POETS, CNN REPORTER, TV DIRECTOR TO SPEAK AT OXNARD COLLEGE SCHOLARS LECTURE SERIES FOR SPRING 2007
Writer Thomas Steinbeck, poets Douglas Kearney and Martha Collins, former CNN correspondent Charlie Caudill and TV actor-director James Whitmore, Jr. are among speakers during the Oxnard College Scholars Lecture Series for the 2007 Spring Semester beginning Wednesday, February 14 – Valentine’s Day, 2007.
The lecture series, which is free and open to the public, offers a diverse group of guest speakers in addition to faculty from Oxnard College and its sister colleges. Following the revised schedule from the fall, all programs will be presented on Wednesdays and will begin at 12:30 p.m. in LS-8 – the Letters & Science Clocktower auditorium. While the lectures are free, visitors from the community need to purchase a $1 parking ticket upon entering campus.
For more information, contact faculty coordinator Shelley Savren at 986-5800, ext. 1951. The series is as follows:
February 14, 2007
Geological Controls of Hydrocarbon Seeps in the Santa Maria Basin Offshore California
Manny Saenz, hydrogeologist with the U.S. Navy and Oxnard College professor, will address natural oil and gas seeps, including methane in the Santa Maria Basin – what causes it and the potential effects this phenomenon may have on global climate and the stability of seafloor sediments resulting in submarine landslides.
February 21, 2007
Digging the Bones: A Poetry Performance in Celebration of African American History Month*
Douglas Kearney, poet, teacher and performance artist will perform original poems that explore the troubled waters of African Americans in national myth and reality, transform history into fever dreams, and remix deconstructed breakfast commercials and spirituals “moaned” from chopped records.
February 28, 2007
Don’t Be a Victim: Using Basic Self-Defense Can Save Your Life
Graciela Casillas, black belt karate, kung fu and boxing champion and Oxnard College Physical Education professor, will address the legal, civil and mental aspects of self-defense, will talk about how to assess a potentially dangerous situation, and will demonstrate how to respond to an attack.
March 7, 2007
Measuring Your Success with Public Relations and the New Media
Charlie Caudill, former Emmy Award-winning CNN international journalist, vice president and executive producer, will engage the audience in a discussion about developing interpersonal skills and will provide in-depth knowledge on all aspects of the media – news coverage, press relations and marketing.
March 14, 2007
A Lynching in Southern Illinois: A Reading from the Book-Length Poem Blue Front*
Martha Collins, poet, professor, editor and translator, will read from her recently published book, which focuses on a lynching witnessed by her father when he was five years old, and she will also discuss the process of researching the event through archival material and visits to Cairo, Illinois.
March 21, 2007
Call Me Capable: Motivating People with Physical, Mental and Learning Challenges
Carol Leish, motivational speaker, writer and trainer, will focus her talk on making people aware of the strengths that people with disabilities have; and through her “Call Me Capable” game, will demonstrate ways to challenge difficult situations, as many famous people have done.
March 28, 2007
Whales of the Santa Barbara Channel
Dee Anderson, microbiologist, will introduce the audience to over 27 species of whales and dolphins that visit or live in our local waters, will highlight some of the more frequently seen cetaceans in the Santa Barbara Channel, and will tell us when the best times are to see them throughout the year.
April 11, 2007
Down to a Soundless Sea: A Campus Read-in and Discussion with the Author*
Thomas Steinbeck, fiction writer and son of the Nobel Prize winning novelist John Steinbeck, will lead a discussion about his new collection of short stories that are set along the California coast near Big Sur and trace the fates and dreams of characters struggling to carve out a living in the early 1900’s.
April 18, 2007
What Is the Social Vision of Radical Islam?
Carolyn Dorrance, Oxnard College History and Political Science professor, will describe the emerging vision of social life in traditional Islamic society and the criticism of modern Islamic lifestyles developed over the last 50 years – focusing on religious leadership, holy war (Jihad) and women’s place in society.
April 25, 2007
“That’s Show Biz”: Life in the World of Popular Television and Movies
James Whitmore, Jr., professional actor and television movie and series director, will talk about life as an actor (Baa Baa Black Sheep and The Rockford Files) and what goes on behind the scenes of directing episodes from Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Hill Street Blues, The Rockford Files, The X Files, 24 and Quantum Leap.
May 2, 2007
Telling Our Stories: Transforming Our Dreams
Amada Irma Perez, author and educator, will read excerpts from her award-winning bilingual children’s books and will describe her journey from immigrant to student to teacher to author who advocates multiculturalism and who encourages others to write and publish their stories, too.
May 9, 2007
Society vs. the Individual: Which Bears More Influence on Actions and Outcomes of Our Lives?
Anthony Rodriguez, Oxnard College English professor, with students from the Literature Institute of Oxnard College, will conduct a mock trial of Bigger Thomas, the central character of Richard Wright’s Native Son, and after exploring the outcomes of this novel, audience members will cast votes.
Presentations are free and are held on at 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in LS 8 (Clock Tower Auditorium) at Oxnard College, 4000 S. Rose Avenue, Oxnard, CA 93003.
Funding is provided by the Oxnard College Foundation with matching funds for * events provided by Poets & Writers, Inc. through a grant it has received from The James Irvine Foundation.
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