WHAT: “The ‘Uncertain’ God of the Jews, or the Limits of interpretatio Romana,” Chiara Ombretta Tommasi, Universita di Pisa
WHEN: Monday, March 29 @ 5 p.m.
WHERE: 4080A Foreign Languages Building, 707 South Mathews Ave., Urbana
Everything I tried to look up about Prof. Tommasi was in Eye-talian, so I can’t speak to the content of this presentation, although it sounds interesting.
WHAT: “From Subsistence Marketplaces to Sustainable Marketplaces: Understanding the Challenges of Global Sustainability,” Madhu Viswanathan, Professor of Business Administration
WHEN: Wednesday, March 31 @ 4 p.m.
WHERE: Gregory Hall, Room 223, 810 South Wright St., Urbana
From the event description: “This presentation addresses current research and social initiatives directed toward understanding subsistence marketplaces in their own right — to view them not just as markets to sell to, but as individuals, communities, consumers, entrepreneurs, and markets to learn from. This micro-level , bottom-up understanding of buyer, seller, and marketplace behaviors aims to enable subsistence marketplaces to move toward being ecologically, economically, and socially sustainable marketplaces.”
WHAT: “Differences in Food Insecurity Between Adults and Children in Zimbabwe,” Craig Gundersen, Associate Professor, Nutritional Sciences, Ag and Consumer Economics, U of I
WHEN: Wednesday, March 31 @ 12 noon
WHERE: Room 307, Illini Union, 1401 W. Green, Urbana
WHAT: “Reyes Lopez Tijerina and the Origins of the Mexican American Civil Rights Movement,” Ramon Gutierrez, University of Chicago
WHEN: Thursday, April 1 @ 4 p.m.
WHERE: English Building, Room 160
WHAT: “Climate Denial and the Philosopher-King of Java,” Professor Gillen Wood, Department of English
WHEN: Thursday, April 1 @ 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Knight Auditorium in the Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory St., Urbana
From the event description: “The eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 was the most colossal since human civilization emerged 10,000 years ago. Why is so little known about it today? In this year’s LAS Humanities Lecture, English Professor Gillen Wood will re-acquaint us with the eruption that caused snows in July and civil unrest. Its worldwide impacts are largely unstudied, Wood argues, because of an over-correction by humanists for the discredited theory of climate determinism. That over-correction is still limiting our understanding of climate change.”
WHAT: “Human Rights Trials and Truth Commissions: What the US Can Learn from Latin America,” Juan Mendez, Visiting Professor of Law, Washington College of Law, American University
WHEN: Thursday, April 1 @ 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Levis Faculty Center, 919 W. Illinois St., Urbana
You live near a major university and a community college. There are smart people that come here every week to talk to the general public about interesting topics. Perhaps you were not aware of this fact, or were overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities for possible enlightenment. If that’s the case, Smile Politely understands and is here to help. Here are several events going on in town this week. Check out one or more of them if you have time. Get your learn on, as they say, and join the cognoscenti. It’s free, you know. Plus, sometimes there’s free food, too!
If you have a community event, speaker, or film event that you’d like to see featured on Listen Up!, send the event information to joelgillespie [at] smilepolitely [dot] com by Friday the week prior to the event. Listen Up! runs on Mondays.