October 2
Mornings with the Professors
October 2, 9, 16, 30, November 6 (Fridays) (No class October 23)
9:30-11:30 am
Classes will be held at ISU’s Alumni Center, 1101 N. Main St., Normal, IL
A MID-TERM REVIEW OF AMERICA-FIRST FOREIGN POLICY
President Trump has long advocated replacing the U.S.-led, rules-based international order with an “America First” foreign policy. The President believes that after winning the Cold War, the U.S. lost its strategic focus, replacing logic with “foolishness and arrogance,” which produced “one foreign policy disaster after another.” When citing America First foreign policy, Administration officials mean that foreign policy should serve primarily U.S. interests and security. As we approach the halfway point of the Administration’s mandate, Dr, Duguid will share several examples to assess the means by which President Trump implements his version of America First as well as the success of those efforts.
Gordon Duguid, Donald F. McHenry Visiting Professor in Diplomacy and International Relations at ISU
MATHEMATICS, ART AND NATURE
October 9
Mathematics and art are often intertwined with connections that advance both areas. In many cases they are also influenced by observations from nature. Dr, Plantholt will discuss some of these relations, including the “golden ratio”, da Vinci’s “Vitruvian Man”, the mathematics behind fractal art and some mathematical techniques that were inspired by observations of nature.
Michael Plantholt, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics, ISU
THE HISTORY OF THE PEORIA TRIBE OF INDIANS OF OKLAHOMA (PEEWAALIAKI)
October 16
The Confederated Peorias (Kaskaskia, Peoria, Piankashaw and Wea Indians united into a single tribe) originated in the lands bordering the Great Lakes and drained by the mighty Mississippi. They are Illinois or Inohka Indians, descendants of those who created the great mound civilizations in the central United States 2,000 to 3,000 years ago. Discover the deep history of the Peoria people as well as how they lived in the Central Illinois River Valley, who their allies, friends and relatives were and what led to a long and arduous removal from the state that bears their name.
Logan Pappenfort, Citizen of the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma, Director of Tribal Relations for the Illinois State Museum and Former Director of Cultural Preservation at the Peoria Tribe of Indians of Oklahoma
SHAKESPEARE ON SCREEN
October 30
Discover how Shakespeare’s plays have been reimagined across film, television and interactive media, moving from classic film adaptations by directors like Orson Welles, Roman Polanski and Akira Kurosawa to more recent television and digital performances. How does Shakespeare’s language get translated into images, and how does new media reshape, not always successfully, familiar themes of power, identity and performance? This talk will also consider different ways audiences engage with these works, from watching to performing, and suggest that Shakespeare continues to work less as a fixed text than as a flexible source for new kinds of storytelling. No prior experience with Shakespeare is necessary; this talk is as much for the curious as for long-time fans.
HAPPY 100TH BIRTHDAY, ROUTE 66
November 6
From 1926 to 1985, Route 66 carried heavy traffic from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. That is, until it was completely decommissioned, a seeming death knell for the old road in favor of modern interstates. In the late 1980s there was a resurgence of interest in the once-grand highway that had been relegated to a frontage road in some areas. Today, thousands of people come from all over the world to traverse the 100-year-old road to see the “real America.” Terri will examine the heyday, demise and resurrection of the road that refused to die, as well as her own efforts to restore Sprague’s Super Service, the 1930s two-story gas station that sits along Route 66 at 305 Pine Street in Normal.
Terri Ryburn, Route 66 Enthusiast, Writer, Actor, Published Playwright, Small Business Owner and Stand-up Comedian