October 14, 2016 "A Terrible Beauty: The Importance in Literary History of the 1916 Irish Easter Rising."

This Friday, October 14, 2016, Patrick O'Donnell, Faculty in English, will present a colloquium from noon-12:50 p.m. in C-1016 on the following topic:

"A Terrible Beauty: The importance in literary history of the 1916 Irish Easter Rising." 2016 is the centenary of the 1916 Easter Rising in Dublin when Irish revolutionaries proclaimed an Irish Republic. Completely defying British rule and authority, the rebel leaders, Padraig Pearse, James Connolly, and Thomas Clarke commanded about 1,500 Irish rebels who seized key buildings in the heart of the city on Easter Monday, April 24. Their rebellion and their subsequent execution were pivotal in laying the groundwork for an independent modern Irish state. This colloquium will examine the multi-layered political and cultural factors leading to this rebellion against British rule, its importance in Irish literary history to writers as varied as W.B. Yeats, Sean O'Casey, and James Joyce, and its central role in founding the Irish Republic.

Bio: Originally from Dublin (many years ago!), Patrick O'Donnell is a full-time faculty member in the English Department and also the Artistic Director of the nonprofit literary arts group, the Celtic Collaborative, whose production Ghosts of 1916, he directed and produced in April in St. Paul. He was also a contributing writer and co-editor of the anthology: The Harp and the Loon: Literary Bridges between Ireland and Minnesota.   

October 7, 2016 Who will Become the Next President?

Friday, October 7, 2016, Kurt Burch, Professor of Political Science, will present a colloquium on the following topic:


Who will become the next U.S. president?  Let’s make some predictions using current polling results and the Electoral College map. 


The colloquium will be from noon-12:50 p.m. in C-1016

September 30, 2016 Western Wonders: Three Utah National Parks (And One Just Outside)

 

Western Wonders:  Three Utah National Parks (And One Just Outside)

Friday September 30, 2016

From noon-12:50 p.m. in C-1016

 

Utah is the home of some our most spectacular National Parks.  Come and experience some of those wonders, as well as those offered by an adjacent Nevada National Park.  See hoodoos, windows, fins, and a Capitol Dome, along with spectacular wildlife in these treasures of the American West.