Friday, 10/21
“Toward a Flourishing City” with Reverend Dr. Allan Boesak
McCormick Theological Seminary, 8 a.m.–3 p.m., $85, RSVP online
The McCormick Theological Seminary will host a series of talks, screenings, discussions, and other events Friday. The events will take place at the Seminary, located on 55th Street and South University Avenue from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Those interested can register online for $85, meals included. Alumni of the Seminary receive a discount.
“Actualités de Patrick Modiano” with Maxime Decout
Wieboldt 207, 12–1:30 p.m.
French author Maxime Decout will be discussing his books on literature. Decout has studied Jewish literature in France in several of his books. He is slated to discuss Patrick Modiano, the winner of the 2014 Nobel Prize for Literature. His talk is co-sponsored by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Lunch will be provided.
3rd floor lecture hall, Swift, 3:30–5 p.m., RSVP online
Author and veteran Phil Klay will be discussing the depiction of faith, violence, fear, and morality within literature. Klay’s short story collection Redeployment, which centers around his experiences in the Marine Corps, won the National Book Award Prize. He will be joined by DePaul theology professor Scott Moringiello.
The Lindgren Manifesto, Part 5: Archival Cinema and the Post-Digital Marketplace
Logan Arts Center, 4:30 p.m.
Co-founder and director of the L. Jeffrey Selznick School of Film Preservation Paolo Cherchi Usai will discuss the use of old film footage in new productions. The lecture is hosted by the Film Studies Center at UChicago.
Eliot Weinberger–"The Ghosts of Birds" and "19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei"
Seminary Co-op, 6–7:30 p.m.
Author Eliot Weinberger will discuss The Ghosts of Birds, a collection of 35 essays, and 19 Ways of Looking at Wang Wei, a collection of 19 translations of one poem. Jeff Deutsch, director of the Seminary Co-op, will moderate.
Saturday 10/22
Symposium to Honor John W. Boyer
Penthouse 901, Logan Arts Center, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
The alumni are organizing a symposium to honor Dean John W. Boyer’s 70th birthday, entitled "Politics, Culture, and Religion in Modern Europe.” The symposium will include four paper presentations and end with a roundtable about Boyer’s role as a historian of Vienna. Boyer will deliver a keynote speech; at 5 p.m., a roundtable will convene to discuss Boyer as a historian of Vienna.
Wooded Island Reopening in Jackson Park
Jackson Park, 10 a.m.
The renovated Wooded Island in Jackson Park has been cleared of debris and invasive plant species and will reopen to the public on Saturday. A brand-new statue by Yoko Ono will also be unveiled.
The Economy and its Boundaries Conference
Neubauer Collegium for Culture and Society, 5701 S. Woodlawn Avenue, 2:45–6:15 p.m.
Beginning on Friday, the two-day conference will bring together scholars from across humanities disciplines to investigate themes of capitalism and inequality. The conference is a part of the Neubauer Collegium faculty research initiative on The Economy and its Boundaries.
School of Social Service Administration lobby, 5–7 p.m., RSVP online
The School of Social Service is hosting the discussion “Proximity Matters: Undoing Mass Incarceration and the Critical Role of People Most Affected,” which will explore how people closest to the mass incarceration epidemic are essential to developing sustainable and just solutions. Panelists include: president and founder of JustLeadershipUSA Glenn Martin, Cabrini Green Legal Aid’s Visible Voices program coordinator Colette Payne, and author of Locked Down, Locked Out Maya Schenwar.
An Evening of Horror & Suspense in the Old Time Radio Tradition
Augustana Lutheran Church, 5500 S. Woodlawn Avenue, 8 p.m., $10 advance tickets
The Hyde Park Community Players will host the Seventh Annual Halloween Season Special. Now a Halloween tradition, the event will include an old time radio studio recreation and dramatic readings of adapted works of Oscar Wilde and Agatha Christie. Chris Skyles of HPCP Radio will return as the evening’s announcer.
Sunday, 10/23
University Church sanctuary, 5655 South University Avenue, 12:30–2:30 p.m.
Panelists, including Alderman Leslie Hairston and journalist Jamie Kalven, will discuss how police can be held accountable for abuses against Chicago residents. Kalven recently published a blockbuster exposé on systematic cover-ups of police abuses. They will be joined by activists representing the Black Lives Matter movement.
Timothy Morton: Things Just Got Weird
Kent Hall 107, 2 p.m.
Timothy Morton will present a lecture on the bizarre state of ecological awareness, where you realize that you are the perpetrator of the very ecological trends you hope to reverse. Morton just published his latest book, Dark Ecology: For a Logic of Future Coexistence, which discusses his theory of ecology as a psychological Möbius strip.
Hyde Park’s Historic Professor Rowhouses
Northwest corner of East 56th Street and South Kimbark Avenue, 2 p.m., $35, email Rita.McCarthy@cbexchange.com
This guided tour will examine three styles of rowhouses from the early 20th century. The architecture of the outside will be examined, as well as the interiors of each style of house. This tour will be led by architect Terry Tatum.
Monday, 10/24
Edward H. Levi Hall, 8 a.m., on-site registration
Entitled “Big Challenge–Human Solutions,” Norway's Transatlantic Forum is a two-day conference aiming to encourage cooperation between American, Canadian, and Norwegian research, education and innovation. The forum will center humanities and social science collaborations and solutions to tackle global challenges. Online registration is now closed, but on-site registration will be available.
Decoding 2016 with David Axelrod
Saieh Hall 146, 12:15–1:15 p.m., students only
In a speaker series hosted by the Institute of Politics, students will get to join David Axelrod for lunch to discuss the state of 2016 and beyond. Axelrod is the Director of the Institute of Politics and former White House advisor. Registration is required.
Workshop on the Editorial Process
Regenstein Library, Room 207, 12:30–2 p.m., registration required
The Regenstein Library is hosting a workshop to navigate the basics of defining authors’ rights to create a quality journal, and how to organize an accessible peer review procedure.
Incubators, Co-Working Spaces, and New Economies of Creativity
Second Floor Polsky Exchange Theater, Polsky Innovation Exchange, , 5:30–8:30 p.m.
Julia Kaganskiy, director of NEW INC, and Charles Adler, co-founder of Kickstarter and founder of Lost Arts on Goose Island, will discuss the intersection of culture and commerce and the unique and emerging role of technology in creative entrepreneurship. This event is a part of a joint series, hosted by the Logan Center for the Arts and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
57th Street Books, 1301 E 57th Street, 6 p.m.–7:30 p.m.
Mary Wisniewski will discuss her book, Algren: A Life, a biography of Nelson Algren, in a conversation moderated by Warren Leming. The biography includes interviews with Algren’s inner circle, photographs, and unpublished writing and letters. Wisniewski is a Chicago-based journalist and former crime and politics investigative journalist with Reuters.
Tuesday, 10/25
International Conference on Strategies and Conflicts of Authority and Power in Golden Age Theater
Franke Institute for the Humanities, 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
20 scholars will examine early Spanish theater as it was presented in Spain and Spain’s colonies. They will discuss not only the content of these early plays, but also how they shaped theater in the years since then.
The Jumble: Local Knowledge and Universal History in the Thought of Clifford Geertz
Social Sciences Research Building 302, 4:30 p.m.
Joel Isaac, a lecturer in the History of Modern Political Thought at the University of Cambridge, will discuss the American symbolic anthropologist Clifford Geertz. Geertz was best known as a proponent of symbolic anthropology, an idea he developed while teaching at the University of Chicago.
The Original Political Society by Marshall Sahlins
Swift Hall, 5–6:30 p.m.
Marshall Sahlins, a renowned anthropologist at the University of Chicago, notes in the abstract for this lecture that even societies that are called egalitarian imagine a universe that is structured on strict hierarchies. At this lecture he will suggest that this calls for a “Copernican revolution in anthropological perspective.”
Director of the CIA John Brennan at the IOP
International House Assembly Hall, 5:15–6:15 p.m. RSVP online
Political Science professor Robert Pape will moderate a discussion with Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, John Brennan. After General Petraeus stepped down, President Obama nominated Brennan in 2013 and his appointment was confirmed later that year.
Chicago Theological Seminary, 5:15–6:30 p.m., RSVP online
Brandon Grafius of the Chicago Theological Seminary will be discussing the role of horror throughout the Hebrew Bible.
Seminary Co-op, 6–7:30 p.m.
Author Ivan Ascher of the University of Wisconsin will be discussing his book, Portfolio Society, which examines the work and philosophy of Marx through the lens of 21st-century capitalism.
“One Child: The Story of China’s Most Radical Experiment”
57th Street Books, 6–7:30 p.m.
China’s one-child policy might well be the greatest intentional change to a nation’s demography in world history, and recent easing of the policy will not protect China from the long-term consequences of a policy that left its population skewing old and male. In her most recent book, author Mei Fong examines the impact of the policy on every element of Chinese life.
Hyde Park Academy High School, 6220 South Stony Island Avenue, 6–8 p.m., free
Fifth Ward Alderman Leslie A. Hairston will be holding a forum for community members to discuss issues facing the ward. This event is welcome to all.
Then Come Back: The Lost Neruda Poems
Poetry Foundation, 61 West Superior Street, 7–8:30 p.m., free
Poet Forrest Gander and Professor Rocío Ferreira will present a bilingual exhibition of Pablo Neruda poems that, until recently, were lost. Full-color reproductions of the original poems, many of which were written on napkins or scrap papers, will be shown at the event.
Wednesday, 10/26
Secretary of State John Kerry at the IOP
Mandel Hall, 12–1:15 p.m., registration full
Kerry will give a talk at the Institute of Politics on his tenure as Secretary of State and his career in public service. Kerry campaigned for President in 2004, securing the Democratic nomination but losing to George Bush in his re-election campaign. The event description does not indicate that there will be a moderator at the talk.
Fall Convocation II: Rabbi Dr. Rachel Mikva
Chicago Theological Seminary, 1407 E. 60th Street, 12-1 p.m., $5 suggested donation for lunch for non-students
Join Rabbi Rachel Mikva for her convocation address at the Chicago Theological Seminary. Mikva will discuss challenges facing interfaith activities. Lunch will be provided.
Info Session: Human Rights Minor
Social Sciences Building, Room 122, 12–1 p.m., free
College students are invited to an information session to learn about the human rights minor and familiarize themselves with program requirements. Susan Gzesh, executive director of the Pozen Center for Human Rights, and Gabe Velez, human rights preceptor will host the session and answer questions. Lunch will be provided.
The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality, 4–6 p.m., free
Queer punk band PWR BTTM will be discussing sexuality, music, and coming of age in a casual social at the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality.
Common Room, Swift Hall, 4:30–5:30 p.m.
Paul Knitter, an emeritus professor of theology at Union Theological Seminary and Xavier University, has spent much of his career considering how different religious traditions can cooperate in the common interest of humanity. He will elaborate on this theme in his lecture, which will be followed by a reception.
Voices from Hiroshima: Atomic Bomb Survivor Testimony and Atomic Bomb Memoirs Reading
Coulter Lounge, I-House, 4:30–7:30 p.m., free
Takashi Teramoto survived the Hiroshima Atom Bomb when he was 10 years old. Now at age 81, he works with the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. He will speak about his experience when the bomb fell and answer audience questions. Then, poetry from other survivors will be read, with a reception to follow.
How Bitcoin Enables a Machine Playable Web
2nd floor, Polsky Center, 1452 E. 53rd Street, 5-8 p.m., free
CEO and co-founder of 21 Balaji S. Srinivasan will discuss a new method of making bitcoin transactions over the web. He will discuss a software called 21 which enables these quick transactions. The Polsky Center will host a hackathon following Srinivasan's speech.
Climate Change: A North American Perspective and Local Action Forum
I-House Assembly Hall, 5:30–9 p.m.
The International House will host a panel discussion, with representatives from Mexico, the United States and Canada, about the 2015 Paris United Nations Climate Change Conference and how the North American powers can collaborate to reduce the impact of climate change.
“The Minotaur Takes His Own Sweet Time”
57th Street Books, 6–7:30 p.m.
In his debut, novelist Steven Sherrill moved the minotaur of Greek mythology into the American South. His new novel, The Minotaur Takes His Own Sweet Time, moves the minotaur from Dixie to the Rust Belt but continues to consider themes of isolation.
Thursday, 10/27
Campaign 2.0: How Technology is Changing Elections
2nd Floor North Theater, Polsky Exchange, 1452 E. 53rd Street, 11:45 a.m.–1:15 p.m., free online registration
Listen to a panel of pioneers in civic technology at in the Polsky Center as a part of the 92nd Street Y’s Unconvention Series. The panel will discuss how technology has been used by the candidates of the 2016 election and what this might mean for future elections. The event will also serve lunch.
The Spaces of Enslavement: Rethinking the Architecture of the Castle/Dungeon
Conference Room, Franke Institute of Humanity, 5:30 p.m.
Simon Gikandi, an English professor at Princeton University, will consider the castles Europeans built on the edges of Africa as slave-trading entrepôts. He will suggest that the relation between the ugliness of the business conducted in these buildings and the beauty of the facades poses an interpretive problem, and suggest a solution.
“Arctic Defenders” Film Screening featuring Aaju Peter
I-House Assembly Hall, 5:30–8 p.m.
Inuit activist Aaju Peter will be showing and discussing Arctic Defenders, a documentary that focuses on Inuit activists fighting climate change to protect their home. After the film, she will talk about her childhood in Greenland, and her work to ensure that Inuit people are included in world discussions about the Arctic waters.
Seminary Co-op, 6–7:30 p.m.
The French novelist Florence Noiville appears to discuss her most recent book, A Cage in Search of a Bird. In the novel, the happy and successful life of a Parisian journalist is destabilized by a co-worker’s dangerous obsession with her.
AMES auditorium, DuSable Museum, 6:30–8 p.m., $10 for non-members, $8 for members
Co-founder and scientific director of African Ancestry, Inc. Dr. Rick Kittles will discuss the genetic history of African Americans. Dr. Kittles’ work has published on the topic in multiple journals and he has been featured in multiple TV news channels.
Under the Gun Screening and Panel Discussion
Harper Theater, 6:30 p.m., tickets $20 for adults, $10 for students
The screening of this documentary on gun violence will be the last until a defamation suit against it is resolved. The documentary explores the gun violence debate as well as state and local politicians’ responses to the increasing incidence of mass shootings.
Party at the Smart: Masquerade
Smart Museum of Art, 8–10 p.m.
Get ready for Halloween at the Smart Museum. Pick up a mask, dance, or get your photograph taken. Food will be provided, and attendees are encouraged to dress up.
