Lecture Preview
Title: University Lecture Series — “Making It Up As I (We) Went Along”
The Basics: Professor and head of biological sciences Elizabeth W. Jones speaks about the importance of being able to lay off plans and simply “go with your gut.” One of the first women in the biological sciences department, Jones believes that many of her improvised decisions turned out to be her wisest. This lecture is part of the “Journeys” series.
When: Monday at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Adamson Wing, Baker Hall 136A
Title: Drue Heinz Lecture Series — Anthony Bourdain
The Basics: Anthony Bourdain, executive chef at Manhattan’s Brasserie Les Halles, will expose his kitchen secrets as revealed in his books Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, A Cook’s Tour, and his latest work, 2006’s The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps and Bones.
The lecture is already sold out, and tickets are being auctioned off online at sites such as eBay.
Bourdain is also the host of the Travel Channel’s culinary and food culture program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and has appeared as guest judge on Bravo’s Top Chef reality cooking competition. Bourdain is famous for consuming sheep testicles in Morocco, ant eggs in Mexico, a raw seal eyeball as part of an Inuit tradition, and a live cobra in Vietnam.
****When:** Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Where: Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland
Title: “Feminist Theatre Criticism and the Popular: The Case of Wendy Wasserstein”
The Basics: Jill Dolan, holder of the Zachary T. Scott Family Chair and head of the M.A./Ph.D. program in performance and public practice in the drama department at the University of Texas at Austin, will speak on trends in American feminist theater. Dolan has published many works on the subject, including her latest book Utopia in Performance: Finding Hope at the Theatre (2005).
When: Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Giant Eagle Auditorium, Baker Hall A51
Title: Giler Humanities Lecture Series — Sarah Igo
The Basics: Sarah Igo, associate professor of history at the University of Pennsylvania, will explore how polls, surveys, and studies have shaped modern American society. Igo is the author of The Averaged American: Surveys, Citizens, and the Making of a Mass Public, which won the President’s Book Award of the Social Science History Association and was named as a Slate magazine Best Books of the Year Selection in 2006.
Igo will speak about how scientific surveys have helped shaped the American people’s sense and opinion of themselves. She will also address the importance of daily polls in the coming weeks of preparation for the 2008 primaries and general election.
When: Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
Where: Adamson Wing, Baker Hall 136A
Title: Carnegie Library Lecture Series — “Armchair Travels: United Kingdom”
The Basics: This month’s “Armchair Travels” lecture focuses on the United Kingdom. Using videos and presentations by local people who have either lived or visited the country, the lecture series aims to present its audience with the next best thing to a hands-on experience.
When: Saturday at 3 p.m.
Where: Carnegie Library, Oakland