Weinberg College
of Arts & Sciences

Art History

Tuesday, October 25 from 12:30 – 1:30 PM

Kresge 2-440

Problematic Monuments: When, in recent years, people cast critical attention on statues of Confederate generals, they participated in a long history of conflict over monuments, which is currently ongoing in Chicago. In this informal talk, I'll discuss material from a first-year seminar I'm currently teaching focusing specifically on monuments in Chicago: those that represent historical violence and injustice; those that attempt to redress wrongs; those that do not yet exist but should. I look at how contemporary artists have intervened in the very definition of what a monument is or can be, using different tactics (not necessarily always statues) to assert their claims. How can contemporary art represent history? How can we engage in debate about the ethical and political issues involved? 

Anthropology

Wednesday, November 9 from Noon - 1:00 PM

RECORDING FOR NORTHWESTERN AUTHORIZED USERS

The evolution of human fatherhood: Insights from hormones and behavior- Most mammalian fathers don’t know who their kids are, and are not involved with raising them. This contrasts with our own species, as human fathers often play an important parental role. In this talk, anthropologist and dad Chris Kuzawa will explore the unique evolutionary origins of human fatherhood.

Physics & Astronomy

Tuesday, December 13 from Noon - 1:00 PM

RECORDING FOR NORTHWESTERN AUTHORIZED USERS

The Mystery Behind the Origin of Radio Filaments in our Milky Way Galaxy: The Galactic center is an active region of our Milky Way Galaxy. There is a supermassive black hole at the center of the Galaxy. Beyond its sphere of influence, there is a rich environment revealing relic of past activities of the black hole.

As part of an international team, we have used the new South African MeerKAT radio observatory and found hundreds of magnetized filaments in the inner 1000 light years of the Galactic center. These filaments appear harp-like, cometary tail-like, or loop-like structures. After a brief history of the discovery of the filaments in the 80's, I will talk about what we have recently learned and why it is so puzzling to understand their origin.

Solving Big Problems with Small Things

Eighty years ago, few people in the world had heard of polymers. But in the late 1930s, one polymer—nylon—became a household word in just a few months. While nylon took the stockings market by storm, the progression toward polymers becoming ubiquitous in clothing and beyond—in kitchenware, electronics, building materials, medicine, and more—took decades. We now know that polymers were one of the materials that characterized the 20th century. Looking ahead, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), or smart and programmable sponges, are poised to be a defining material of the 21st century. Though this class of multidimensional crystalline materials is still in its early stages, 50 years from now, they will be an ever-present part of human life just as polymers are today. MOFs are a class of porous materials that we can think of as nano-sized Tinker Toy assemblies which repeat in periodic arrays. The Farha research group seeks to solve exciting problems in chemistry and materials science ranging from energy and environment-related applications to challenges in national defense by employing these smart and programmable sponges.

Is Diversity a Good Thing? The View from Economic History

Diversity and related concepts have become pivotal concepts in our culture in general (and perhaps most prominently in academia). Yet the concept has actually been surprisingly vague.  I provide more careful definitions and take a closer look at the historical consequences of institutions such as greater tolerance and diversity. One disturbing conclusion is that greater diversity in many historical environments was not necessarily economically beneficial and that well-meaning calls for “more diversity at any cost” may have to be qualified, depending on institutional quality and similar variables.

Linguistics

Tuesday, April 25 from Noon - 1:00 PM

Ruan Conference Center
600 Foster St. Lower Level
With Weinberg Mentors
LUNCH WILL BE SERVED

in-person only

After the tower of Babel: Living with language diversity

Why and how do languages differ?  How do different languages co-exist and interact in the minds of bilingual individuals?  And, conversely, what are the limitations of monolingualism?  In this informal and interactive lunchtime talk, I will offer some responses to these and other questions from the perspective of an experimental linguist with a specialization in phonetics (i.e. the branch of linguistics that deals with the sound structure of language).  We will look at some fascinating infographics, games, and other multimedia resources that illustrate the impact of various aspects of language diversity on individuals and societies.  I will also share some current experimental findings from my research group that look specifically at how exposure to the sounds of different languages influences the way we produce and perceive speech. 

Department of Sociology and Black Studies

Wednesday, May 17 from  Noon - 1:00 PM

RECORDING FOR NORTHWESTERN AUTHORIZED USERS

Black Advantage Vision: Flipping the Script on Racial Inequality Research

Black Advantage Vision turns racial inequality and stratification research on its head by actively looking for domains in which Black people do better than White people, and conducting studies that show this outcome. Black Advantage Vision reminds Black people of their worth, strengths, resilience, and accomplishments, while also letting White people know that they are not supreme in all domains. In this presentation, Dr. Pattillo will define and elaborate on the concept of Black Advantage Vision; acknowledge existing statements that challenge anti-Black frameworks in sociology; review empirical studies that find Black advantage; outline how to deploy Black Advantage Vision in new research; and raise and critique the normative assumptions on which Black Advantage Vision rests.