SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford College students begin classes for the fall 2015 semester on Monday, Aug. 31, and jump right into a myriad of interesting events on campus – ranging from concerts to art exhibits to guest speakers.

All events are open to the public and are free of charge unless otherwise noted. Please check the online calendar at calendar.wofford.edu for frequent updates. For athletics events, please go to athletics.wofford.edu.

For more information, contact Laura Corbin at woffordnews@wofford.edu or 864-597-4180.

Thursday, Sept. 3
Opening Convocation
Speaker: Author James Scott, Wofford Class of 1997
11 a.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
James Scott (Wofford College Class of 1997) is an award-winning writer and former reporter and investigative journalist with the Charleston, S.C., Post and Courier. He is a recipient of the McClatchy Co. President’s Award and was named the 2003 Journalist of the Year by the South Carolina Press Association. Wofford College honored Scott as its 2005 Young Alumnus of the Year. From 2006-2007, he was a Nieman Fellow for Journalism at Harvard University. In addition to “Target Tokyo,” Scott is the author of “The Attack on Liberty,” which won the prestigious 2010 Rear Admiral Samuel Eliot Morison Award for Excellence in Naval Literature, and “The War Below,” both with Simon & Schuster. He is at work on a fourth book on the February 1945 Battle for Manila.

Tuesday, Sept. 8
The Novel Experience Convocation
11 a.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
Roxana Robinson, author of “Sparta,” this year’s Novel Experience choice, will address the students in the Class of 2019. “Sparta” centers on Conrad Farrell, a Marine returning home to Katonah, N.Y., after a four-year tour in Iraq. As he attempts to find his footing in the civilian world, he learns how hard it is to return to the people and places he used to love. Gradually, he awakens to a growing rage and the realization that something has gone wrong.

Wednesday, Sept. 16
World Film Series: “Tomboy”
3:30 and 7:30 p.m., Olin Teaching Theater, Franklin W. Olin Building
Director: Celine Sciamma. France, 2011. 82 minutes. French with English subtitles. From director Celine Sciamma (“Water Lilies”), “Tomboy” tells the story of 10-year-old Laure (played by Zoe Heran) who moves to the suburbs and decides to pass as a boy among the pack of neighborhood kids. As “Mikael” she catches the attention of leader of the pack Lisa, who becomes smitten with her. At home with her parents and younger sister Jeanne, she is Laure; while hanging out with her new pals and girlfriend, she is Mikael. Finding resourceful ways to hide her true self, Laure takes advantage of her new identity, as if the end of the summer would never reveal her unsettling secret.” (Description provided in part by www.kanopystreaming.com.) The film may not be appropriate for younger viewers. It may contain violence, nudity, sensuality, rough language or contain or refer to alcohol/drug use.

Thursday, Sept. 17
Constitution Day Lecture: “Pacificus and Helvidius Today: The Constitution and U.S. Foreign Policy”
Speaker: Professor David Clinton, Baylor University
11 a.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
Political science professor David Clinton of Baylor University will give the 2015 Constitution Day Lecture titled “Pacificus and Helvidius Today: The Constitution and U.S. Foreign Policy.” In the Pacificus-Helvidius Debates of 1793-1794, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison sparred over whether President Washington had the authority to declare America neutral in the French Revolutionary Wars in Europe. This was the first episode in a constitutional debate that continues today about the proper roles of the executive and legislative branches in the conduct of American foreign policy. Clinton teaches international relations theory, American foreign policy, the art and practice of diplomacy, and ethics and international relations. His publications include: “The Realist Tradition in Contemporary International Relations,” edited (Louisiana State University Press, 2007), “Tocqueville, Lieber, Bagehot: Liberalism Confronts the World” (Palgrave Press, 2003), “The Two Faces of National Interest” (Louisiana State University Press, 1994) and “Presidential Transitions and American Foreign Policy,” with Frederick Mosher and Daniel Lang (Louisiana State University, 1987).

Thursday, Sept. 17
Artist Talk and Reception: “Discombobulated: Ceramics and Other Works” by Carolyn Ford
4-6 p.m., Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery, Campus Life Building
“As a ceramicist working with the circular form – where there is no beginning and no end – is a portal into my mind, which is most often discombobulated with no stop or start of ideas,” artist Carolyn Ford says. “Thus, as a form of catharsis, throwing on the wheel is meditative. But, creating a more linear form as sculptural tiles allows me to communicate my thoughts. The physicality of working with the clay as well as the risk, surprise and flexibility of the medium complete this process.”

Thursday, Sept. 17
Troubadour Series Concert: Guitar Duo Kithara
7 p.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
The Kithara Duo of Olga Amelkina-Vera and Fernand Vera was formed in 2002 when they were graduate students at the University of North Texas. They have performed nationally as well as in Europe and South America. Kithara Duo’s critically acclaimed debut CD, “Being,” was released by Soundset Recordings in 2011. The duo is home to an international award-winning composer (Amelkina-Vera), and their first album is a world premiere recording of her music for guitar duo. In addition to her original compositions, Vera and Amelkina-Vera regularly contribute to guitar duo repertoire through arrangements and transcriptions of music by such composers as Albeniz, Ferrabosco, Soler and Vivaldi. For more information, follow them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/kitharaduo.

Friday, Sept. 18
WoCo Films: “Prozac Nation”
7 p.m., McMillan Theater, Campus Life Building
Following the screening will be a discussion about depression and other serious issues facing college students and the resources available on campus for members of the campus community. Presented by the Wofford Student Affairs Office, Residence Life and Wellness Center staff.

Monday, Sept. 21
Troubadour Series Concert: Guitar soloist Hiroya Tsukamoto
7 p.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
Hiroya Tsukamoto is a one-of-a-kind composer, guitarist and singer-songwriter from Kyoto, Japan. He began playing the five-string banjo when he was 13 and took up the guitar shortly after. In 1994, Tsukamoto entered the Osaka University and while at college in Japan, he was introduced to a musical and social movement in South America called Nueva Cancion headed by musical legends such as Victor Jara and Violeta Parra. In 2000, he received a scholarship to Berklee College of Music and came to the United States. He also is the recipient of the Professional Music Achievement Award. Tsukamoto’s most recent album is “Heartland,” released in August 2012 from 333discs.

Friday, Sept. 25
Mid-Autumn Chinese Festival
5-7 p.m., Players’ Corner, Burwell Building
The Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival, is the second most important traditional holiday in China, which is for Chinese people to celebrate the autumn harvest and enjoy the full moon with family and friends. It is on the 15th day of the eighth month in the Chinese lunar calendar. This year’s Moon Festival is on Sunday, Sept. 27. The festival will feature Chinese food and activities.

Friday, Sept. 26
5K Family Fun Run/Walk
9 a.m., Seal of Main Building
A recreational fitness opportunity sponsored by the Wofford Activities Council. Registration fee is $25 and includes a T-shirt.

GALLERY EXHIBITIONS:

Through Oct. 2
Ancient Near-Eastern Pottery from the Permanent Collection
Sandor Teszler Library Gallery, Sandor Teszler Library
The Sandor Teszler Library Gallery features selected works from the recently acquired collection of ancient Near-Eastern pottery. The ancient Near East, a region including the present Middle East, was home to the oldest civilizations and a crossroads of world culture. This exhibit highlights the development and advancement of technologies in the production of pottery, starting from hand-building, to wheel throwing, and then to the use of molds.

Through Oct. 30
Discombobulated: Ceramics and Other Works by Carolyn Ford
Artist Talk and Opening Reception, 4-6 p.m., Sept. 17
Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery, Campus Life Building
“As a ceramicist working with the circular form – where there is no beginning and no end – is a portal into my mind, which is most often discombobulated with no stop or start of ideas,” artist Carolyn Ford says. “Thus, as a form of catharsis, throwing on the wheel is meditative. But, creating a more linear form as sculptural tiles allows me to communicate my thoughts. The physicality of working with the clay as well as the risk, surprise and flexibility of the medium complete this process.”

Sept. 21 through Dec. 4
Art of Japan: Works from the Wofford College Permanent Collection
Slide Room Gallery, Daniel Building
Students enrolled in Art History 323: Art of Japan selected Japanese works from the Wofford College permanent fine arts collection to analyze and display. They will write descriptive text for gallery visitors and present their research in the gallery. Items on display include Japanese ceramics, metal work, inro (a traditional Japanese box for holding small objects), netsuke (small cultural objects) and other cultural objects.

Wofford College students begin classes for the fall 2015 semester on Monday, Aug. 31, and jump right into a myriad of interesting events on campus – ranging from concerts to art exhibits to guest speakers.