Lecture program - Winter 2022
All lectures are online - links TBA
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Sunday, January 23
2:00 pm |
This presentation is a LIVE webinar.
The First Black Archaeologist and Beyond: Exploring the Life of John Wesley Gilbert Professor John W. I. Lee, Department of History, UCSB ucsb.zoom.us/j/88134212638?pwd=SjBVTFNFbjVaNmF3S0ZWSGxweCtoUT09 Born into slavery in 1863, Prof. Gilbert was the first African American to conduct professional archaeological work in Greece as a member of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens in 1890-91. Gilbert went on to earn a national reputation as scholar, teacher, community leader, and missionary before his death in 1923. Prof. Lee’s talk will draw upon the research he conducted for his book, The First Black Archaeologist: A Life of John Wesley Gilbert (Oxford University Press, 2022). |
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Sunday, February 20
2:00 pm |
Umm Kulthum, The Voice of Egypt
Professor Scott Marcus, Music Department, UCSB Unquestionably the most famous Arab singer of the 20th century, Umm Kulthum (b. c.1904-1975) had an illustrious career that spanned six decades, starting off in her village home in northern Egypt, shifting to the artistic capital of the Arab world, Cairo, and culminating on stages in Paris, Lebanon, Morocco, and beyond. This talk, using a great variety of film and video footage, will focus on different moments in her life and performance career from her early childhood to her last performances, as well as on her most remarkable funeral procession, attended by millions. |
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Sunday, March 20
2:00 pm |
The Hidden Structures of the Universe: Fractals
Professor Bjorn Birnir, Department of Mathematics, UCSB The man-made objects around us are mostly squares, rectangles and boxes, with some cylinders and spheres, and variations of these forms. In nature, these are rare and the structure of both living organisms and inanimate objects seem to be very different from man-made ones. It involves both structure and dynamics and obeys simple rules that produce very complicated forms. Professor Birnir will explain this fractal structure of nature through several examples then discuss what the reasons could possibly be for this difference between natural and synthetic structures. |