JACKSON, Tenn. — Sept. 18, 2008 — Culture and identity will be the topic for the next Town and Gown series at Union University on Tuesday nights from Sept. 23-Oct. 14.
The Town and Gown series is an opportunity for community members interested in various topics to attend lectures and participate in discussions in a classroom setting. The classes are free and open to the public.
“Culture shapes our identity in many ways and within many contexts,” said Cynthia Jayne, associate provost for intercultural and international studies at Union. “Wherever we work, our relationships bring us into contact with people whose personal and cultural identity challenge, broaden or reinforce our own sense of identity.”
Jayne said the Town and Gown series on culture and identity would give students the opportunity to explore how their sense of identity influences the ways that they interact across local, regional or international cultural boundaries.
Scheduled speakers for each week are:
- Sept. 23, Jayne, “Introduction to Cultural Concepts of Identity,” and Phillip Ryan, associate professor of language, “Social Networks and Identity.”
- Sept. 30, Keith Bates, assistant professor of history, “Representation of Identity in History,” and Jim Veneman, assistant professor of communication arts, “Representation of Identity in Photography.”
- Oct. 7, “Representation of Identity in Literature and the Arts,” led by panelists Jean Marie Walls, professor of language; Taylor Worley, instructor of Christian studies; Joshua Veltman, assistant professor of music; and Jonathan Gillette, assistant professor of art.
- Oct. 14, Tite Tienou, dean of Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, Ill., “Culture and Identity.”
Classes will run from 6-10 p.m. and will be held in room D-54 in the Penick Academic Complex. For more information, call Jayne at (731) 661-5358 or e-mail cjayne@uu.edu.