This fall, a range of events will showcase the exciting scholarship taking place in Arts & Sciences, including several named lectures. Be sure to mark your calendar for these talks, and check out the Arts & Sciences calendar for more interesting topics and notable speakers.
James E. McLeod Lecture on Higher Education
October 4
Lorgia García-Peña, Princeton University
“Community as Rebellion”
Founded by the Center for the Humanities in honor of the esteemed vice chancellor of students who passed away in 2011, the series focuses on the role of the liberal arts in higher education, a subject especially meaningful to Dean McLeod. Speakers include academics and journalists who have written about the liberal arts and higher education, both positively and critically, as well as noted people who talk about how the liberal arts affected their lives and their career choices.
Past Speakers: Mary Schmidt Campbell, 2022; Gerald Early, 2021; Bethany Nowviskie, 2020; George J. Sanchez, 2019
George E. Mylonas Lecture in Classical Art and Archaeology
October 13
Kathleen Lynch, University of Cincinnati
“The Greek Symposium in Context”
Co-presented by the Departments of Classics and Art History & Archaeology, this lecture series was launched in 1988 to honor George E. Mylonas, founding chair of the Department of Art History and Archeology. Mylonas, who taught at the university from 1933 to 1968, was a prominent Greek and Aegean archeologist who directed WashU’s excavation at Mycenae.
Past Speakers: Michael Galaty, 2022; John Papadopoulos, 2021; Jane Ellen Buikstra, 2020; Dimitri Nakassis, 2019
Adam Cherrick Lecture in Jewish Studies
October 17
Laura Arnold Leibman, Reed College
"Once We Were Slaves: A Multicultural Jewish Family in Early America"
The Adam Cherrick Lecture Fund in Jewish Studies at Washington University was established in 1988 by Jordan and Lorraine Cherrick of St. Louis, Missouri in memory of their son. Its purpose is to advance Jewish Studies at Washington University. Since its inception, the Fund has benefited both the University community and St. Louis at large by bringing world-renowned scholars to speak on campus.
Past Speakers: Ari Folman, 2022; David Biale, 2018; Sara Abrevaya Steub, 2016
Robert L. Williams Inaugural Lecture
October 23
Robert Sellers, University of Michigan
"The Souls of Black Folk: The Role of Race in the Psychological Lives of African Americans"
This lecture series honors Robert L. Williams’ many contributions to the field of psychology. The late Williams, who died in 2020, was a professor emeritus of psychology and African and African American studies at WashU, and a prominent figure in the history of African American psychology. He was the founding director of WashU’s Black Studies program, developing a curriculum that would serve as a model throughout the country.
Robert M. Walker Distinguished Lecture Series
October 26
Meenakshi Wadhwa, Arizona State University
“Exploration of the Solar System via Sample Return Missions” and “Bringing Mars Samples Back to Earth”
The McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences sponsors the lecture series in memory of Robert M. Walker, the center’s inaugural director from 1975 to 1999. Walker was a pioneering physicist who played a key role in shaping research in the space sciences, not only at the university but also worldwide.
Past Speakers: Dante Lauretta, 2022; Kevin McKeegan, 2021; Kip S. Thorne, 2019; David Charbonneau, 2018
Marcus Lecture Series
November 10
Dr. Sharon Hammes-Schiffer, Yale University
The Marcus Lecture Series was established in 1989 by Jack and Gertrude Marcus in honor of Jack’s father, Leopold Marcus. Jack Marcus was an active member of the St. Louis section of the American Chemical Society during the ‘60s and ‘70s and also worked as affiliate director of the continuing education extension at WashU.
Past Speakers: Christopher Murray, 2018; Jennifer Lewis, 2017; Richard Eisenburg, 2016
Holocaust Memorial Lecture
November 15
Ari Joskowicz, Vanderbilt University
“Roma, Jews, and the Holocaust”
The Holocaust Memorial Lecture is an annual event administered since 1989 and sponsored by the Center for the Humanities. Held on or near November 9, the anniversary of the Kristallnacht pogroms in Nazi Germany, the lecture aims not only to commemorate the Holocaust, but also to address its broader implications for other instances of systematic persecution, mass murder, and genocide.
Past speakers: Jeffrey Veidlinger, 2022; Natalia Aleksiun, 2021; Jason De León, 2019; Sue Vice, 2018
Kennedy Lecture Series
December 7
Mark Tuckerman, New York University
This lecture is given in memory and honor of the late Professor Joseph W. Kennedy, who served as chair of the Department of Chemistry at Washington University from 1946 to 1956. Prior to his arrival, WashU’s chemistry department was small and devoted almost entirely to undergraduate teaching. Kennedy brought the department to national stature with strong research programs and graduate-level education.
Past Speakers: Marcetta Darensbourg, 2022; Tom Mallouk, 2019; Frank Stillingen, 2018; Jon Clardy, 2017
