Archaeology Talk: Desperate Etruscan Housewives

Did desperate Etruscan housewives cause the collapse of a whole civilization? Did the women's antics provoke a Roman army in 264 BC into leveling the rich Etruscan city of Volsinii (modern Orvieto)? Come find out in a talk by Dr. Jean Turfa of the University of Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The AIA talk will be Monday 5 November 2007 at 7:30 PM in Chan Auditorium of the Administrative Science Building on the UAH Campus. The following day, Dr. Turfa will speak on "Love and Death in Etruscan Urns," in the Multi-Purpose Room of Frank Franz Hall at 11:10 AM. Please bring a friend. For more information, call 824-6114.

Films on Communist East Germany (Friday November 16, 2007)

Please come watch two films on everyday life in communist East Germany on Friday November 16, 2007, in Roberts Hall 423.

The first film, the comedy "Goodbye Lenin," will be shown at 1:00 p.m. It focuses on the efforts of a son to protect his ill mother, a loyal communist, from the knowledge that the East German government has collapsed.

The second film, the drama "The Lives of Others," will be shown at 3:15 p.m. "The Lives of Others" focuses on how the strategies of the East German Secret Police (the "Stasi") affected East German citizens. This film won the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

Both films focus not only on what life was like in East Germany, but also on the collapse of East Germany and the process of German reunification.

If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Molly Johnson at Molly.Johnson@uah.edu.

Public Lecture: Dr. Francille Rusan Wilson on the History of Black History (Tues., October 23, 2007)

The History Department and the Office of Multicultural Affairs are pleased to announce the visit of Dr. Francille Rusan Wilson, a specialist in African-American History and Women's History, to UAH.

Dr. Wilson will give a public lecture, “Carter G. Woodson’s Great Cause: The History of the Black History Movement,” on Tuesday, October 23, at 7:30 p.m. in McDonnell Douglas Auditorium in the Material Sciences Building at UAH (the building with the blue tower).

Dr. Wilson earned a B.A. from Wellesley College, M.A.T. from Harvard University, and an M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. She is an Associate Professor of African-American Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Visiting Professor at the University of Southern California.

A Distinguished Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians. Dr. Wilson is an intellectual and labor historian whose current research examines the intersections between black labor movements, black social scientists, and black women's history during the Jim Crow era. She is the author of The Segregated Scholars: Black Social Scientists and the Creation of Black Labor Studies, 1890-1950 (Carter G. Woodson Institute Series in Black Studies) (University of Virginia, 2006). Her current research, a biography of lawyer and economist Sadie T. M. Alexander, explores the impact of racism and sexism on and media representations of black professional women in male professions in the early twentieth century.

Additional sponsors of Dr. Wilson’s visit include UAH Women’s Studies, UAH Continuing Education, the Bankhead Foundation, and the UAH Humanities Center.

Please contact 256-824-6310 with questions.

Society for Ancient Languages Public Reading, Thurs. October 18

The Society for Ancient Languages at UAH is pleased to announce its upcoming Public Reading, to be held in Union Grove Gallery on Thursday, October 18, at 7:30 p.m. The topic is "Arma et Toga: The Roman Military Machine in War and State," and there will be readings in both Latin and English of writings by Horace, Cicero, and St. Augustine. In addition, Dr. Jerry Mebane, Professor of English, will speak on the concept of a just war. The Public Reading will also include a musical interlude featuring members of the Society.

This event is part of the build-up to Classics Week in Spring Semester 2008, which will feature Dr. Nathan Rosenstein of The Ohio State University, a specialist in the history of the Roman military.

AIA Talk: Ancient Greek Astronomy (22 October)

Dr. James Evans of the Physics Department of the University of Puget Sound will give a talk to the North Alabama Chapter of the AIA on "The Material Culture of Ancient Greek Astronomy." The talk will be 22 October at 7:30 PM in Chan Auditorium. He is associate editor of the Journal for the History of Astronomy and the author of The Theory and Practice of Ancient Astronomy (Oxford University Press, 1998) which covers the field from Babylon to the Scientific Revolution. Please come and bring a friend.

Roman Women at Iberian Villa (Wednesday 26 September)

The North Alabama Society of the Archaeological Institute of America is delighted to host its first public lecture of the fall. Dr. Maia Langley, of the Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal and scientific director of the Interpretation Center of Torre de Palma, will talk on "Placing Roman Women: Life, Luxury and Longevity at an Iberian Villa." The event will be in Chan Auditorium in the Administrative Science Building on the UAH campus at 7:30 PM on Wednesday 26 September. Please come and bring a friend.

Film Showing: "Downfall" (Friday April 20)

"Downfall" ("Der Untergang"), the final film related to Nazi Germany and the Holocaust to be shown this semester, will be featured Friday, April 20, 2007, at 2:30 p.m. in Roberts Hall 423. "Downfall" focuses on the final days of Hitler and his inner circle in 1945. The screenplay was informed by the writings of academic historians, by Albert Speer's diaries, and by the memoir of Hitler's secretary Traudl Junge. "Downfall" was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2005. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Molly Johnson at 824-2566 or johnsomw@uah.edu.

Film Viewing: "The Pianist" (Friday April 6)

Please come watch "The Pianist" on Friday April 6 at 2:30 p.m. in Roberts Hall 423 (the seminar room). The film depicts how celebrated Polish pianist Wladyslaw Szpilman survived the Holocaust. "The Pianist," directed by Roman Polanski, won Oscars for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay in 2002. Adrien Brody won the Best Actor Oscar for his work portraying Szpilman. If you have any questions, contact Dr. Molly Johnson at johnsomw@uah.edu or 256-824-2566.

AIA Talk: "Early Human Populations in the New World: A Biased Perspective"

In the news recently you have probably heard or read about the re-dating of Clovis sites, traditionally thought to be the earliest evidence of human habitation in the New World. Dr. James Adovasio, an expert in the archaeology of early humans, has published on the so-called “Venus” figurines of the Old World as well as on settlement in the Americas. He published his controversial views on the occupation of the North America in his book The First Americans. Professor Adovasio is currently Dean of the Zurn School of Natural Sciences & Mathematics at Mercyhurst College in Erie, Pennsylvania. He is also a Research Associate at the Smithsonian Institution and the Carnegie Museum and serves as an Expert Witness on Federal Government Archaeological Resources Protection Act. Adovasio shared his views on PBS’s acclaimed program NOVA in the 2004 episode on America’s Stone Age Explorers. He will be speaking on Tuesday 27 March at 7:30 PM in McDonnell Douglas Auditorium in the Material Science Building on the UAH campus.

2007 Classics Week: Dr. Erich Gruen to Speak on the Roman Republic

Dr. Erich Gruen, professor of classics at the University of California at Berkeley, is the guest at the 2007 Classics Week, sponsored by the Society for Ancient Languages. On Friday March 30, Dr. Gruen will give two public lectures in Roberts Hall 419, one on "Cleopatra in Rome: Facts and Fantasies" at 12:00 noon, and one on "Rome and the Myth of Alexander the Great," at 7:00 p.m. Both lectures are free and open to the public. If you have any questions, please contact the History Department at 256-824-6310.

Dr. Gilbert C. Din to Speak on "Before the Louisiana Purchase"

The History Department is pleased to announce that Dr. Gilbert C. Din, Visiting Eminent Scholar in History, will give a public lecture on "Before the Louisiana Purchase: The Limitations of the Three Empires in the Mississippi Valley," on Thursday March 29 at 7:00 p.m. in Roberts Hall 419. Dr. Din is a professor emeritus from Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, and the author of several books on colonial Louisiana. For more information, please contact the history department at 256-824-6310.

Upcoming Film: "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days"

On several upcoming Friday afternoons, the department is showing films in conjunction with Dr. Molly Johnson's course on "Nazi Germany and the Holocaust." The next film will be "Sophie Scholl: The Final Days," a German production nominated for an Academy Award as the Best Foreign Language Film in 2006. Sophie Scholl was a co-founder of "White Rose," a student group at the University of Munich that opposed the Nazi regime.

Please come watch the film on Friday, March 9, at 2:30 p.m. in Roberts Hall 423. If you have questions, call 824-2566 or email johnsomw@uah.edu.

Archaeology Lecture on Constantine's Conversion

On Tuesday, February 20, the
North Alabama Societyof the Archaeological Institute of America is bringing Dr. Ken Harl of Tulane University to UAH. Dr. Harl will give a lecture entitled "Make Haste Slowly: Constantine, His Coinage, and the Conversion" at 7:30 p.m. in Chan Auditorium in the Administrative Sciences Building. Check out Dr. Lillian Joyce, President of the North Alabama Society of the Archaeological Institute of America, with Constantine's foot!

Travel to Rome with the History Club!

Please join the History Club for public viewings of HBO's Rome on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in Roberts Hall 423.

Visiting Scholar to Speak on Athletics in Fascist Italy

The History Department, together with the North Alabama Society of the Archaeological Institute of America, is pleased to announce the upcoming visit of Dr. G. Vincent Arnold of Concordia College to UAH. Dr. Arnold will give a lecture entitled "Athletics, Architecture, and Authority in Fascist Italy" at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, February 5, in McDonnell Douglas Hall.

Dr. Arnold will also speak on "Archival Research and Fascism: A Scholar's Journey Through the Nine Circles of Hell" to students enrolled in Dr. Molly Johnson's seminar on Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. This lecture will be on Tuesday, February 6 at 3:55 p.m. in Roberts Hall 423.