraries, and other venues in the area.  Every day there are wonderful opportunities to attend public lectures in the Boston area.  Many of these lectures are free, delivered by the most renown thinkers and leaders of our day.  The events listed below are a sampling of some of the hundreds presented in the Boston vicinity in 2006-07.  ENC history majors are strongly encouraged to attend some of these provocative and enriching lectures and public forums.


SPRING 2008 CALENDAR OF EVENTS IN THE BOSTON AREA
* credit for United States from the 1920s to the Present (HI226); # credit for History of the Civil Rights Movement (HI353)


FEBRUARY

Wed, Feb 20, 7:00 PM, Ted Conover, one of the finest participatory journalists of his generation, talks about what it is like to completely emerge himself in various subcultures and translate those experiences into writing. Conover will discuss his most recent book, Newjack. Boston College, Gasson 305.

# Thur, Feb 21, 4:30 PM, Walter Rucker “Only Draw in Your Countrymen: Akan Community and Culture in Colonial New York City.” A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Professor Walter Rucker has authored a number of book reviews and journal articles appearing in the Journal of Black Studies…  Boston College, Devlin 101

Thur, Feb. 21, 7:00 PM, US Holocaust Memorial Museum film. The Baker Film Footage Collection features footage shot by an American family, the Bakers, who were living in Vienna when Hitler entered Austria in March 1938 in the momentous historical event known as the Anschluss. Equipped with a 16-millimeter camera, the Baker family captured on film the tense days leading up to the German takeover, Hitler’s entry into Vienna, the jubilant Austrian crowds who greeted him, and the persecution of the Jews that began immediately upon the annexation.      Boston Public Library.

*# Thur, Feb 21, 7:00 PM, The African American Experience - Faculty Panel Discussion. February is Black History Month. To celebrate, Barnes and Noble at BU is honored to host a panel discussion. Allison Blakely, Gene Jarrett, Linda Heywood, and John Thornton, of Boston University’s African American Studies Program, will take part in a round table about the past, present, and future of African Americans. Speaker(s): Allison Blakely, Gene Jarrett, Linda Heywood, and John Thornton. Barnes and Noble at BU, 660 Beacon Street.

Thur, Feb 21, 6:30 PM, Screening of For the Bible Tells Me So. This documentary film, nominee of the Grand Jury Prize for the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, explores the lives of five American Christian families as they come to terms with the sexual identity of their children. The movie screening will begin at 6:30pm, followed by a panel discussion with Prof. John... Boston College, Cushing 001.

# Fri, Feb 22, 3:30 PM, Richard T. Ford, “The Race Card: How Bluffing About Bias Makes Race Relations Worse.” Harvard Book Store

# Mon, Feb 25, 4:00 PM, David Brundage, “The United Irishmen and the Fight to End Slavery.” Boston College, Connolly House.

Mon, Feb 25, 5:30 - 7:00 PM, Anthony Lewis, "Freedom for the Thoughts We Hate." Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anthony Lewis discusses his new book, Freedom for the Thoughts We Hate, with Harvard Law Professor Martha Minow.  The Kennedy Library.  Registration required.

# Tues, Feb 26, 4:30 PM, Alexander Byrd, "The Atlantic World: A View from the Cane Fields of Eighteenth-Century Jamaica." Boston College, Devlin 101.

# Wed, Feb 27, 12:00 PM, Martha Minow, “Just Schools.” Martha Minow, the Jeremiah Smith, Jr. Professor of Law, has taught at Harvard since 1981. She writes about human rights and advocacy for members of racial and religious minorities and for women, children, and persons with disabilities. Reservations required; please email Susan Richard at richarsh@bc.edu. Boston College, Boisi Center, 24 Quincy Road.

Wed, Feb 27, 5:30 PM, Farhad Khosrokhavar, "Jihadism Between the East and the West." Farhad Khosrokhavar is Professor of Sociology and Director of Studies at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS).  He has published fourteen books on topics including the Iranian Revolution and the radicalization of Muslim minorities in Europe. His most recent book on jihadism is forthcoming with Paradigm Publishers.  Tufts University, Cabot 702.


MARCH

# Mon, March 3, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, Boston Globe reporter Neil Swidey will join University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor Keith Motley and other educators in a discussion about the plight of our inner-city schools.  Swidey’s book, The Assist: Hoops, Hope and the Game of Their Lives, examines this issue through the lives of the Charlestown High School basketball team.  Bill Littlefield, host of WBUR's Only A Game, moderates. The Kennedy Library.  Registration required.

Mon, March 3, 11:00 AM, Michael Brenner, "The Science of Judaism and the Politics of Emancipation." Michael Brenner is Chair of Jewish History and Culture at the University of Munich. He is the author and co-author of numerous publications, including Prophets of the Past: Jewish Historiography in the 19th and 20th Centuries (in German) and The Renaissance of Jewish Culture in Weimar Germany.  Brandeis  University, Lown 315.

Wed, March 5, 7:00 PM, Susan Jacoby, “The Age of American Unreason.” Harvard Book Store.

*# Wed, March 5, 6:00 PM, Dr. Terrence Roberts and Elizabeth Eckford “Choices in Little Rock: Choosing to Participate.” Dr. Terrence Roberts and Elizabeth Eckford will speak about their experiences as two of the nine students who set off for Central High School in Little Rock , Arkansas to continue the federal mandate of integration in 1957. Excerpts of short films created by Boston Public School students profiling some of Boston ’s civil right activists will be shown. This event is related to the stories featured in the Choosing to Participate exhibit and study guide and the Choices in Little Rock teaching unit. Boston Public Library, Rabb Lecture Hall.

Wed, March 5, 12:00 PM, Colin Kahl, Georgetown University, "The Law of War and The Evolution of Counterinsurgency in Iraq."  MIT, E38-615.

Thurs, March 6, 5:00 PM, Susan S. Lanser, "The Sexuality of History." Lanser's talk will ask not only what history can tell us about sexuality and gender, but what sexuality and gender can tell us about history.  Brandeis University, Goldfarb Treasure Hall.

Thur, March 6, 6:00 PM, Charles Capper, Boston University, “Margaret Fuller: An American Romantic Life.” Sponsored by the Massachusetts Historical Society, 1154 Boylston Street.

* Wed, March 12, 6:30 PM, “Freedom of Expression, Freedom of Dissent.” The first in the "Revolutionary Ideals, Modern Debate" series co-presented with the American Civil Liberties Union. Old South Meeting House.

*# Sun, March 16, 1:00 - 5:00 PM, "Robert Kennedy and the 1968 Campaign." March 16, 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of Robert F. Kennedy's announcement to run for President of the United States.  Join Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Peter Edelman, Dolores Huerta, Frank Mankiewicz, William vanden Heuvel, Jules Witcover, John Seigenthaler, Mark Shields and others as they share memories of the campaign and reflect on the legacy of RFK. The Kennedy Library.  Registration required.

Tues, March 18, 7:00 PM, Dany Cohn-Bendit on the Legacy of 1968. European parliamentarian and green party leader Daniel Cohn-Bendit speaks on The Legacy of 1968: A European Perspective. He was a leader of the student protesters during the May 1968 riots in France when he was known as Dany le Rouge (Dany the Red) both for his politics and color of his hair.  Boston University, SMG 105.

Tues, March 18, 5:00 PM, “What Do We Owe the Iraqis?” What is America's moral responsibility to the Iraqi people? The fifth anniversary of American military action in Iraq is rapidly approaching, and discussion of troop withdrawal dominates presidential primary debates. But what do American citizens owe the Iraqis?... Andrew J. Bacevich, professor of history and international relations at Boston University, Rev. J. Bryan Hehir, the Parker Gilbert Montgomery Professor of the Practice of Religion and Public Life at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and Rev. Paul W. McNellis, S.J., a member of the Philosophy Department at Boston College will discuss the religious and moral implications of the American presence in Iraq. Boston College, Gasson 305.

Fri, March 21, Friday, 3:00 PM, Michael I. Meyerson, “Liberty’s Blueprint: How Madison and Hamilton Wrote the Federalist Papers, Defined the Constitution, and Made Democracy Safe for the World.” Harvard Book Store.

* Wed, March 26, 3:30 PM, Randall Balmer (Barnard College, Columbia University), "God in the White House: Faith and the Modern Presidency." Lecture sponsored by the De Freitas Foundation.  Eastern Nazarene College, Shrader 15.

Thur, March 27, 6:30 - 8:00 PM, Daniel Pipes & Amy Dockser Marcus, "The Arab-Israeli Conflict: Peace Process or War Process?" Ford Hall Forum, Old South Meeting House.


APRIL

Tues, April 1, 4:30 PM, Dr. Bernard Avishai, "Globalized Israel: Why Olmert’s Center Government is the Last and Best Chance for a Peace Deal." MIT, E51-095.

Thur, April 3, 6:30 - 8:00 PM, Strobe Talbot, President of the Brookings Institution, “The Great Experiment: The Story of Ancient Empires, Modern States, and the Quest for a Global Nation.” Ford Hall Forum, Boston Public Library, Abbey Room

Fri, April 4, 12:00 PM, Donatella della Porta, “Europeanization from Below: Social Movements and Multilevel Governance.” Donatella della Porta is a Professor of Sociology in the Department of Political and Social Sciences at the European University Institute, where she teaches courses on political sociology, transformations in democracy, social movements and civil society as well as qualitative methods and research... Boston College, Devlin 101.

Mon, April 14, 6:00 PM, A conversation with Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, Harvard University, The Power of Objects to Evoke Memories.” Facilitated by Steve Marini, Wellesley College. This program is part of the Massachusetts Historical Society’s History and Memory series. 1154 Boylston Street.

Tues, April 15, 7:30 PM, Kevin Phillips, “Bad Money.” Best-selling author and political commentator Kevin Phillips exposes the crisis of American capitalism. How has the interaction among reckless financial dealings, excessive debt, worn-out politics and global over-reach creates an Achilles heel for U.S. national security? What challenges does the threat of “bad money” pose for the 2008 presidential candidates? And for the new administration in 2009?  Cambridge Forum, Harvard Square.

Wed, April 16, 7:00 PM, Donald Yerxa (ENC), "That Embarrassing Dream: Big Questions and the Limits of History," with a response from Jon Roberts (Boston University), lecture sponsored by ENC's Scholar's Guild and the History Department. Eastern Nazarene College, Munro Parlor.

* Tues, April 22, 7:00 PM, Grant Wacker (Duke University), "Billy Graham's America," lecture sponsored by the De Freitas Foundation. Eastern Nazarene College, room TBA.

*# Wed, April 23, 6:00 PM. Joseph M. Cronin will speak on his book Reforming Boston Schools, 1930-2006: Overcoming Corruption and Racial Segregation. Joe Cronin was a Harvard professor and dean, State Secretary of Education, Chairman of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Education Committee, and has studied and written about Boston schools for more than fifty years. Boston Public Library, Rabb Lecture Hall.

# Mon, April 28, 5:30 - 7:00 PM, "A Conversation with Barney Frank." Congressman Barney Frank discusses the federal government's role in addressing economic and social problems, particularly growing inequality in our society. The Kennedy Library.  Registration required.


MAY

* Thur, May 1, 6:30 - 8:30, Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood, “Banned in Boston: The Silent Speech of Margaret Sanger.  Ford Hall Forum, Old South Meeting House.

Tues, May 13, “The Flash Press.” American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609-1634
 
Tues, May 20, Ginger Strand, “Niagara Falls.” American Antiquarian Society, 185 Salisbury Street, Worcester, Massachusetts 01609-1634.

Wed, May 28, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, "An Evening with Ted Sorensen." Former Boston Globe columnist Tom Oliphant moderates a discussion with Mr. Sorensen's former colleagues in the Kennedy administration -- Robert McNamara, Secretary of Defense; Carl Kaysen, Deputy Special Assistant for National Security Affairs; and, Lee C. White, Assistant Special Counsel to the President and a law school classmate of Mr. Sorensen's -- along with Adam Frankel, who assisted Mr. Sorensen in research on his autobiography, Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History, which is being published in May. The Kennedy Library.  Registration required.


JUNE

Mon, June 16, 5:30 - 7:30 PM, "The Centennial of Thurgood Marshall." July 2, 2008 marks the centennial of Thurgood Marshall's birth.  Join Juan Williams, NPR Senior Correspondent and author of Thurgood Marshall: American Revolutionary; U.S. District Judge Nancy Gertner; and, Harvard Law Professor Lani Guinier as they honor the first African American appointed to the United State Supreme Court.  Georgetown Law Professor Sheryl Cashin moderates. The Kennedy Library.  Registration required.


_

The James R. Cameron Center for History, Law, & Governrnent  | Eastern Nazarene College | 23 East Elm Avenue  | Quincy, Massachusetts 02170  | Phone: 1-617-745-3000  |  email: r a n d a l l . s t e p h e n s @ e n c . e d u


Site designed by Randall J. Stephens

Maps & Directions