WHAT: “Nazi-Looted Art and U.S. Museums,” Prof. Jennifer Kreder, Northern Kentucky University
WHEN: Tuesday, March 8 @ 7 p.m.
WHERE: Spurlock Museum, 600 S. Gregory, Urbana
From the event description: “Dr. Kreder will draw on her experience in Holocaust-era art litigation to discuss the ethical and legal standards involved and how they are being violated in U.S. courts.”
WHAT: “Anti-Semitism from the Standpoint of its Muslim Arab Victims in a South American Border Zone,” John Tofik Karam, De Paul University
WHEN: Thursday, March 10 @ 12 noon
WHERE: 101 ISB. 910 S. Fifth Street. Champaign
I wish I could tell what this talk was about based on its title, but I’m now more confused than when I started reading. Should be a hoot.
WHAT: “Concrete Reveries: The City as a Work of Art,” Mark Kingwell, University of Toronto
WHEN: Thursday, March 10 @ 6 p.m.
WHERE: Temple Buell Hall, 611 Loredo Taft Drive, Champaign
This is a situation where being non-erudite is certainly a disadvantage. The online calendar lists the title as “Concret Reveries,” which I’m pretty sure is a typo, so I corrected it in this entry. But what if Concret is some sort of semi-obscure architectural form that I’m unaware of? Fortunately the five of you reading this don’t seem like the types to rat me out. Thanks! Also, if you like the cut of Kingwell’s jib, he’ll be speaking on Friday on a different topic altogether.
WHAT: “Fear, Anger, and the American Response to Terrorism,” John Lynn, Distinguished Professor of Military History, Northwestern University
WHEN: Friday, March 11 @ 12 noon
WHERE: University YMCA, Latzer Hall, 1001 S. Wright Street
From Lynn’s bio: “Before coming to Northwestern, he taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he won several teaching prizes, including the Campus Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2001).”
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.