Larry May (John Russell/Vanderbilt)

Thought-provoking questions about the morality of war, treatment of others and obligations toward the dead will be explored during the 2013 Berry Lectures in Public Philosophy at Vanderbilt University. The theme for this year’s series, which is free and open to the public, is “Life, Death and Justice.”

“The Vanderbilt philosophy department has several faculty members who focus on the overall area of philosophy that we call value theory,” said Robert Talisse, professor of philosophy and department chair. “Our three lecturers are engaged in research that aims to understand the value in life, including questions of right and wrong and our conduct toward others.”

The following lectures are scheduled from 7 to 8:15 p.m. in Furman Hall, Room 114:

• 

  Lisa Guenther (Vanderbilt)

  March 11, “Can War Be Justified?” with Larry May, W. Alton Jones Professor of Philosophy and professor of law; May’s talk will be an introduction to a range of questions on the morality of war. For example, the killing of soldiers has been justified by claims that they forfeited their rights by joining the military. Are soldiers justified in doing things that would not be acceptable if they were civilians?

• March 18, “Is Solitary Confinement a Living Death Penalty?” with Lisa Guenther, associate professor of philosophy; She leads a reading and discussion group at Riverbend Maximum Security Institution with students and inmates. She will talk about whether solitary confinement is ever a justified punishment – given research showing its debilitating psychological effects on individuals.

• 

  W. James Booth (Vanderbilt)

  March 25, “Can the Dead Be Harmed?” with W. James Booth, professor of political science and philosophy. Booth will consider whether society has obligations to those who are no longer living – whether they are fallen soldiers or others who have made their wishes known prior to death.

Each lecturer will speak for 25 minutes with the rest of the time devoted to discussion. Video of each lecture will be posted later. For more information, contact Talisse at robert.talisse@vanderbilt.edu or 615-343-8671.

Interviewed by Chris Benda, Divinity School librarian.

Doug Schmidt (Vanderbilt University)

Listen to Doug Schmidt, professor of computer science and of computer engineering, discuss the impact and implications of massive open online courses, or MOOCs, on this episode of the Software Engineering Radio podcast. Schmidt is teaching a free, open course on Coursera, Pattern-Oriented Software Architectures for Concurrent and Networked Software, beginning March 5.

Douglas Knight (Lauren Owens/Vanderbilt)

Former graduate students and colleagues of Douglas Knight from around the globe recently surprised the Vanderbilt University professor with a “festschrift,” or book of original essays, on the occasion of his 40th year of teaching.

“Festschrift” is a German word that literally means celebratory writing. The term refers to a book compiled to honor the lifetime contributions of a professor, with original essays from the faculty member’s former students and colleagues.

Knight, the Drucilla Moore Buffington Professor of Hebrew Bible and professor of Jewish studies, was presented the first copy of Focusing Biblical Studies: The Crucial Nature of the Persian and Hellenistic Periods during the Society of Biblical Literature’s annual meeting in Chicago.

“This is an extraordinary honor which I had never anticipated during my career,” Knight said. “As a graduate student, I looked forward to a life of teaching and scholarship, and I have contributed to a number of Festschriften along the way. But I never imagined that one day I too would be recognized with this wonderful gift.”

The book was co-edited by Jon Berquist and Alice Hunt, both of whom were doctoral students of Knight in Vanderbilt’s Graduate Department of Religion. Hunt, who previously taught at Vanderbilt, wrote in the book’s introduction that Knight “…continues to move the world of biblical studies, and particularly that of Hebrew Bible studies, toward greater justice and mercy.” She also noted how he “…builds bridges between worlds. His encouragement of dialogue between Scandinavian and U.S. biblical scholarship certainly stands as an example, but it is his work over the last 20 years in opening up the social world of ancient Israel and the ancient Near East that continues to bear fruit in the academy.”

Other former students of Knight who contributed essays were Cheryl Anderson, Deborah Appler, Jennifer Koosed, David Penchansky, Ken Stone and Kristin Swanson.

Participating Vanderbilt faculty were Jack Sasson, the Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies and Hebrew Bible; Annalisa Azzoni, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible and ancient near eastern cultures; and Herbert Marbury, assistant professor of Hebrew Bible. Marbury is also one of Knight’s former students.

The remaining contributors are from the University of Sheffield, Copenhagen University, Tel Aviv University, Yale University, Duke University, Pacific School of Religion and Case Western Reserve University.

The book focuses on the Persian and Hellenistic periods, with the Persian era beginning around 539 B.C.E. and ending around 331 B.C.E. The Hellenistic era runs from that point until the first century B.C.E., when the Romans displaced the Greeks.

“That long period, roughly from the sixth century to the first century B.C., is now considered to be a much more crucial time for the production of the Hebrew Bible than many past scholars had believed,” Knight said. “Oral traditions may have preceded much of the literature, but, in general, the Hebrew Bible did not come into its present form until the Persian and Hellenistic periods, perhaps even some of it during the Roman period.”

Knight said he looks forward to reading all of the essays and responding to the authors about their contributions. “We all tend to work on this same historical time period but with different emphases and approaches. I am delighted and deeply honored to receive the results of their collaboration in researching this key period in history.”

Lucius Outlaw, professor of philosophy, is among the faculty members who have taught Osher classes. (Anne Rayner/Vanderbilt)

Topics range from opera to obesity

Online registration is now open for the 2013 winter term of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt University.

Lifelong learners aged 50 and above can sign up for the non-credit, six-week classes taught by Vanderbilt faculty, alumni and other experts. The charge for the winter term is $80 and enables the participant to sign up for one to three classes. Additional classes beyond three are $10 per course.

The annual membership fee for the Osher Lifelong Learning Program at Vanderbilt is $10 and includes invitations to field trips and Lunch and Learn sessions.

The following courses are scheduled:

• “Sixty-Five Years of French Film: 1895-1960,” taught by Amy Bertram Read, lecturer at the Watkins College of Art, Design and Film, will focus on French filmmakers of that era. They include the Lumières brothers, Salvador Dalí and Jean Cocteau. The class begins Jan. 7, from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m., at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Road.

• “Skills for Investing in Today’s Evolving Markets,” taught by author Michael C. Thomsett, will provide a non-technical approach intended for conservative investors seeking clarity and guidance in managing their portfolios and methods for picking stocks. Starting Jan. 8, the class meets from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. at Belle Meade United Methodist Church, 121 Davidson Road.

• “The Invisible Line” will be taught by Daniel J. Sharfstein, professor of law and author of the award-winning book The Invisible Line: Three American Families and the Secret Journey from Black to White. The class, which includes discussion on the techniques of genealogical research, starts Jan. 8, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The location is Belle Meade United Methodist Church.

• “Global Health and Global Music,” taught by Gregory Barz, associate professor of musicology (ethnomusicology) and associate professor of religion, begins Jan. 9, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. The class, which focuses on the roles and functions of music (and the arts more broadly) within historical and contemporary global health concerns, takes place in the Commons Center on the Vanderbilt campus.

• “Sailing on the High C’s: The Outlandish, Overwhelming Art of Opera,” will be taught by John Bridges, former classical music editor for the Tennessean and former columnist and editor for the Nashville Scene. Students will be introduced to many of the greatest voices captured since the beginnings of the phonograph. The class meets from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., starting Jan. 9, at the Commons Center.

• “America and the Vietnam War,” taught by Thomas A. Schwartz, a professor of history and political science at Vanderbilt, will examine the war’s history, United States’ involvement, anti-war protests and more. The class begins Jan. 10, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., at the Commons Center.

• “Better Living Through Economics” will be taught by Vanderbilt Professor of Economics John Siegfried, who has written a book with the same title. Siegfried will focus on various case studies to demonstrate how economic research has improved societal conditions over the past 50 years by influencing public policy decisions. The class begins Jan. 10, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at the Commons Center.

• “Obesity: A National Health Crisis” will look at various perspectives on how obesity is influencing the health and economy of the United States, and, in particular, Nashville. Among the variety of speakers will be Vanderbilt Writer-in-Residence Alice Randall, who wrote Ada’s Rules: A Sexy Skinny Novel. The class begins Jan. 11, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m., at The Temple, 5015 Harding Road.

• “Moral Questions in Shakespeare” will be taught by Ann Jennalie Cook Calhoun, professor of English, emerita, at Vanderbilt. The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Henry V, Richard III, Othello and King Lear are among the plays to be examined. The class will begin Jan. 11, from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., at The Temple.

To sign up for the classes, visit http://www.vanderbilt.edu/olli/ or to receive a brochure, call 343-0700.

Interviewed by Chris Benda, Divinity School librarian.

A scene from the book trailer for Kat Zhang's debut novel "What's Left of Me." (image courtesy of Mainstay Productions)

Kat Zhang, a senior in the College of Arts and Science, will read from her new novel, What’s Left of Me (HarperCollins), at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 27. The reading, which is free and open to the public, will be in Buttrick Hall, Room 101.

Kat Zhang

Zhang, who is majoring in English, completed What’s Left of Me during her first year on campus. The book is the first in a young adult trilogy called The Hybrid Chronicles.

In What’s Left of Me, the plot revolves around Eva and Addie, two souls woven together in one body. Eva and Addie would take turns learning to walk and control other movements. This is considered typical for children in Zhang’s story, but one of the souls is expected to fade and disappear over time. However, Eva does not go away, continuing to live in secret within the body of her dominant soul. She puts herself and Addie at risk of being locked away if the government discovers she is a “hybrid.”

Zhang, who began writing her first novel when she was 12, said that the inspiration for What’s Left of Me came from the narrative device known as the voice-over in television shows and movies. It enables the audience to hear the voice inside the character’s head. Zhang wondered what it would be like if the voice was actually another person, and the story evolved from that.

A book trailer for What’s Left of Me was done by Mainstay Productions, which also did the video promos for The Hunger Games trilogy. The second novel of The Hybrid Chronicles is expected to be released in fall 2013.

Interviewed by Chris Benda, Divinity School librarian.

Adolfo Hohenstein, "Madam Butterfly," c. 1906. (Color lithograph, Francis Robinson Collection, Vanderbilt University Special Collections)

“Stage & Screen: The Star Quality of Vanderbilt’s Performing Arts Collections,” now open at Vanderbilt University’s renovated Central Library and Special Collections, invites viewers to step “behind the curtain” of some of the world’s most memorable productions.

Vanderbilt Libraries' "Stage and Screen" exhibit is now on display through June 2013.

“Music City’s first-rate performing arts community inspired Vanderbilt Libraries’ exhibit, ‘Stage & Screen,’” said Connie Vinita Dowell, dean of libraries. “In galleries where opera and Opry comfortably share the stage, this exhibit reflects the city we were and the one we have become. From Fred Astaire’s top hat to Marty Robbins’ rhinestone cowboy boots and Oscar’s golden glow, these collections bring luster to ‘Stage & Screen.’”

Elegant costumes, set designs, autographed photographs and personal correspondence from legendary performers such as Enrico Caruso, Margot Fonteyn and Astaire help tell the story of modern show business. The wide variety of memorabilia includes the life mask of famed Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and the watch and photograph of a prominent figure in the history of tango, Carlos Gardel.

Materials from the Francis Robinson Collection of Theatre, Music and Dance – a treasure trove of the history of opera, theater and ballet – were donated by Robinson, a Vanderbilt alumnus who was assistant manager of the Metropolitan Opera Company. Among the items displayed are autographed photographs of Leonard Bernstein, Marian Anderson and Katharine Cornell and a piece of the original curtain of the old Met. There is also an illustrated movie program from the 1940 premiere of the Walt Disney film classic Fantasia.

“Stage & Screen” musical highlights include rare interviews of early Grand Ole Opry performers, courtesy of the Jack Hurst Collection, and historic items from WSM Radio.

A collection of historic music boxes, a precursor to the dulcimer, has been loaned by the Tennessee State Museum. The boxes were collected by the late David Schnaufer, who taught at Blair School of Music.

Lucas & Monroe, Inc., Statue of Liberty Scene from "Two On An Island," 1940. (Photograph, Francis Robinson Collection, Vanderbilt University Special Collections)

Items drawn from the collection of the late Delbert Mann, who directed scores of Hollywood films and television productions including Marty, winner of the 1955 Academy Award for best picture, will spotlight the progression of the film industry during the 1950s and ‘60s. Mann’s Oscar and Palme d’Or for directing Marty are on loan from the Mann family. The 1941 Vanderbilt graduate served on his alma mater’s Board of Trust.

In addition to the display in the Central Library, satellite library presentations include “Films from Children’s Books” at Peabody Library, “God in Music City” at the Divinity Library and “The Metropolitan Tours” and “The Life of Francis Robinson” at Ingram Hall.

“This ‘Stage & Screen’ exhibit vividly reminds us of the richness of cultural life in the mid-20th century, and particularly of Francis Robinson’s vital presence there,” said Mark Wait, dean and professor of music at Blair School of Music. “The artifacts in the exhibit bring that world to life and allow us to enjoy its color and glory anew.”

The exhibition, which is free and open to the public, is scheduled to run through June 28, 2013.

For more information, contact Celia Walker, director of special projects, at (615) 343-4701 or celia.walker@vanderbilt.edu.

Interviewed by Chris Benda, Divinity School librarian.

Charlotte Pierce-Baker, a professor in Vanderbilt University’s College of Arts and Science, had every reason to think that her only child, pursuing doctoral film studies at the University of Southern California, was on track for happiness and success.

That perception changed dramatically for Pierce-Baker, who is a professor of women’s and gender studies and English, when her son turned 25. Mark Baker told her during a long-distance conversation from a phone booth, “They’re watching me, Mom. I can see them. I know they’re watching me. … Help me, Mom.” He was experiencing what she knew to be his first psychotic episode. Soon afterward, he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder type I.

(image courtesy of Lawrence Hill Books)

Pierce-Baker shares the story of her son’s illness in the recently released memoir This Fragile Life: A Mother’s Story of a Bipolar Son. “I wanted others, especially mothers, to know what it was like to live with a bipolar adult child,” Pierce-Baker said. “I did not want other parents to be blindsided like we were.” She noted that one of the reasons she was willing to go public with the story is that there is a need for greater awareness within the African American community about mental illness and treatment resources.

Pierce-Baker and her husband, Houston Baker, a University Distinguished Professor of African American and Diaspora Studies and English at Vanderbilt, had raised their son with love, strong emotional support and the best education possible. While Pierce-Baker remembers occasional angry outbursts and uncooperative behavior from her son, she thought that it was typical adolescent behavior that would go away. “With all of the information I have now, I probably would have noticed that something was awry, but I wouldn’t have known it was bipolar disorder,” Pierce-Baker said. “Mental illness was just not something that we talked about in our family.”

Charlotte Pierce-Baker (Vanderbilt)

The Bakers dealt with their son’s dual diagnosis of bipolar disorder and substance addiction, repeated hospitalizations in cities far away from home, jail time, career challenges and much more. “At the start of patient treatment, it can take weeks or even months for the medicine to click in, and extensive rest is needed,” Pierce-Baker said. “Once the medications are in balance, the patient seems much better and you think everything is fine. That is just when the patient could experience a relapse.”

Mark Baker eventually married a woman who also has bipolar disorder. The two met during rehabilitation at Skyland Trail, an Atlanta mental health facility. “When Mark and his then-fiancee celebrated the news with us over sparkling grape juice, we were happy for them but somewhat apprehensive,” Pierce-Baker said. “That’s how you feel when you are the parents of a child with a devastating disorder. We hoped that they would support each other because they knew the illness so well.”

Mark and his wife, Michelle, have worked hard to recognize when one of them could be suffering a recurrence of the illness they share.

One of the unusual aspects of the book is that Pierce-Baker has woven examples of her son’s poetry and prose throughout the manuscript in an effort to convey how he felt during his illness and how bipolar disorder has affected his life.

The title of Pierce-Baker’s book This Fragile Life (Lawrence Hill Books) was taken from a line in one of her son’s poems:

Oh what I wouldn’t give
to have it all back again
the way we lived
and how the city lights
drowned out the sin
eager to see those freeways
weave in and out for miles
while listening to Friday night DJs
spin their hard core styles.
So enchanted…
I took this fragile life for granted.

Pierce Baker says that her family’s journey toward understanding and treating this dangerous illness that affects not only those who have the disorder – but also those surrounding them – continues. And so does a mother’s love for her son.

Alice Randall (photo by Bob Delevante)

Vanderbilt University Writer-in-Residence Alice Randall credits the school’s creative and interdisciplinary approaches to obesity-related diseases like diabetes with providing “fertile ground” for her new novel, Ada’s Rules (Bloomsbury USA).

The plot revolves around Ada Howard, an overworked preacher’s wife who tries to lose more than 100 pounds before her college reunion. Among her 53 rules (strategies) for losing weight: drink eight glasses of water a day, sleep eight hours a night and walk eight miles a week. Ada’s rules are the ideas of a fictional character, but Randall is grateful for the tremendous support and inspiration that she has received from university and medical center colleagues for her story.

“I love being part of an academic community because it provides access to so many different areas of research, ranging from hard science to literature,” Randall said. “Being part of the Vanderbilt faculty and hearing so much thoughtful discussion about issues like the role of personalized medicine in patient care and ongoing concerns about health disparities truly shaped my thought processes for the book.” She noted that the United States is spending approximately $174 billion a year alone in diabetes-related obesity costs.

One example is Ada’s decision to have her DNA tested to determine what type of diet would be most effective. Randall emphasized that using a genetic test to figure out what diet works best has not been scientifically proven. “This is a novel – not a health manual – but it’s an area of ongoing investigation for medical researchers,” she said. “It’s certainly part of Ada’s spirit to try many different weight-loss ideas.”

(Bloomsbury USA)

Randall, who has acknowledged her own battle to lose weight, hopes the novel will encourage people to be more open to new ideas on achieving wellness. Another theme is the value of community support for individuals trying to make a health change. “We need safe and nurturing places to achieve change, particularly the most intimate kinds of personal change of the body,” Randall said. “Often, the environment in which transformation is most possible is an exercise class or perhaps a social group like a book club.”

The Vanderbilt Center for Integrative Health was supportive of the Ada’s Rules project by hosting a yoga class geared toward African American women with body types ranging from small to very large. “I had been in yoga classes in other cities where there was not much diversity. I felt like my body was a problem,” Randall said. “Vanderbilt gave us the luxury of creating an environment in which a large, curvy body could feel comfortable.”

In addition, a group of undergraduate women who call themselves “Healthy Curves” has been meeting twice a week to exercise at the Bishop Joseph Johnson Black Cultural Center. Some of these young members of “Ada’s Army” are featured on the Ada’s Rules interactive website, which offers calorie-free inspiration in the forms of poetry, video, photographs, music and more.

Randall, whose faculty appointments are in English and African and Diaspora Studies, centers her work on women’s issues in the African American community. She recently wrote an op-ed for The New York Times titled “Black Women and Fat” in which she argues that sleep deprivation is an unacknowledged culprit in the obesity epidemic and some African American women fear that they will be less attractive to men if they lose weight. This is in sharp contrast to some white women, many of whom grow up idolizing super skinny models and actresses.

Randall is calling on every black woman for whom it is appropriate to commit to getting under 200 pounds or to losing 10 percent of her body weight. However, she said this book can be read by anyone interested in making a change in his or her weight.

Randall’s overall message is …”shape-shifting can be joyful…art can be used to support health changes and health challenges. It is a novel that creates a space for people to learn to play in new and adult ways, without blame or shame and tackle a problem that is actually influencing every single American.”

Barnes & Noble at Vanderbilt will host a book signing and reading by Randall of Ada’s Rules on May 19 from 2 to 3 p.m.

Robert Penn Warren (Courtesy of Vanderbilt University Special Collections and University Archives. Photo by Peter Fink)

Digitized versions of the original reel-to-reel recordings that author Robert Penn Warren conducted with Martin Luther King Jr., Malcolm X and other key leaders in the U.S. Civil Rights Movement are now searchable through the Who Speaks for the Negro website housed at Vanderbilt University.

Warren traveled throughout the United States in early 1964 to interview nationally-known Civil Rights leaders as well as others working in the trenches whose names might otherwise be lost to history. Warren’s resulting book, Who Speaks for the Negro, was published by Random House in 1965 with portions of the transcripts and Warren’s reflections on those he interviewed.

The original recordings are held at the University of Kentucky and Yale University libraries, but the two institutions were not aware of each other’s collections for many years, according to Mona Frederick, executive director of the Robert Penn Warren Center for the Humanities at Vanderbilt.

It was Frederick’s efforts to build a state-of-the-art digital archive that includes not only the recordings, but also some 4,000 pages of searchable interview transcripts and photographs that led to her discovery of recordings at both Kentucky and Yale.

(Mona Frederick)

“This is a wonderful example of how, in the age of digital humanities, split collections can be made whole and anyone with access to the Internet can use the material,” Frederick said. “The digital archive is among the very best of its kind and I am grateful to the Vanderbilt library for its role in the creation of this amazing resource.”

Frederick noted that there are many people whom Warren interviewed but did not include in his book. For example, listen to a sample of Warren’s interview with Septima Clark, who has been called the “grandmother” of the Civil Rights Movement. During her interview, she discusses her arrest and trial in Tennessee for her work at the Highlander Folk School, among other topics. There is no mention of Clark in Warren’s book.

Warren also interviewed the Rev. James Lawson, who was expelled from Vanderbilt University for his work in the Civil Rights Movement, including the Nashville sit-ins. Listen to a sample of Lawson’s interview, which resulted in only a footnote in Warren’s book.

In addition to the audio tapes, there are two versions of the transcripts: an image of the original document that is not searchable and a re-transcribed document that is searchable. Therefore, one could easily do a search for the Nashville sit-in movement, Vanderbilt University or numerous other topics to see exactly where they are mentioned on the tapes.

Warren, a poet, novelist, critic and professor who graduated summa cum laude from Vanderbilt published the volume at the peak of the Civil Rights Movement. Today, this material helps to show the distance that the nation has traveled in terms of race relations. For example, it is unlikely anyone would ask to speak for a race in 2012, Frederick noted.

“This was the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and the people interviewed were incredibly busy,” Frederick said. “It’s remarkable that they even had time to sit down with Warren. The archive provides a “clear snapshot” of what was happening on the ground during that historic era.” She pointed out that Warren’s interview with Malcolm X was one of the last before he was assassinated. Meanwhile, Lawson, who is now a Vanderbilt Distinguished Alumnus, has said that he did not even remember having met with Warren for the interview.

Frederick, who plans to reach out to middle and high school educators in the hopes that the digital archive can become part of their curriculums, is exploring the possibility of having Warren’s book republished in time for its 50th anniversary. “Warren noted on the tapes that someday the interviews would be amazingly valuable material and, obviously, he was correct.”

Interviewed by Chris Benda, Divinity School librarian.

Interviewed by Chris Benda, Divinity School librarian.

Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory Director Rocky Alvey celebrated two things he cares about deeply at the United Nations on April 12: music and astronomy.

Rocky Alvey (John Russell/Vanderbilt)

Singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman and Alvey’s collaborative album project The Mighty Sky was featured at the U.N.’s celebration of the International Day of Human Space Flight.

Hit songwriter Annie Roboff, another album collaborator, joined them to perform several songs live. The Mighty Sky, which will be released this September, uses music to teach children of all ages how the universe works.

The science song project was the brainchild of Alvey, who often records lyrics and song ideas on his iPhone as he commutes between Dyer Observatory and his home.

David Weintraub (Steve Green/Vanderbilt)

“Finding a way to combine my love of the sky with sound and music was a labor of love,” he said.

Chapman found the album particularly apropos for the U.N. gathering. “The title cut talks about how we are just floating on this little blue marble – we really should get along,” she said. “It’s such a beautiful idea.”

Alvey delivered a talk at the gathering titled “Spaceship Earth and Expanding our Perspective.”

Vanderbilt Professor of Astronomy David Weintraub also took part, presenting a talk on the importance of using music and art to teach science.

Vanderbilt Dyer Observatory Director Rocky Alvey spoke at the United Nations and presented his astronomy-themed recording "The Mighty Sky" as part of a celebration in honor of the International Day of Human Space Flight. (Rocky Alvey/Vanderbilt)

Contact: Lynn McDonald, (615) 373-4897
lynn.d.mcdonald@vanderbilt.edu

Interviewed by Chris Benda, Divinity School librarian.

Michael Kreyling (Steve Green/Vanderbilt)

Approximately 150 professors and graduate students from across the nation with expertise in Southern writing and related topics will gather in Nashville March 29-31 for the Society for the Study of Southern Literature’s biannual conference.

This year’s theme is anniversaries, according to Michael Kreyling, the Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of English and president of the professional support organization. “Many people have looked for civic and commemorative opportunities in connection with the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Civil War,” Kreyling said. “We decided to extend that to other anniversaries related to Southern literature, such as William Faulkner’s death 50 years ago.”

The first two days of the conference will take place at the Scarritt-Bennett Center, with topics that include Southern music, The Wind Done Gone (authored by Vanderbilt writer-in-residence Alice Randall), Southern food in Southern literature and Tennessee poets.

The March 31 sessions will take place at Vanderbilt’s Buttrick Hall, with panels on new Southern women, country music around the country and the legacies of Robert Penn Warren.

(courtesy of Vanderbilt Special Collections & University Archives)

“The three-day conference will include a large panel on The Help, with a discussion on whether the story is a fair representation of the black civil rights experience,” Kreyling said. “We will also talk about Burt Reynolds as the ‘last Southern man,’ with reference to his macho image in the film Deliverance and his slightly neurotic persona in the Smokey and the Bandit movies.”

Among the graduate students presenting is Destiny Birdsong of Vanderbilt, who has written on the work of contemporary Southern poet Natasha Trethewey. In addition, several Vanderbilt alumni who earned their doctorates in English are returning for the conference.

Capping off the meeting will be the screening of Robert Altman’s 1975 film Nashville on Saturday evening at the Sarratt Cinema. Kreyling has invited Richard Lloyd, a Vanderbilt sociologist who specializes in urban sociology and related cultural issues, to join him for opening commentary. The screening, which is part of the International Lens film series, is free and open to the public.

The Vanderbilt Department of English, College of Arts and Science and Vanderbilt Libraries are providing support for the conference. For more information, contact Michael Kreyling at michael.p.kreyling@vanderbilt.edu.

Other diverse courses will explore promising discoveries in medicine, timely foreign policy issues, stories by Kentucky writer Wendell Berry, Parisian culture under Napoleon III and a Vanderbilt Owen professor’s research on six “innovation killers.”

The non-credit classes are intended for older adults who want to pursue lifelong learning through lectures and discussions in an informal and relaxed environment. Two of the spring classes will be offered at The Heritage at Brentwood.

The following courses have been scheduled:

• “Great Decisions 2012: Foreign Policy Discussion Group,” led by Osher members Ben Adams and Mary Pat Silveira, a retired United Nations official. The class meets from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. for eight consecutive Mondays, starting March 12, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Road.

•  “Healthcare Reform Crisis: Problems and Possibilities,” taught by Gottlieb C. Friesinger, professor of medicine, emeritus, Vanderbilt; Larry Van Horn, associate professor of management, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management; Malcolm Getz, associate professor of economics at Vanderbilt; and U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tenn., an adjunct professor of health care management at the Vanderbilt Owen School. The class will meet from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for six consecutive Mondays, starting March 12, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 4715 Harding Road.

•  ”Music Appreciation,” taught by Mitchell Korn, adjunct Blair School of Music professor; and Robert Bond, music educator, musician and composer. The participatory lecture workshops on symphonic and classical music will meet from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. for six consecutive Tuesdays, starting March 13, at Belle Meade United Methodist Church, 121 Davidson Road.

• “Medical Advances II,” a continuation of the series that began during the winter term, will be presented by Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty. Topics include diabetes, depression in older adults and eye health/macular degeneration, among others. The course meets from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for six consecutive Tuesdays, starting March 13, at Belle Meade United Methodist Church, 121 Davidson Road.

•  “How We Kill Innovation (Without Even Trying),” taught by David Owens, professor of management and innovation, Vanderbilt Owen Graduate School of Management. The course is based on Owens’ book, Creative People Must Be Stopped, with the expectation that participants will actively engage with the material and each other in an effort to be smarter about innovation and more creative. It meets from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. for six consecutive Wednesdays, starting March 14, at the Commons Center.
  

  The Osher Lifelong Learning Institute offers a wide variety of classes for older adults who want to pursue lifelong learning through lectures and discussions. (Susan Urmy / Vanderbilt University)

•  “Living in Paris Under Napoleon III,” taught by Robert Barsky, professor of French and comparative literature, will focus on life in 19^th-century Paris through the passionate eyes of characters – fictional and real – who were assembled by the French writer Émile Zola. The class meets from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. for six consecutive Wednesdays, starting March 14, at the Commons Center.

•  “Protests and Social Change,” an in-depth look at 150 years of protests and their societal impact, will take place from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. for six consecutive Thursdays, starting March 15, at the Commons Center. Team-teaching this course will be John Seigenthaler, founder of the First Amendment Center; Gary Gerstle, the James G. Stahlman Professor of American History at Vanderbilt; Carole Bucy, professor of history, Volunteer State Community College; George Barrett, attorney, Barrett Johnston; Steve Cobb, attorney, Waller Lansden Dortch & Davis and former state legislator; Mike Murphy, attorney and former state legislator; and Steven Tepper, associate professor of sociology and associate director of the Curb Center for Art, Enterprise and Public Policy at Vanderbilt.

•  “Apocalypse Now? Modern Maya and Ancient Prophecies” will be taught by Mareike Sattler, senior lecturer in anthropology at Vanderbilt; and Avery Dickins de Girón, assistant director, Vanderbilt’s Center for Latin American Studies. The seminar will introduce participants to Maya culture, including political economies in Guatemala, modern Maya languages and the meanings of ancient Maya prophecies that supposedly predict the end of the world in December 2012. The class will meet for six Thursdays, starting March 15, at the Commons Center.

•  “Great Decisions 2012: Foreign Policy Discussion Group,” led by Osher members Ben Adams and Mary Pat Silveira, a retired United Nations official. The class meets from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. for eight consecutive Fridays, starting March 16, at The Heritage at Brentwood, 900 Heritage Way. This course will cover the same material as the one previously mentioned that meets at St. George’s Episcopal Church.

•  “The Port William Stories of Wendell Barry” will be taught by Elaine Goleski, teacher and former Vanderbilt library development officer. Berry is a poet, essayist, farmer, activist and novelist who has written a series of interlinked stories about Port William, Ky., and the generations of families who have lived in this agricultural community. The class will meet from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at The Heritage at Brentwood, 900 Heritage Way.

Annual membership dues for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Vanderbilt are $10 per person. The charge for spring term classes is $80 and enables the individual to sign up for one to three classes. Additional classes beyond three are $10 per course. Membership benefits include field trips and monthly “Lunch and Learn” sessions.

Robert Talisse

A new series of talks – the Berry Lectures in Public Philosophy – continues March 1 with Robert Talisse, professor and chair of philosophy. He will discuss “Must Life Be Tragic?” Video of Talisse’s lecture is scheduled to be posted afterward at news.vanderbilt.edu. In addition, Jeffrey Tlumark will address “Do We Have Free Will? Why Does It Matter?” on March 15. And Marilyn Friedman’s talk on March 22 is titled “Can Bad People Live Well?” Listen to InterVU with Robert Talisse.