Calendar of Events
Humanities for Everyone
October 2019
Approaching Islam, Approaching Difference
The Qur’an states that God created differences not only as a test for humanity but also as a path toward self-knowledge. Marlboro College professor Amer Latif considers how the Qur’an frames the perennial problem of living more harmoniously in a diverse world. Read More »
November 2019
Junkie, Sister, Daughter, Mom: A Love Story from the Opioid Epidemic
In October 2018, a young mom named Madelyn Linsenmeir died after a long struggle with addiction. Her obituary was read online by millions of people. Madelyn's sister, writer Kate O'Neill, shares her family's experience loving and losing Maddie, the stories of other Vermonters impacted by this disease, and potential solutions to the crisis. Read More »
December 2019
US Immigration Policy in Historical Perspective
One would think that current anxieties about immigration in the US have never been more intense, but history teaches us otherwise. Dartmouth professor Richard Wright examines the present-day contradictions of US immigration policy and places them in historical perspective. Read More »
January 2020
The History and Structure of Stone Walls
New England has thousands of miles of stone walls. Author and builder Kevin Gardner discusses the history of stone walls and how they became a significant element of our landscape, all while building a miniature New England wall in the library. Read More »
February 2020
Refugee Theater: Kurdish and Yazidi Women Speak Out
Rojava, a revolutionary experiment in Kurdish Syria, attempts to create an inclusive democracy safe from ISIS, Turkish incursion, and Syria’s civil war. Smith College professor Ellen W. Kaplan discusses the process of interviewing women, activists, refugees, and fighters from the Rojava region, and transforming their experiences into theater. Read More »
March 2020
Come and Listen
In this interactive “listening party,” archivist Andy Kolovos and producer Mary Wesley share audio clips from the Vermont Folklife Center’s archives that showcase Vermont’s past and present diversity. Read More »
April 2020
Mindfulness: Its History, Practice, and Meaning
Marlboro College professor William Edelglass traces the history of mindfulness from multiple traditions, starting with early Buddhist texts and ending with the secularization of mindfulness in contemporary American society. Read More »
May 2020
The Salt of the Earth: The Rhetoric of White Supremacy
In 2014 in Grand Saline, Texas, a 79-year-old white Methodist minister named Charles Moore set himself on fire as a final protest against the community’s racism. Drawing from his documentary film Man on Fire, Middlebury professor James Sanchez discusses the rhetoric of white supremacy and suggests ways communities might address bigotry. Read More »