Monday, October 22, 2012
Lectures enhance Journey Stories exhibit
PRINCESS ANNE, MD-(Oct. 22, 2012) Two guest lectures will be held at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in conjunction with the “Journey Stories” traveling exhibit of the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum on Main Street project.
Dr. Psyche Williams-Forson, an associate professor of American studies at the University of Maryland College Park, will speak Nov. 8, at 12:30 p.m. in the Student Service Center, multi-purpose room. Dr. Robert Ginsberg, professor emeritus at Pennsylvania State University with 35 years teaching philosophy and comparative literature, is UMES’ guest Nov. 13, at 7 p.m. in the Frederick Douglass Library auditorium.
Both lectures are sponsored by the Maryland Humanities Council.
“The ‘Journey Stories’ exhibit in itself is a gem, but to have these companion activities adds to the breadth and depth of the subject,” said Jennifer Neumyer, special collections and outreach librarian at UMES. The lectures further illustrate how the development of transportation and technology has greatly impacted American society, she said.
Williams-Forson’s topic is “Freedom to Travel: When the Proper Airs of Refinement, Beautiful Clothes, and a Packed Lunch Were Just Not Enough.” She “facilitates a lively discussion” among participants who are asked to contribute their own experiences in order to think more deeply about how race, class and gender have affected and still impact one’s ability to travel, Neumyer said.
Forson is author of “Building Houses out of Chicken Legs: Black Women, Food, and Power” and “Taking Food Public: Redefining Foodways in a Changing World.” Her research and teaching interests, Neumyer said, includes cultural studies, material culture, food, women’s studies and the social and cultural history of the U.S. in the late 19th and 20th centuries. She holds a master’s and doctorate in American Studies from the University of Maryland College Park and a bachelor’s in English from the University of Virginia.
“The Global Village in the New Millennium” is Ginsberg’s topic. He proposes that values are changing as the world becomes one community as a result of the technological revolution, Neumyer said. In the 21st century, communication is instant, the economy is a global one and human rights are becoming a universally recognized principle. His presentation looks at the problems associated with these three areas and explores how to expand the benefits associated with them, as well.
Ginsberg holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Pennsylvania and bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Chicago. He specializes in value inquiry, social and political philosophy, aesthetics and philosophy of the Enlightenment. Over 173 of his writings have been published in five languages in 19 countries.
“Journey Stories” events are free and open to the public.
