The Center for Arts & Letters
1100 Rockhurst Road
Kansas City, MO 64110
www.rockhurst.edu/artsandletters
VISITING SCHOLAR
2012–2013 LECTURES
Martha Farah, Ph.D. • Wednesday, Sept. 19
William Sweet, Ph.D. • Monday, Oct. 22
Vincent Rougeau, J.D. • Tuesday, Jan. 29
Wednesday, Feb. 20 – Lecture
Chad Freidrichs • Tuesday, Feb. 19 – Film;
Thomas Madden, Ph.D. • Tuesday, Feb. 26
Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D. • Monday, March 18
Fawaz A. Gerges, Ph.D. • Tuesday, April 23
Non-Profit
Organization
U.S. Postage
PAID
Kansas City, Mo.
Permit No. 782
Rockhurst University’s
VI S I T I N G
SCHOLAR
2012–2013 LECTURE SER IES
Center for Arts and Letters
Rockhurst University presents
VI S I T I N G
SCHOLAR
2012–2013 LECTURE SERIES
Lectures begin at 7:30 p.m. in Mabee Theater, Sedgwick Hall.
Lectures are free and open to the public.
To register your attendance, call 816-501-4828.
Martha Farah, Ph.D. • Wednesday, Sept. 19 • “21st CENTURY
NEUROSCIENCE: FROM LAB TO CLINIC TO HOME, SCHOOL AND OFFICE”
One of the world’s most prominent cognitive neuroscientists, Martha
Farah, Ph.D., the Walter H. Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences
at the University of Pennsylvania, will discuss many new applications
of neuroscience to non-medical problems and explore the ways that
viewing ourselves as brains challenges some of our notions regarding
moral responsibility and spirituality.
William Sweet, Ph.D. • Monday, Oct. 22
“FREEDOM OF CONSCIENCE IN CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES”
The Rev. William Rossner, S.J., Lecture in Philosophy
William Sweet, Ph.D., is professor of philosophy and director of the
Centre for Philosophy, Theology and Cultural Traditions at St. Francis
Xavier University, Nova Scotia, Canada. His lecture will focus on the contested meaning of freedom in the context of a Roman Catholic university.
Vincent Rougeau, J.D. • Tuesday, Jan. 29 • “GLOBAL
MIGRATION, CITIZENSHIP, AND CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING”
In a world of constant and massive migration, what can Catholic social
teaching tell us about the meaning of citizenship? Boston College
School of Law Dean Vincent Rougeau has spent a career applying the
principles of Catholic teaching to significant legal and cultural challenges that America continues to face. Rougeau’s talk is co-sponsored by
the Thomas More Center for the Study of Catholic Thought and Culture.
Chad Freidrichs • Tuesday, Feb. 19 • FILM SCREENING,
“THE PRUITT-IGOE MYTH: AN URBAN HISTORY”
It began as a housing marvel. Two decades later, it ended in
rubble. But what happened to those caught in between? “The
Pruitt-Igoe Myth” tells the story of the transformation of American
cities after World War II through the lens of the infamous PruittIgoe housing development and the St. Louis residents who called
it home. Screening of this award-winning documentary comes
one day in advance of film director Chad Freidrichs’ lecture.
Chad Freidrichs • Wednesday, Feb. 20 • “THE MAKING OF ‘THE
PRUITT-IGOE MYTH’” • Alpha Sigma Nu – Rev. Vincent Daues, S.J., Lecture
Chad Freidrichs, a professor of digital filmmaking at Stephens College,
will discuss the four years involved in producing “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth.”
The film has won awards from the American Historical Association, the
Organization of American Historians and the International Documentary
Association. Freidrichs will highlight the research involved in making the
film and tackle issues facing documentary filmmakers.
Thomas Madden, Ph.D. • Tuesday, Feb. 26
“THE CRUSADES IN MYTH AND HISTORY”
Thomas Madden, professor of history and director of the Center for
Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University, is a leading
Crusades historian and a renowned commentator on medieval history
and the historical relationship between Christianity and Islam. His lecture,
jointly sponsored by the Visiting Scholar Lecture Series and the Thomas
More Center for the Study of Catholic Thought and Culture, will explore
various facets of the Crusades, exposing popular myths and highlighting
contrasting interpretations of these highly politicized historical conflicts.
Diana Butler Bass, Ph.D. • Monday, March 18
“A PEOPLE’S HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY”
The Rev. William Rossner, S.J., Lecture in Theology
In a talk based on her renowned book A People’s History of
Christianity: The Other Side of the Story, Diana Butler Bass challenges
the assumption that theological change is being driven by church
officials and trained theologians. Instead, she contends that most
important theological transformations are driven by lay movements.
Fawaz A. Gerges, Ph.D. • Tuesday, April 23 • “THE ARAB
SPRING AND JIHADISM: MYTH CONFRONTS REALITY?”
Fawaz Gerges, professor of Middle East Politics and International
Relations at the London School of Economics and director of its Middle
East Centre, will take stock of the profound changes taking place in the
Middle East since the rise of the Arab Spring. Gerges is a familiar face
on CNN and “Charlie Rose.”