Department and Campus Events
Patty Limerick
Wednesday, October 17, 2007 at 7:30pm
Free to the Public
"Parables from the Past: The Historian as Coach, Referee, and
Trail Guide"
Description: People who have devoted their lives and careers to the
study of history have to be braced for encounters with people who are
profoundly bored by history and who seem to carry a lasting sense of
grievance over the fact that they had to study such a tedious subject
in school. And yet, in other circles, enthusiasm for the company of
historians is almost at a fever pitch, with many Americans hoping that
historical perspective will help them make better choices. For a historian
responding to this hope, life becomes an ongoing experiment testing
the hypothesis: lessons from history have the power to guide our actions
in concrete and practical ways. The work of the Center of the American
West- ranging from legislative efforts to help the clean- up of abandoned
mines to the making of a film comparing the adoption of fossil fuels
in the Industrial Revolution to the adoption of renewable energies in
our time- provides illuminating case studies for the exploration of
the question: Can historians be of help to their fellow human beings?
Joseph Esherick
Thursday, January 10, 2008 at 7:30pm
Free to the Public
"China: from 'Sick Man of Asia' to 'Emerging Economic Giant.'"
In this talk, Dr. Esherick will describe how the Chinese revolution
laid the foundation for China's recent economic emergence.
Ken Burns
Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at 7:30pm
Students $10/ General $20/ Reserved $30
"An Evening with Ken Burns" In this talk,
Burns reminds his audience about the timeless lessons of history and
the enduring greatness of the United States in the course of human events.
Whether he is discussing his famous trilogy of celebrated documentary
films, The Civil War, Baseball, and Jazz, or revealing the leadership
models in the unexpectedly dramatic story of Lewis and Clark; whether
he is delving into the complete and often contradictory lives of great
American figures as diverse as Thomas Jefferson, Frank Lloyd Wright,
or Mark Twain; or whether he is celebrating the achievements of the
common soldier in World War II, Burns discusses what Americans share
in common, not what divides them.
College
of Arts and Humanities
2007-2008 Speaker Series
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