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Oct. 24: Black masculinity, gender, popular culture to be explored in free lecture

October 24, 2013

Race, popular culture and masculinity are the topics of a free, public presentation at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 24, in Todd Hall 276, WSU Pullman.

Speaker, author and news commentator Mark Anthony Neal will present “Looking for Leroy: (Il)Legible Black Masculinities” – also the title of his most recent book. It explores the cultural meaning and significance of Jay-Z, Luther Vandross, Barack Obama and R. Kelley.

“Mark Anthony Neal is one of the nation’s foremost experts on black masculinity, particularly as it relates to media and popular culture,” said David Leonard, professor and chair of the Department of Critical Culture, Gender and Race Studies, which is hosting the event. The talk will help attendees better “interpret images and identities and engage popular culture critically,” Leonard said.

Advancing social justice: Renowned sociologist, criminologist to speak, accept Wilson Award Oct. 17

October 13, 2013

Sociologist and criminologist Robert J. Sampson, one of the nation’s top scholars in studies of urban inequality, social structures and civic engagement, will present “Neighborhood Inequality and the New Social Transformation of the American City” on Thursday, Oct. 17, at 7 p.m. in the CUB Junior Ballroom. WSU will honor him with the William Julius Wilson Award for the Advancement of Social Justice as capstone to the 2013 William Julius Wilson Symposium.

“Rob Sampson is one of this country’s most imaginative, persistent, and tough-minded researchers into social life and the human condition. He is a most worthy recipient of the award,” said James Short, WSU emeritus professor of sociology.

Foley Institute director to discuss civility, democracy Oct. 1

October 1, 2013

U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) hollers “You Lie!” at President Barack Obama during his health-care speech to Congress. Conservative talk-radio showman Rush Limbaugh labels a caller a “slut” because she advocates insurance coverage for contraceptive care. Occupy Wall Street protesters portray bankers as criminals. Is American democracy in the midst of an “incivility crisis”?

Cornell Clayton, political science professor and director of the Thomas S. Foley Institute for Public Policy and Public Service, will discuss “Being Wrong about Democracy: Political Incivility in a Polarized Society” at 7 p.m. today, Oct. 1, in the Smith Center for Undergraduate Education, Room 203. Hosted by the Common Reading Program, this presentation is free and open to the public.

WSU planetarium previews 3D science learning – free Oct. 1

September 27, 2013

The latest digital technology for viewing the universe at the WSU planetarium will be previewed in a free, public demonstration at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 1, in Sloan Hall 231. A demo for WSU organizations, departments, clubs, units, students, staff and faculty will be at 2 p.m. Seating is first come, first served.

The demo of the SciDome 3D projector by maker SPITZ, Inc. will include teaching visuals, lessons from the extensive SciDome curriculum, the Layered Earth software for earth science teaching and previews of full-dome shows featuring astronomy and space science, biology, chemistry, earth science, mathematics and the arts.

In addition to using the planetarium for WSU classes, the Department of Physics and Astronomy welcomes hundreds of school children from the region each year to the facility.

Continue planetarium preview

New insights into intelligence role in start of Pacific war

September 23, 2013

Recently uncovered documents about prewar Japanese intelligence that offer new insights to the World War II Pacific theater will be discussed in a free, public presentation on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at WSU Pullman. Tosh Minohara, professor in the Graduate School of Law at Kobe University, Japan, will present “Reconsidering the Road to Pearl Harbor: The Role of Intelligence in Decision Making,” noon-1:30 p.m., Sept. 25, in Bryan Hall 324.

His approach will be two-fold: first, to briefly overview the obscure history of the Japanese Black Chamber, a code breaking operation; and second, to examine the intelligence dimension of policy formulation in Tokyo. This will include the impact of signals intelligence on decision making, most notably at the critical juncture of November 1941 during U.S.-Japan negotiations. The talk is sponsored by the WSU Department of History, the George and Bernadine Converse Historical Endowment, and the WSU Asia Program.