Posted: Thursday, August 30, 2018

The University of Evansville’s annual Andiron Lecture Series for 2018-19 begins at 4:00 p.m., on September 5 in Eykamp Hall, Room 252, in Ridgway University Center. Rachael McGill will be discussing “Poisoned Candy and Peace on Earth: How History Shapes American Holiday Culture.” These lectures are free and open to the public.

McGill’s lecture will explore how momentous events in American and world history from the 19th century onward have shaped our understanding of holiday culture in the United States. Focusing on Halloween and Christmas. She will trace the historical development behind key sentiments underlying each holiday.

McGill earned her MA in comparative religion from Western Michigan University and her BA degrees in religion and writing from UE. Her primary research interests examine the ongoing development of Western religious adherents’ understandings of religious themes, symbols, figures, and history in the face of modernity. She is interested in the complex relationship between religion and popular culture in the US, particularly in the role, portrayal, and influence of religious elements upon mass media.

Other lectures in this series include:

October 3, 4:00 p.m., Eykamp Hall, Room 252, Ridgway University Center
“Romans 13:1-10 in Ancient Context: Interpretation and Integration in the Public Square” – Keith Turner, UE John Wesley Minister and assistant chaplain for the Lilly-funded summer youth theology institute, Open Table.

A licensed pastor in the United Methodist Church, Turner earned his BA in bible and theology from Asbury University and his MDiv degree from Asbury Theological Seminary. The School of Practical Theology at Asbury Theological Seminary awarded him the Stanger Preaching Award for excellence in preaching, both in the crafting and in the delivery of sermons. He is a member of the Wesleyan Theological Society.

November 28, 4:00 p.m., Eykamp Hall, Room 252, Ridgway University Center
“Co-creation of Value Using Logistics and Supply Chain Relationships” – Yolanda Obaze, UE assistant professor of supply chain management.

Obaze earned her BA from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Kaduna Nigeria, and her MBA (strategic management and marketing) and PhD degrees from the University of North Texas, Denton, Texas. Her research interests include service systems, complexities and marketing theories, operations and supply chain management, logistics systems, and humanitarian logistics and supply chain management. She is an active member of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences, Production and Operations Management, South West Decision Sciences Institute, Decision Sciences Institute, and Association of Collegiate Marketing Educators.

February 6, 4:00 p.m., Eykamp Hall, Room 252, Ridgway University Center
“Composing Queer Music: Samuel Barber’s Despite and Still” - James Sullivan, UE assistant professor of music theory and double bass.

Sullivan earned his PhD in music theory and DMA and MM in double bass performance from the Eastman School of Music, as well as a BM in double bass performance and a BS in mathematics from Indiana University. His research focuses on rhythm and meter perception in post-tonal music. Sullivan’s Andiron Lecture brings together his interest in rhythm and meter with secondary interests in the music of Samuel Barber, queer music theory, and performance and analysis.

March 6, 4:00 p.m., Eykamp Hall, Room 252, Ridgway University Center
“Cautiously Confronting Colonialism: The United States and Decolonizing Africa, 1962-1990”  Daniel Byrne, UE associate professor of history.

Byrne focuses his teaching on United States history since the American Civil War with an emphasis on the United States in the world. He also teaches a seminar on African decolonization, which combines his research in United States foreign policy with the nationalist perspectives on the end of European empires in Africa. His original research focused on the United States response to the Algerian war of independence and has expanded to cover the decolonization of French West Africa.

April 3, 4:00 p.m., Eykamp Hall, Room 252, Ridgway University Center
“War Victim to Gay Hero: Commemorating Lorca in the Absence of His Body” – Edward Curran, UE assistant professor of Spanish.

Curran earned his PhD in Hispanic literature from Cornell University, his MA in Spanish (Language, Literature, and Culture) from UNC Charlotte, and his BA in modern languages from Winthrop University. His teaching and research interests include: twentieth-century Spanish literature, photography, film, monuments, material culture, photography theory and visual studies. His Andiron Lecture examines categories of human remains germane to the Peninsula’s mass grave exhumation phenomenon and their representation in photography, monuments, and the plastic arts.

The Andiron Lectures in Liberal Arts and Sciences series is sponsored by the William L. Ridgway College of Arts and Sciences and supported by a generous gift from Donald B. Korb. For more information, call 812-488-1070 or 812-488-2589.

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