Arts

Meeting the Bible Musically: Broadway Shows, Folk songs, Operas, Oratorios, Symphonies, and More (Speaker: Steve Ruth)e

Posted: January 6, 2025 at 7:32 pm

When you hear “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”, it may not be obvious that it’s a famous Bible story—Elijah entering heaven. George Handel also wrote many stirring oratorios centered on famous Bible heroes and heroines. In this course, we will encounter dozens of wonderful melodies from operas, symphonies, Broadway shows, popular music, and more. They are […]

Steve Ruth

Seeing Bible Stories Through a Theatrical Lens (Speaker: Steve Ruth)

Posted: September 20, 2023 at 6:54 pm, Last Updated: May 31, 2024 at 2:45 pm

Some may remember the famous movie portrayals of Samson by Victor Mature and Moses by Charlton Heston; thrilling stories from the Bible transferred to the silver screen. This course will cover dozens of stories that didn’t quite make it for full Hollywood treatment yet are so thrilling and poignant that they deserve box office status. […]

Steve Ruth

Black Dance: Housing the Past and the Present (Speaker: Lawrence Jackson)

Posted: September 11, 2023 at 4:35 pm, Last Updated: May 31, 2024 at 2:48 pm

Colonialism brought an end to authentic African dance. Lawrence M. Jackson, Associate Professor of Dance at George Mason University, who in 2011 co-authored and edited a special edition on Black dance in the Journal of Pan African Studies, explains how Black dance keeps those African cultural traditions alive and is an affirmation of identity and […]

A/V requirements: Internet Access, Laptop, LCD Projector, Screen

Lawrence M. Jackson

Mathematics and Music (Speaker: Ilhan Izmirli)

Posted: May 2, 2022 at 6:47 pm, Last Updated: May 31, 2024 at 2:56 pm

From a purely computational point of view, there are several well-known applications of mathematics in music from basic arithmetic (to study such fundamental elements of music such as tempo and meter), to the golden ratio and Fibonacci numbers (to determine the number of notes in subsections of longer works), to Fourier series (to understand the […]

A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD Projector

Ilhan Izmirli

Japanese Art (Remote Speaking Engagements Preferred) (Speaker: Laura McCloskey)

Posted: June 29, 2021 at 5:35 pm, Last Updated: June 3, 2024 at 5:24 pm

I have taught courses on Japanese art for several years and I would be glad to present on any topic relating to Japanese art history. I have a particular interest in presenting on the art and traditions of Zen Buddhism, but I am open to any topic.

A/V requirements: LCD Projector, Screen

Laura McCloskey (Remote Speaking Engagements Preferred)

Celtic Drawing (Remote Speaking Engagements Preferred) (Speaker: Laura McCloskey)

Posted: June 29, 2021 at 5:33 pm, Last Updated: June 3, 2024 at 5:25 pm

Drawing workshops that feature a background lecture on Celtic art traditions, with time for instruction on how to create Celtic-inspired drawings based on Pictish, Northumbrian, and medieval Irish stone carving, metalwork, and manuscripts. (Attendees would need to have their own preferred drawing instruments, paper, a compass, and a protractor.)

A/V requirements: LCD Projector, Screen

Laura McCloskey (Remote Speaking Engagements Preferred)

The American Theater at a Crossroads: Which Way to Turn? (Speaker: Rick Davis)

Posted: April 9, 2021 at 6:56 pm, Last Updated: June 3, 2024 at 5:28 pm

A look at the American professional theater in its various expressions, from Broadway to the nonprofit regional theater, as it copes with unprecedented challenges from the pandemic to Black Lives Matter to economic uncertainty.  A glance at history (how we got here) will be followed by an exploration of the changing environment for theater and […]

A/V requirements: None

Rick Davis

Various Game Topics (Speaker: Daniel Greenberg)

Posted: March 27, 2019 at 1:35 pm, Last Updated: June 3, 2024 at 7:29 pm

As an instructor in the game design program, I’ve traveled to a number of events related to gaming around the country, delivering talks on game topics ranging from color-blindness and accessibility to opera in games. With a couple weeks’ notice, I can prepare a talk on a variety of subjects, including audiovisual components, as part […]

A/V requirements: LCD Projector

Daniel Greenberg

Daniel Greenberg

Posted: March 27, 2019 at 1:32 pm, Last Updated: March 29, 2021 at 6:41 pm

Daniel Greenberg teaches game design topics in the Computer Game Design program, with a focus on history and analysis. His research tackles the emerging topics surrounding digital games, including their defined role as an art form, the language used to describe them, the manner in which they convey narrative, patterns for developing game literacy, codifying […]

History, Lessons and Legacies of the Vietnam War (Speaker: Meredith Lair)

Posted: October 5, 2018 at 7:30 pm, Last Updated: January 6, 2025 at 6:59 pm

This talk considers how the Vietnam War remains influential in contemporary American life.

A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD Projector, Screen

Meredith Lair

War Memorials on the National Mall (Speaker: Meredith Lair)

Posted: October 5, 2018 at 7:28 pm, Last Updated: January 6, 2025 at 6:59 pm

Post-pandemic, I can do this as a walking tour on the National Mall. As a talk, I provide historical background about the development of various war memorials on the National Mall, as well as interpretation of their design and meaning in American culture.

A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD Projector, Screen

Meredith Lair

Meredith Lair

Posted: October 5, 2018 at 7:24 pm, Last Updated: January 6, 2025 at 6:58 pm

Professor Lair’s work examines warfare and its relationship to American society and culture, with particular emphasis on how knowledge and memories of the past are constructed and disseminated over time. She is the author of Armed with Abundance: Consumerism and Soldiering in the Vietnam War, which examines the non-combat experiences of American soldiers in Vietnam. […]

Economics of the Arts (Speaker: Tyler Cowen)

Posted: March 22, 2017 at 3:47 pm, Last Updated: June 3, 2024 at 8:09 pm

A study on whether commercialization is good or bad for the arts, and how fame is produced in modern societies.

A/V requirements: None

Tyler Cowen

The Spanish Golden Age–a Dramatic Legacy (Speaker: Rick Davis)

Posted: September 29, 2014 at 7:18 pm, Last Updated: June 4, 2024 at 5:47 pm

Cervantes, Tirso de Molina, Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca and many more great writers define the “Siglo de Oro” or Golden Age in Spanish literature, a period spanning portions of the 16th and 17th centuries that coincides with Spain’s decline as a world power. This talk addresses Spanish views of love, honor, power, […]

A/V requirements: None

Rick Davis

The Beautiful and the Just: Inquiry, Justice, and Value in Alain Locke and Aristotle (Speaker: Rose Cherubin)

Posted: September 29, 2014 at 7:13 pm, Last Updated: June 4, 2024 at 5:48 pm

Alain Locke was a 20th-century African American philosopher, Chair of the Philosophy Department at Howard University, and a guiding force behind the Harlem Renaissance of the 1920’s. His work in philosophy, politics, education, and arts criticism was guided by the notion of culture as a goal. To see this we must look to his roots […]

A/V requirements: LCD, Screen (or equivalent other ways of projecting PowerPoint slides and other images) for in-person meetings; Zoom or equivalent platform for virtual meetings.

Rose Cherubin

The Art of Choreography (Speaker: Susan Shields)

Posted: September 29, 2014 at 5:18 pm, Last Updated: June 4, 2024 at 5:49 pm

Uses lecture, video, and/or live performance to look at dance.

A/V requirements: TV/VCR

Susan Shields

Sex and Gender in Ancient Greece: Philosophy, Poetry, Drama (Speaker: Rose Cherubin)

Posted: September 29, 2014 at 2:59 pm, Last Updated: June 4, 2024 at 5:48 pm

What if the leaders in politics, business, science, and the military had spent their youth as “eye candy,” escorts, and “sugar babies” (young people admired and sexualized for their looks, and often rewarded for sexual favors or dates)? What if the second most powerful person in the country, the top advisor and speechwriter to the […]

A/V requirements: LCD, Screen (or equivalent other ways of projecting PowerPoint slides and other images) for in-person meetings; Zoom or equivalent platform for virtual meetings.

Rose Cherubin

Impact Performance in a Media World (Speaker: Susie Tomasovic)

Posted: September 29, 2014 at 1:34 pm, Last Updated: June 4, 2024 at 6:23 pm

Whether announcing on the radio, delivering television news, or acting in a film or documentary, the human voice and body are your tools to inform and persuade in broadcast performance. Techniques are introduced and skills practiced regarding how to improve vocal (paralanguage) and physical (nonverbal) delivery elements to more effectively communicate messages in a performance […]

A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD, Screen

Susan (Susie) Tomasovic

Myths, Archetypes, Campbell and Jung: An Actor’s Tools in Creating Arc of Character (Speaker: Edward Gero)

Posted: September 26, 2014 at 9:16 pm, Last Updated: January 10, 2025 at 4:52 pm

The processes and approaches to “becoming a character” for performance are myriad and can be even mysterious. Actor and professor, Edward Gero, explores an approach to interpreting and creating character inspired by Jungian archetypes and mythical storytelling patterns identified by Joseph Campbell in his seminal work “The Hero with a Thousand Faces.” Tracing his process […]

A/V requirements: LCD, Screen

Edward Gero

My Year with Rothko (Speaker: Edward Gero)

Posted: September 26, 2014 at 9:15 pm, Last Updated: January 10, 2025 at 4:51 pm

An in depth look at the research, rehearsals and production of playing Mark Rothko in the first American production of John Logan’s Tony Award winning play RED, directed by Tony Award winning director Robert Falls which opened in Chicago and transferred to Washington’s Arena Stage. An inside look at the creating of character and the […]

A/V requirements: LCD, Screen

Edward Gero

Latin American Film (Speaker: Lisa Rabin)

Posted: September 26, 2014 at 8:16 pm, Last Updated: June 5, 2024 at 3:18 pm

Professor Rabin can lecture on Latin American film of the twentieth century, including the “New Cinema” of the 1960s-1980s. She can also lecture on the 20th-century history of US educational documentaries for global education projects in and outside of the traditional classroom.

A/V requirements: Internet, Laptop with DVD player, LCD, Screen

Lisa Rabin

Ibsen and the Birth of Modern Drama (Speaker: Rick Davis)

Posted: September 26, 2014 at 7:27 pm, Last Updated: June 5, 2024 at 3:20 pm

A look at the revolution in drama launched by Henrik Ibsen, one of the giant figures of European letters in the late 19th century.

A/V requirements: None

Rick Davis

How Do You Choreograph a Dance? (Speaker: Susan Shields)

Posted: September 26, 2014 at 7:17 pm, Last Updated: June 5, 2024 at 3:21 pm

Discussion of the craft and artistry and happy coincidence in making a dance.

A/V requirements: TV/VCR

Susan Shields

Boosting Teacher Effectiveness through Performance (Speaker: Susie Tomasovic)

Posted: September 9, 2014 at 8:30 pm, Last Updated: June 5, 2024 at 3:31 pm

Given the challenges facing public education today, using enhanced performance skills in the classroom may produce students who exhibit better attention, interest, and response. Teacher enthusiasm is a pedagogical necessity, and the communicative style of a teacher can have an affect on the degree to which students learn.

A/V requirements: Laptop, LCD, Screen

Susan (Susie) Tomasovic

Acting Shakespeare (Speaker: Edward Gero)

Posted: September 8, 2014 at 4:41 pm, Last Updated: January 10, 2025 at 4:51 pm

A freewheeling discussion of the actor’s life working on the great plays of Shakespeare, based on 25 years of experience.

A/V requirements: None

Edward Gero