Lectures and events
Fort Negley receives international recognition thanks to the work of Vanderbilt scholars
May. 22, 2019—As communities throughout the South struggle to determine appropriate ways of recognizing Civil War history, Jane Landers, Gertrude Conaway Vanderbilt Professor of History, and Postdoctoral Fellow Angela Sutton have worked to draw attention to Fort Negley as a site that teaches the tragedy of slavery as well as celebrates the contributions of free and enslaved black people to Nashville and the nation’s history.
Berry Lecture in Public Philosophy to explore chronic loneliness April 12
Apr. 9, 2019—People who feel chronically lonely are often struck by the fact that no one seems to need them. In the next Berry Lecture in Public Philosophy, the University of Warwick's Kimberley Brownlee will explore the tragedy of chronic loneliness, the moral urgency of our need for social connection, and the social human rights that this need grounds.
YouTube’s ‘Physics Girl’ discusses using videos in science outreach Feb. 28
Feb. 15, 2019—Dianna Cowern, from YouTube’s "The Physics Girl," will be featured at a talk on Thursday, Feb. 28, in the Stevenson Center, Room 4309. Cowern will discuss using videos to share science and enrich the learning experience, in and out of the classroom.
U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center chief scientist to give Parker Lecture Feb. 5
Feb. 1, 2019—Dr. David Pittman of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will discuss “Environmental Engineering and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center” on Tuesday, Feb. 5, as part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Frank Parker Lecture Series.
Beasley to give Divinity School’s Bogitsh Lecture Feb. 21
Jan. 31, 2019—Vanessa Beasley, associate provost and dean of residential faculty and associate professor of communication studies, will give a talk titled "Enough: Imagining a Political Culture of Worthiness in the United States" beginning at 4 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21, at Vanderbilt Divinity School, Room 124.
2019 Cuninggim Lecture on women in culture and society is Feb. 12
Jan. 29, 2019—Best-selling author Emily Nagoski will explore the facets of sexual well-being often left out of standard sex education programs as part of the Margaret Cuninggim Women's Center's 2019 Cuninggim Lecture, scheduled for Feb. 12.
MacArthur Fellow Jason De León to discuss ‘Human Smuggling Across Mexico’ Feb. 8
Jan. 25, 2019—Vanderbilt’s Center for Latin American Studies and the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries will host a public lunchtime lecture featuring Jason De León, associate professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan and a MacArthur Fellowship recipient, on Friday, Feb. 8. De León's talk is titled “Soldiers and Kings: Violence, Masculinity and Photoethnographic Practice in the Context of Human Smuggling Across Mexico.”
Cultural historian Robert Darnton to speak on censorship and literature
Jan. 23, 2019—Robert Darnton, the Carl H. Pforzheimer University Professor and emeritus director of Harvard’s University Library, will discuss “Censors at Work: How States Shaped Literature” on Thursday, Feb. 7, in the Central Library Community Room. The lecture is free and open to the public.
Sen. Jeff Flake, ‘This American Life’ producer Zoe Chace are Chancellor’s Lecture Series guests Jan. 17
Jan. 7, 2019—Fresh from a term that included several highly publicized ideological clashes with the president, former Sen. Jeff Flake will visit Vanderbilt Jan. 17 to explain his hopes for American politics going forward.
White House Correspondent April Ryan to give MLK Commemorative Series keynote
Dec. 7, 2018—White House Correspondent April Ryan will deliver the 2019 Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series keynote address on Monday, Jan. 21, in Langford Auditorium.
Stanford’s Athey to give Steine Lecture Dec. 5
Nov. 30, 2018—Susan Athey, The Economics of Technology Professor at Stanford Graduate School of Business, will discuss “The Impact of Digital Intermediaries on Product Quality and Industry Structure: Evidence from News and Ridesharing” on Wednesday, Dec. 5.
Grandin, advocate on autism, to give conference keynote, Chancellor’s Lecture Nov. 29
Nov. 12, 2018—Temple Grandin, a world-renowned author, inventor and spokesperson about the autism spectrum, will participate in a daylong conference in Nashville on Nov. 29, capped off with a keynote and conversation with Vanderbilt University Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos as part of the Chancellor’s Lecture Series.