WHAT: “Civilizing the State and Family: Redefining Patriarchy and Domesticity in Nineteenth-Century Russia,” Curtis Richardson, Northwest Missouri State
WHEN: Tuesday, October 4 @ 12 noon
WHERE: 101 International Studies Building, 910 S. Fifth Street, Champaign
Who would have thought that czarist Russia would be a little bit backward?
WHAT: “America’s Public Universities: The Front Line to America’s Economic Recovery and Competitiveness,” Michael Crow, President of Arizona State University
WHEN: Wednesday, October 5 @ 10 a.m.
WHERE: Levis Faculty Center, 3rd Floor, 919 West Illinois Street, Urbana
Propaganda!
WHAT: “Energy in the 21st Century,” Michael Loudin, ExxonMobil Exploration Company
WHEN: Thursday, October 6 @ 4:30 p.m.
WHERE: Beckman Institute, 405 N. Mathews Avenue
From the event description: “Michael Loudin will share an insider’s perspective on the challenge of meeting the global demand for energy. He will review the technical, economic, and environmental constraints and opportunities associated with conventional and alternative sources of energy.” Lecture followed by Q&A and reception.
WHAT: “Abundant Systems: Working landscapes from the city to the farm,” Thomas Woltz, Nelson Byrd Woltz Architects
WHEN: Monday, October 10 @ 5:30 p.m.
WHERE: Plym Auditorium, Temple Hoyne Buell Hall, 611 Loredo Taft Drive, Champaign
WHAT: “Skating Clemente: Public Space and Urban Revitalization in Chicago,” Francisco Vivoni, Sociology
WHEN: Thursday, October 6 @ 12 noon
WHERE: La Casa – La Casa Cultural Latina – 1203 W. Nevada, Urbana
WHAT: “Fear of a foreign railroad: Transnationalism, trainspace, and (im)mobility in the Chicago suburbs,” Professor Julie Cidell, Geography, UIUC
WHEN: Friday, October 7 @ 3 p.m.
WHERE: Davenport 219, 607 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana
From the event announcement: “In 2007, the Canadian National railroad began the process of purchasing a beltline railroad around Chicago to ease the passage of containerized freight from Asia to North American distribution centers. Suburban communities protested the transaction, arguing that the increase in trains would lead to traffic congestion, problems with emergency vehicle access, and water supply contamination. Despite the local scale of these concerns, opponents framed their protest in terms of a foreign railroad disrupting American communities, suggesting deeper underlying concerns about the transnational nature of the transaction and the resulting route.”
You live near a major university and a community college. There are smart people that come here every week to talk to the general public about interesting topics. Perhaps you were not aware of this fact, or were overwhelmed by the sheer number of opportunities for possible enlightenment. If that’s the case, Smile Politely understands and is here to help. Here are several events going on in town this week. Check out one or more of them if you have time. Get your learn on, as they say, and join the cognoscenti. It’s free, you know. Plus, sometimes there’s free food, too!
If you have a community event, speaker, or film event that you’d like to see featured on Listen Up!, send the event information to joelgillespie [at] smilepolitely [dot] com by Friday the week prior to the event. Listen Up! runs on Tuesdays when classes are in session.