The College of Arts and Sciences and its Liberal Studies Project sponsor the Meet the Professor lecture series to highlight the college’s research and cultural offerings during the first Thursdays of most months.
The luncheon talks begin at noon in the University Club. Reservations are required, with $14 payment in cash or check. To reserve a spot, contact Janna Tajibaeva at 502-852-2247 or janna@louisville.edu no later than the Monday before each event.
Here are the fall 2014 semester talks:
- Sept. 4 – Exploring an Ancient Mayan Atlantis,” John Hale, archaeologist and liberal studies director, and Robert Forbes, Center for Geographic Information Sciences director. They will talk about their work on ancient ruins in Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, where new maps and research allow for reconstruction of a submerged 2,000-year-old Mayan religious center for the first time.
- Oct. 2 – “Math as Art and Art as Math,” Jake Wildstrom, mathematics professor. He will discuss how math has served as a tool for representational art and how art provides visualizations to help understand mathematical phenomena; he also will talk about how artists, educators and mathematicians have explored the boundaries between disciplines, often with beautiful results.
- Nov. 6 – A Francis Effect? The Impact of Pope Francis on the Politics of American Catholicism,” David Buckley, Paul Weber endowed chair in politics, science and religion. Besides examining the pope’s leadership impact, the political scientist will look at the likelihood that he can have a role in overcoming political divisions within the U.S. Catholic segment of the electorate.
- Dec. 4 – What the Garden Said,” Glynis Ridley, English professor and department chair. She will give an illustrated talk about tourist-favorite English gardens, where 18th century political satire spilled from print culture into landscape design; examples will include Stowe, where Thomas Jefferson and John Adams made a 1786 garden visit.