University Hour

UNIVERSITY HOUR — Fall 2021

• October

  October 20, 2021

  “Sex Differences in Cannabinoid Effects”

  Dr. Sarah Lichenstein

  Virtual presentation

  In light of Eastern’s minor in cannabis cultivation, Dr. Sarah Lichenstein’s talk will review the current animal and human data on sex differences in the effects of canna- bis and cannabinoids (e.g., THC and CBD), as well as highlighting important areas for future research.

  Contact: Bryan Connolly, connollyb@easternct.edu

  October 27, 2021

  “Cultivating Dignity” (final cut screening)

  Student Center Theatre

  “Cultivating Dignity” tells the little-known story of a young Martin Luther King Jr.’s first summer traveling north in 1945 to work at Cullman Bros. tobacco farm in Simsbury. This experimental film was co-created and directed by Alycia Bright Holland, written by Darcy Parker Bruce, and filmed/edited by Brian Day and film students.

  Contact: Brian Day, daybr@easternct.edu

• November

  November 3, 2021

  “Why We Still Have College”

  Louis Menand

  Virtual presentation

  Dr. Louis Menand has published on the subject, “Why we have college,” in which he lays out two main philosophies about the role of college in our lives. His talk is intended to be coordinated with an assessment assignment being done in all FYI 100 courses this year and to pertain to the rollout of the new Liberal Arts Core curriculum.

  Contact: Stefan Kamola, kamolas@easternct.edu

  November 10, 2021

  Thi Bui, Big Read keynote speaker

  Virtual presentation

  Vietnamese American graphic novelist Thi Bui’s keynote will highlight our NEA Big Read program, which features Bui’s graphic memoir, “The Best We Could Do” (2019). Bui communicates family values, the importance of identity and the meaning of home.

  Contact: Julia Wintner, wintnerj@easternct.edu

  November 17, 2021

  “The Man With No Name: The Gombey Tradition in Bermuda”

  Irwin Trott

  Virtual presentation

  Gombey developed as a street tradition in colonial Bermuda more than 200 years ago, bringing enslaved people of West African, Caribbean and Native American heritage together to celebrate during the Christmas season. Irwin Trott, a master drummer and managing director of the Warwick Gombey Troupe, will talk about the history of this dynamic tradition and its place as a “national treasure” in Bermuda today.

  Contact: Dorothea Hast, hastd@easternct.edu