The Afterlife of a Roman Villa
October 13
Academy of Seniors
1. THE MESSY HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
September 4, 11, 18, 25 (Fridays)
9:30-11:30 am
Session 1: Discover the intellectual, political and socioeconomic origins of the American Revolution, long before independence was debated or protests against British policies had even commenced.
Session 2: Explore the events of the Seven Years' War starting in 1754 and the "imperial crisis" that precipitated the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War.
Session 3: Learn about the revolution itself, including a broader reflection on major documents like the Declaration of Independence and Common Sense, in addition to the transatlantic dimensions of achieving American independence.
Session 4: Examine the United States Constitution and the greater place of the American Revolution in the history of the United States and the larger Atlantic World.
Matthijs Tieleman, Assistant Professor of History, Illinois State University
2. ITALIAN EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERIES
October 13, 20, 27 (Tuesdays), November 2 (Monday)
9:30-11:30 am
Few scholars would disagree that the Roman Empire in the West ended in the fifth century, but contemporary texts offer conflicting accounts on relations between barbarian tribes and Roman provincials in the West. Scholars rely on ancient authors to generalize about what transformations looked like on a wide scale, but an excellent barometer for assessing the nature of change in the Roman empire is the Roman villa, a fundamental unit of the Roman economy. Through the archaeology of villas, understand how broader economic and social shifts manifested in the Roman landscape.
Kathryn Jasper, Professor of History, Chair of Latin, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, ISU
A Million Little Pieces: Unearthing the Past at Valle Gianni
October 20
At the archaeological site of Valle Gianni near Lake Bolsena, even the smallest fragments can reveal remarkable stories about the ancient past. This presentation will explore how archaeologists use broken pottery, mosaic tesserae, architectural remains and other “little pieces” to reconstruct the lives of the people who once inhabited this landscape. Drawing on recent excavations from the Northwest Bolsena Archaeological Project, the talk will offer a behind-the-scenes look at archaeological fieldwork and the process of transforming scattered evidence into a richer understanding of one small part of Roman Italy.
Lea Cline, Professor of Art History, Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, and Fulbright Student Program Advisor, ISU
Living Under Italian Fascism in Primo Levi’s The Periodic Table
October 27
No one has written about the Nazi concentration camps with more understated eloquence and moral clarity than Primo Levi, the Italian chemist and author who survived nearly a year in Auschwitz. In this lecture, Dr. Druker will discuss Levi’s The Periodic Table, an innovative memoir about his career in chemistry and his youth under Italian Fascism, including the years 1938-1943 when the antisemitic “Racial Laws” were in effect.
Jonathan Druker, Professor Emeritus of Italian, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, ISU
From Gloom to Glam: How the Representation of Italy and Its Culture Changes in Italian American Narratives
November 2
How did Italy and its culture become “cool” in America? Today Italy is often associated with style, creativity, culinary excellence and cultural prestige, but for the first generations of immigrants early in the 20th century, their heritage was the mark of economic and social backwardness. This negative connotation persisted until post-WWII. Then, Italianness slowly, but steadily, turned from a stigma into a desirable cultural marker. This lecture will explore the transition from gloom to glam in Italian American literature and film and later narratives of Americans of Italian descents who start reconnecting with their heritage and traveling to their ancestral homeland.
Francesco Ferrari, Instructional Assistant Professor of Italian, Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures, ISU
3. ENCOUNTERING THE LAND OF THE LONG WHITE CLOUD: THE HISTORY OF AOTEAROA, MĀORI, AND PĀKEHĀ IN NEW ZEALAND
October 28, November 4, 11, 18 (Wednesdays)
9:30-11:30 am
Session 1: Arrivals: History of Māori and Settler Movements in New Zealand
Session 2: The Treaty of Waitangi: The Meeting Place
Session 3: New Zealand Warriors: A History of the
New Zealand Wars and Kiwis at Gallipoli
Session 4: The Waitangi Tribunal: Decolonization,
Anti-Colonialism and the Māori
In the fall of 2025, there were reports of a haka, a ceremonial dance in Māori culture taking place in New Zealand’s Parliament. The protest within Parliament, led by Te Pati Māori (Māori Party), saw Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke lead her party in one of most well-known hakas, “Ka Mate, Ka Mate” (It is Death, It is Death). For the United States, such legislative action may seem extraordinary or at least part of our distant past and catastrophic relations with indigenous communities. However, for the Māori and Pākehā (people of European ancestry) the haka in Parliament typifies the relationship between the colonizers and indigenous people of Aotearoa-New Zealand. During the four lectures, Dr. Kapoor will explain why.
Nathan Kapoor, Asst. Professor of History, ISU
4. AMERICAN MUSIC
January 12, 14, 19, 21 (Tuesdays/Thursdays)
1:30-3:30 pm
America is often described as the "melting pot" for people who have settled here from throughout the world. One can refer to the music heard today as being from a "musical melting pot". Musical creativity in America began before the colonial times and continues today. The results of this creativity are an amazing and wonderful body of work, including every type of music imaginable: songs, keyboard pieces, symphonies, concerti, film music, electronic music and more! The goal of this presentation will be to examine the sources of music and find out if there is such an entity as "American Music". Surely there must be?
Michael Dicker, Professor Emeritus of Bassoon, Wonsook Kim College of Fine Arts, ISU