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The Arts Center of Greenwood presents a variety of artist talks/demonstrations, community lectures and guest speakers annually. Be sure to check back here for periodic updates to our schedule of events.
Lander University Community Lecture Series: Understanding North Korea by Dr. Franklin Rausch Among all the governments that came into existence after World War Two, it is difficult to find one like the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (popularly known as North Korea), which has managed to both consistently fail to guarantee the basic livelihood of its people and threaten the world with an increasingly powerful nuclear arsenal while managing to survive for decades. In this lecture, Dr. Franklin Rausch will briefly summarize how this strange state of affairs came into being through an examination of Korean history, with a focus on how the Kim family (the third generation of which is now ruling the country) came into and maintains power. He will then discuss why the North Korean state invests so much in its military even as much of its population faces serious malnutrition by focusing on the concept of “regime survival” while enumerating possible avenues for change in North Korea and their probabilities of success. Tuesday, October 17 @ 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Lander University Community Lecture Series: Traditional Fairytales - The Good, The Gruesome and The Grimms by Professor Brittany Cuenin This lecture examines the first fairy tales recorded by the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault, and Madame de Villeneuve. Fairy tales have permeated cultures across the globe for centuries as entertainment. Professor Brittany Cuenin explores their historical, social, and cultural significance, including famous stories such as Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, and Hansel and Gretel. These stories often include grotesques villains and brave protagonists. What do adults and children learn and enjoy from these stories? How have these tales been depicted in well-known illustrations and more recent Disney digital representations? Wednesday, November 15 @ 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Lander University Community Lecture Series: Does Literature Make Us Better People? by Professor Laura Martin It’s a commonly held belief that reading and writing are good for us, not just academically, but personally. This belief is so strongly held that prestigious universities like Georgetown and Rice incorporate literature into the studies of doctors-in-training for the explicitly stated purpose of teaching them empathy. But is the relationship between literature and compassion a direct correlation, or is it more complicated? In this lecture, Professor Laura Martin will explore the surprising relationship between literature and compassion and discuss how reading and writing can both help and hinder our understanding of others. Tuesday, February 6 @ 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Lander University Community Lecture Series: Forget What You Know - Myth Busting Memory by Dr. Shana Southard-Dobbs Memory is an essential function of the human mind. Much of what we think and do throughout a day relies on our ability to successfully remember information and skills, and our most treasured personal memories can help us to know and understand ourselves, our families, and our communities. Yet, the familiarity of our own memories can obscure our understanding of memory’s true complexity. Many of the go-to strategies students rely on to learn and remember information are ineffective; memories of personal experiences can change in surprising ways over time; and a person’s confidence in their memory is sometimes a shockingly bad indicator of its accuracy. In this interactive talk, Dr. Southard-Dobbs will illustrate important, and sometimes surprising, findings from the scientific research on memory that can impact the lives of every learner, educator, and community member. Tuesday, March 12 @ 5:30 - 7:00 pm
Lander University Community Lecture Series: A Long Walk to Church - The Camino de Santiago Today by Dr. Carlos Mentley The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela was one of the great cultural undertakings of the Middle Ages, and perhaps the most extraordinary adventure a person could have. It still is. The Camino de Santiago represents more than a millennium of history and tradition. The network of routes that lead to Compostela in the northwest of Spain contributed significantly to the development of western European civilization. Today, hundreds of thousands of modern pilgrims still tread these ancient paths on their way to Compostela, engaging in an idealized re-creation of the medieval pilgrimage. In this lecture, Dr. Carlos Mentley explores what it means to be a pilgrim on the Camino de Santiago in the 21st century. And who knows? You may hear the Camino de Santiago calling to you as well. Tuesday, April 2 @ 5:30 - 7:00 pm
All lectures are free & open to the community and held in the reception hall at The Arts Center of Greenwood. Light refreshments and a cash bar available.