Calendar of Events
Humanities for Everyone
February 2022
*DIGITAL* John Lewis and RUN!
Andrew Aydin, co-author of The March Trilogy with civil rights icon John Lewis, describes the creation of the next book in the series, RUN! Aydin also relates becoming an author, how he became involved in politics, and his experiences working with Congressman Lewis. Read More »
March 2022
*DIGITAL* The Glass Ballot Box and Political Transparency, 1856-2021
In response to concerns about election tampering in the 1850s, New Yorker Samuel Jollie proposed a novel solution: a ballot box made of glass. Emphasizing glass’s transparency and purity, Jollie suggested that his box would ensure fair and just elections. Middlebury professor Ellery Foutch illuminates the contemporary resonance of Jollie’s invention. (Registration required.) Read More »
April 2022
What is Ethnographic Poetry?
Cultural anthropologist Adrie Kusserow illuminates her research by sharing poems from her latest manuscript, Ethnography of a Feverish World. Kusserow focuses on refugees and the globalizing spread of Western ideals and considers how the environments we evolved to inhabit can be a mismatch for new technologies. Read More »
May 2022
The Ethics of Vermont Eugenics: Past and Present
In the name of “human betterment” a century ago, public institutions and private organizations in Vermont chose some of the state’s most marginalized persons for institutionalization, sterilization, and family separation. Harvard Medical School lecturer Charlene Galarneau explores the factors that led to Vermont’s distinct expression of eugenics, and its continuing legacies today. Read More »