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Wellesley College

Wellesley College has been a leader in liberal arts and the education of women for more than 125 years. The College's 500-acre campus near Boston is home to 2,300 undergraduate students who hail from 50 states and more than 65 countries. Consistently ranked among the top four national liberal arts colleges, Wellesley is widely acknowledged as the preeminent women's college in the nation.

http://www.wellesley.edu/

Aaron Lazare: On Apology

Wed, Feb 15, 2006

Aaron Lazare, the author of *On Apology*, discusses his exploration and analysis of the power of apology, not just for individuals but also for groups and nations. For example, Abraham Lincoln's apology for slavery and the US government's apology to Japanese-Americans interned during World War II. In its review, *Publishers Weekly* wrote, "Lazare succeeds in showing that a true apology is among the most graceful and profound of all human exchanges. When it is sincere, it is not an end but a new beginning." **Aaron Lazare** is Chancellor and Dean, and professor of psychiatry, at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and senior psychiatrist at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

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Russia Now: Ethnic Strife and Economic Unrest

Tue, Oct 5, 2004

A panel of experts on Russia discuss real-life experience in the region, and share their perspectives. Speakers include Marshall Goldman, who recently met Russian President Vladimir Putin; Philip Kohl, who studies and travels regularly to the volatile Caucasus area; Nina Tumarkin, who just returned from Russian Karelia; and Ambassador Thomas Simons Jr., former US ambassador to Poland and Pakistan. Once again, the eyes of the world are on Russia, where recent acts of terrorism by Chechen rebels were followed by President Putin's proposal of new measures to further centralize power and limit democracy.

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Alexander: The Ambiguity of Greatness

Tue, Dec 7, 2004

Guy MacLean Rogers, professor of classical studies at Wellesley College, discusses his book, *Alexander: The Ambiguity of Greatness*, which examines the life of the historical figure. Alexander the Great died more than 2,300 years ago, but his life remains a source of fascination and speculation. Rogers describes Alexander the Great as a legend and an enigma. Wounded repeatedly but always triumphant in battle, he conquered most of the known world, only to die mysteriously at age 32. Rogers sifts through thousands of years of history and myth to uncover the truth about this complex, ambiguous genius. He also uncovers a few lessons which today's leaders might find find useful.

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Georgics of Virgil: Art and Practice of Literary Translation

Wed, Dec 1, 2004

David Ferry, a distinguished poet and literary critic, reads from his translations anddiscusses the art and practice of translation. Renowned among his colleagues and former students for his special gifts as a reader of verse, Ferry is the author of numerous books of poetry and criticism. His mostrecent books are *The Epistles of Horace: A Translation*,*The Odes of Horace: A Translation*, *The Eclogues of Virgil: A Translation*, and *Of No Country I Know: New and Selected Poems*. *Of No Country I Know* was awarded the 2000 Lenore Marshall Prize from the American Academy of Poets and the 2000 Rebekah Johnson Bobbitt National Prize for Poetry from the Library of Congress. His *The Georgics of Virgil: A Translation* is scheduled to be published inthe spring of 2005.

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Endgame: The Impact of Economic Sanctions on Iraq

Tue, Mar 4, 2003

Scott Ritter discusses his new documentary, Endgame: Closing the File on Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction, about the death of more than 1.2 million Iraqis due to United Nations economic sanctions. The film shows the effects that sanctions are having on the Iraqi people while presenting a hard line on issues of international justice and global security. Ritter's powerful interviews with world leaders such as Kofi Annan, secretary general of the United Nations, Tariq Aziz, vice-prime minister of Iraq and Vladamir Putin, acting president and minister of Russia, give an eye-opening view of America and the ramifications of the US foreign policy from the international community's perspective.

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Escape to the Middle Ages: The Resurgence of Tolkien

Tue, Jan 1, 2008

Kathryn Lynch suggests that a contemporary world torn apart by global strife and terrorism finds a timeless interest in the world of the quiet Oxford don. The fiction of J.R.R. Tolkien has always found a ready audience. Continuously in print from the time of its publication in 1954-56, Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy has, in its long publication run, sold an estimated 150,000,000 copies. At the same time, the astonishing success of the recent film versions of these novels, directed by Peter Jackson, has sparked a new rally of interest in Tolkien and helped to create a new throng of enthusiastic fans. Why this resurgence of admiration for Tolkien right now? Professor Lynch provides two answers to this question, one that suggests Tolkien's appeal to a contemporary world torn apart by global strife and terrorism and another that finds a timeless interest in the fantasy world of the quiet Oxford don.

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Meet the Poet: Adrienne Rich

Mon, Sep 22, 2003

Adrienne Rich reads from her and discusses her poetry. She is introduced by Lawrence Rosenwald, Anne Pierce Rogers Professor of English, Wellesley College

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Greek Gods, Human Lives: Our Fascination with Myths

Tue, Oct 21, 2003

Mary R. Lefkowitz, professor of classical studies at Wellesley College, says we can learn much about what it means to be human by studying the myths of the ancient Greeks. In the Distinguished Faculty Lecture during Wellesley's family weekend and in her new book, *Greek Gods, Human Lives: What We Can Learn from Myths* (Yale University, November 2003), Lefkowitz shows how myths have fascinated people through the ages while helping them cope with the uncertainties of their lives. Diana Chapman Walsh, president of Wellesley College, introduces Mary Lefkowitz as she discusses this intriguing topic.

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After Liberation: The Challenge of Iraq

Thu, Oct 2, 2003

Thomas Cushman, a Wellesley sociology professor with a keen interest in human rights, discusses the human-rights perspective of the war and makes a case for the moral imperative of using American power to unseat tyrannical leaders like Saddam Hussein. Paul Kennedy, a historian from Yale and columnist for *The Los Angeles Times*, reflects on what the Iraq war tells us about America's global ambitions and whether it has the power to sustain them. Katherine Moon, professor of political science at Wellesley and an expert on US-Korean relations, addresses the connections between US policy in Iraq and the growing threat posed by North Korea. Michael O'Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institute, an expert on American military and strategic issues, and a popular commentator on television news programs, assesses the challenges the US military faces on the ground in Iraq.

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Abortion and the Economics of Fertility

Fri, Jun 4, 2004

Economist Phillip Levine uses economic analysis to consider this question: how do individuals change their behavior when abortion access increases? Comparing abortion to a form of insurance, he contends that abortion provides protection from downside risk. Levine discusses ideas from his new book, *Sex and Consequences: Abortion, Public Policy, and the Economics of Fertility*, published in 2004 by Princeton University Press. **Phillip Levine** is a professor of economics at Wellesley College and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research. At Wellesley, he teaches classes in social policy, econometrics, and microeconomic theory. He has also served as a senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. His research has largely been devoted to empirical examinations of the impact of government programs and social legislation on individual and business behavior.

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