SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Guest and faculty lectures on a variety of topics – including the Eben Taylor Lecture series featuring Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe of the United Methodist Church – will highlight events at Wofford College during October. Other events include Homecoming 2015 as well as musical performances.
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.
Tuesday, Oct. 6
Guest Lecture: “Leadership”
Speaker: Kristen Hadeed, founder of MaidSuite
11 a.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
Kristen Hadeed is an accomplished businesswoman who, in her college years, established one of Florida’s largest independently owned cleaning services, StudentMaid. She has since launched MaidSuite, a tech company, and speaks to colleges and businesses across the nation. The event is sponsored by Greek Life and Wofford Panhellenic.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
World Film Series: “Wild Tales”
3:30 and 7:30 p.m., Olin Teaching Theater, Franklin W. Olin Building
“Inequality, injustice and the demands of the world we live in cause stress and depression for many people. Some of them, however, explode. This is a movie about those people. Vulnerable in the face of a reality that shifts and suddenly turns unpredictable, the characters of Wild Tales cross the thin line that divides civilization and barbarism. A lover's betrayal, a return to the repressed past and the violence woven into everyday encounters drive the characters to madness as they cede to the undeniable pleasure of losing control.” (Description from sonyclassics.com). Director: Damián Szifrón; Argentina, Spain, 2014; 122 minutes; Spanish with English subtitles. 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.
Wednesday, Oct. 7
Guest Lecture: “Eureka Moments in Economics”
Speaker: Economist Bruce Yandle, Clemson University
4 p.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
Economist Bruce Yandle will speak on “Three-Legged Chickens, Creativity and Eureka Moments.” Yandle is dean emeritus at Clemson University’s College of Business and Behavioral Science, alumni distinguished professor of economics emeritus at Clemson and distinguished adjunct professor of economics at the Mercatus Center. He has served as executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and as senior economist on the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability. He is author of several books on environmental economics and regulation. Yandle received his MBA and Ph.D. from Georgia State University.
Tuesday, Oct. 13
Guest Lecture: “Ethnic Cleansing and Its Aftermath”
Speaker: Dr. Sandra Joireman, University of Richmond
4 p.m., Olin Teaching Theater, Franklin W. Olin Building
Dr. Sandra Joireman, the Weinstein Chair of International Studies and Professor of Political Science at the University of Richmond, will speak about the consequences of ethnic cleansing, specifically addressing the issues of post-conflict property rights and minority returns.
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Guest Lecture: “Studying Islam in the Age of ISIS and the Internet”
Speaker: Dr. Richard Martin, Virginia Tech
4:15 p.m., Olin Teaching Theater, Franklin W. Olin Building
Dr. Richard Martin is the professor emeritus of religion at Virginia Tech. His career as a scholar and teacher of Islamic studies has spanned almost five decades (1967-2015), and he is equally renowned for groundbreaking scholarship and his ability to inspire wide audiences to approach the Muslim world with a more informed, critical and compassionate perspective. He will speak about how Islamic studies has evolved and changed during his career, and then lead a discussion about dealing with public knowledge of Islam gained from the blogosphere and Twitter. What challenges face faculty and students in Islamic studies given today’s ubiquitous flow of opinion, information, misinformation and tribalism?
Tuesday, Oct. 20
Guest Lecture: “Nagarjuna the Skeptic”
Speaker: Dr. Ethan Mills, University of Tennessee Chattanooga
4:30 p.m., Daniel Building, Room 204
Dr. Ethan Mills, assistant professor at the University of Tennessee Chattanooga, will discuss the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna and the unique version of skepticism he espouses.
Friday, Oct. 23
Homecoming Weekend: Terrier Ball
7 p.m., Spartanburg Marriott, 299 N. Church St.
The Terrier Ball Auction and Gala kicks off Homecoming Weekend in game-day style. Alumni, parents and friends of Wofford gather for fun, fellowship and competition while helping to raise educational scholarship dollars for Wofford College student-athletes. Tickets are $65 before Oct. 9 and $75 after that date. To purchase tickets, contact Mary Kathryn Jolly at 864-597-4468.
Saturday, Oct. 24
Dedication of Martha’s Garden
10 a.m., Martha’s Garden, between the Pavilion and Lesesne Residence Hall
A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held for the new community green space, commemorating Martha Cammack ’13, who died two years ago during Homecoming Weekend.
Saturday, Oct. 24
Homecoming Weekend: Street Party
6 p.m., Morgan Square, downtown Spartanburg
The 13th annual Wofford Homecoming Street Party will be held in Morgan Square in downtown Spartanburg. Entertainment will be provided by Sandy B. and the Allstars. Drinks and snacks will be available for purchase. Tickets are $10 per person and may be purchased at the door.
Monday, Oct. 26
Dunlap Chamber Music Concert
7 p.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
The Vega Quartet will perform Hugo Wolf’s “Italian Serenade,” Zhou Long’s “Song of the Ch’in” and Mendelssohn’s “Quartet in E Minor, Op. 44.” Members of the Vega Quartet are Domenic Salerni and Jessica Shuang Wu, violins; Yinzi Kong, viola; and Guang Wang, cello.
Tuesday, Oct. 27
Faculty Lecture: “Ecocriticism and Contemporary Latin American Film”
Speaker: Dr. Nancy Williams, associate professor of philosophy
4 p.m., Gray-Jones Room, Burwell Building
What is ecocriticism, and how can it enhance the study of Latin American film? Dr. Nancy Williams, associate professor of philosophy at Wofford, will analyze two films from Mexico, “Y tu mamá también” (“And Your Mother Too,” 2001) and “Temporada de patos” (“Duck Season,” 2004), using insights from Latin American ecocritical theory and environmental philosophy. Through discussion and reflection, she and the audience will explore how directors invite viewers to consider the uneven experiences of globalization and their implications for both human beings and the material world of which we form a part.
Wednesday, Oct. 28
World Film Series: “A Little Bit of Freedom”
3:30 and 7:30 p.m., Olin Teaching Theater, Franklin W. Olin Building
“In this spirited drama from Turkish-born, German-based filmmaker Yuksel Yavuz, (the) hero, Baran (cagdas Bozkurt), is a Kurdish teen who makes bicycle deliveries for a kebab shop while trying to outwit the German authorities that denied him political asylum after leaving Turkey. He strikes up a friendship with another outsider, an illegal African immigrant who deals drugs, and becomes the object of desire for his employer’s daughter. Neither help him maintain a low profile.” (Description from www.facetsdvd.com.) Director: Yüksel Yavuz; Germany, 2003; 102 minutes; German, Kurdish, and Turkish with English subtitles. The film may not be appropriate for younger viewers. It may contain violence, nudity, sensuality, rough language or contain reference to alcohol/drug use.
Thursday, Oct. 29
The Eben Taylor Lecture
Speaker: The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, United Methodist Board of Church and Society
7 p.m., Leonard Auditorium, Main Building
The Rev. Dr. Susan Henry-Crowe, general secretary of the United Methodist Board of Church and Society, will speak on “Race and Social Justice” in the Eben Taylor Lecture. This is the first time Wofford has hosted a lecture in the series, named for Wofford graduate Eben Taylor, a longtime champion of racial justice in South Carolina. The Wofford Library Archives holds his papers and will display some of them for the lecture. Henry-Crowe, a South Carolina native, was awarded an honorary degree from Wofford in 2014.
Gallery Exhibits:
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
Martha Cloud Chapman Gallery, Campus Life Building
Artist talk and reception: Thursday, Sept. 17, 4-6 p.m.
Discombobulated offers a portal into the mind of ceramicist Carolyn Ford. Working with the circular form – where there is no beginning or end to the works or to Ford’s thoughts – Ford calls the works “a form of catharsis.” According to Ford, “The physicality of working with the clay as well as the risk, surprise and flexibility of the medium” complete the meditative process that may start in a linear, more sculptural path but ends up “discombobulated” after being thrown on the potter’s wheel.
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 have written 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.