Lectures at Wellesley Play an Integral Role in the Intellectual Life of the Community

A talk by one of the College’s own experts or a visiting authority occurs at the intersection between class topics, research interests of faculty, and global affairs. Whether the subject of discussion is the complexity of current events or the lingering questions of the past, Wellesley’s lectures provide significant opportunities for the campus, and the wider community, to come together and ponder important questions.

Already this week, Wellesley welcomed public intellectual and essayist Hayden White at the Susan and Donald Newhouse Center for the Humanities as he delivered the Elizabeth Turner Jordan ’59 lecture on The Limits of Enlightenment: Enlightenment as Metaphor and as Concept. The Russian Area Studies department hosted expert Mara Kozelsky of the University of South Alabama to offer her thoughts on Why Russia Wants Crimea (It’s Not Just the Black Sea Fleet). Labor economist Diane Whitmore Schazenbach ’95 gave the Calderwood Lecture in Economics, discussing her work on Lifetime Impacts of the Safety Net: The Long-Term Effects of Access to Food Stamps on Health, Education, and Income. Disability Services hosted a dinner and lecture by one of the nation’s preeminent neurologists, Martha Denckla of Johns Hopkins, who spoke on The Unique Effects of ADHD on Women.

These events are often made possible by the generous gifts of alumnae and other benefactors, who designate their gifts to enrich campus conversations. Stanford Calderwood was a dedicated supporter of arts and cultural programs in Massachusetts, who served as a visiting faculty member in the Department of Economics at Wellesley from 1972 to 1985; shortly after his death, the Calderwood Charitable Foundation established the Calderwood Fund for Economics, which supports the Calderwood Lecture. The Cornille lecture was established by Mary Cornille DS '82, an art history major, and her husband Jack Cogan. Together, the couple support many Boston-area cultural and educational institutions. Dr. Ruth Morris Bakwin (Class of 1919), for whom the annual art lecture is named, has a long-lasting legacy at the College. Her mother was an alumna of the class of 1892; her daughter was a member of the class of 1951; and her great grand-daughter is a member of the class of 2017. Through the gifts of these and others, Wellesley's own legacy of fostering dynamic academic conversations continues.

Upcoming Lectures This Month

April 3
RUTH MORRIS BAKWIN CLASS OF 1919 ART LECTURE
Déjà Vu: Contemporary Art and the Ghosts of Modernism with Claire Bishop
Sponsored by the Art Department

April 3, 3 p.m.
Peace, Stability and Gender in Africa with Hon. Frederick Sumaye, Prime Minister of Tanzania (1995-2005) 
Harambee House
Sponsored by AFR 252, Africana Studies, Wellesley African Students’ Association, Harambee House, and the Provost’s Office

April 8, 4:15 p.m.
So Now, I Wonder, What Am I?: Identity Challenges, Narrative Process, and Growth with Jennifer Pals Lilgendahl
SCI 278
Sponsored by the Psychology Department and the Margaret Hamm Fund

April 10
Disabled Diaspora, Rehabilitating State: The Queer Politics of Reproduction in Israel Palestine with Jasbir Paur
Co-sponsored by Women’s and Gender Studies, History, Peace and Justice Studies, and the American Studies programs

April 17
MARY L. CORNILLE DISTINGUISHED LECTURE IN THE HUMANITIES
Queen of the Muckrakers: The Life and Times of Jessica Mitford with Carla Kaplan
Sponsored by the Newhouse Center for the Humanities

April 23
WELLESLEY WEDNESDAY: MARJORY STONEMAN DOUGLAS LECTURE
Just Sustainabilities: Re-Imagining E/Quality, Living within Limits with Julian Agyeman
Sponsored by  Marjory Stoneman Douglas Lecture Fund and the CLCE.