Monday, November 11 at 6 p.m. Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons 36 Maywood Street, Worcester, MA 01603 Movement across borders is an entirely common occurrence in modern life. How and why do people transcend borders, and why is the movement of some bodies disproportionately monitored, regulated, and prohibited? What has led to a perceived and […]
Wednesday, October 30 at 7 p.m. Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons 36 Maywood Street, Worcester, MA 01603 What draws us to twisted tales of zombies, mutants, and monsters? Why are we fascinated by stories of transfiguration wrought by death and disease, magic and the occult, experimental science and technology? As external threats, these dramatic transformations […]
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 at 7:00 p.m. Daniels Theater, Atwood Hall 153 Woodland Street, Worcester, MA 01610 In her most recent book, Thick and Other Essays, on beauty, media, money, and more, Tressie McMillan Cottom uses her characteristic melding of humor and irreverence, sociological expertise and deep cultural critique to show “precisely how the political, […]
A lecture by Dr. Edward Bilsky Thursday, October 24, 2019 at 4:30 PM Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons 36 Maywood Street, Worcester, MA 01603 Opioids have been front and center in both medical literature and the popular press as our society struggles with the burden of chronic pain and the unprecedented rise in opioid overdoses. […]
A lecture by John Corbett Wednesday, April 10 @ 4:30pm Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons Credit: Jean Andre Antoine Drug delirium, groovy fashion, religious cults, mega corporations, glitzy glam, hard rock, global unrest—from our 2019 perspective, the seventies are often remembered as a bizarre blur of bohemianism and disco. John Corbett will transport us back […]
A lecture by Kate Wagner Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons 36 Maywood Street, Worcester, MA 01603 Since its launch in July 2016, Kate Wagner’s viral blog McMansion Hell has become an internet sensation, featured in a wide range of publications, including the Huffington Post, Slate, Washington Post, and Paper […]
Wednesday, March 19 at 7 p.m. Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons 36 Maywood Street, Worcester, MA 01603 Why do we call some pleasures “guilty?” Is there something out of proportion between popular genres of entertainment and the profound satisfaction they give us? We immerse ourselves so deeply in imaginary worlds, on the one hand pursuing […]
In 2018, Megyn Kelly was fired by NBC after she asserted that blackface had been “OK” during the innocent days of her childhood. In 2015, the title role of Verdi’s Otello was played at the Met without black paint for the first time. The ongoing debate about the ethics of impersonating black people has been […]
Wednesday, February 20 at 4:30 p.m. Higgins Lounge at Dana Commons 36 Maywood Street, Worcester, MA 01603 Photography holds a particular power to reveal that which many in our culture are blind to, especially when viewed from within the culture of privilege. For the past five years, Brian Ulrich (Rhode Island School of Design) has […]
Image by Liz Linder, courtesy of WBUR Democracy relies upon objective and accurate news coverage, rigorous investigative reporting, and thoroughly informed analysis. But recent attacks on the media—from real incidents of fraudulent claims to constant accusations of “fake news”—have increased the sense of urgency to protect the role of the free press. Anthony Brooks, a […]
Behind every rape kit is a survivor waiting for justice that may never come. Each day, thousands of kits containing potentially vital DNA evidence languish untested in police and crime […]
In 1998, DNA testing corroborated what family histories and the archival record had shown all along. Thomas Jefferson fathered children by Sally Hemings, an enslaved woman on the Monticello plantation. […]
