15th annual Humanities Open House

In the daylong extravaganza, members of the faculty and staff of the Humanities Division will present a wide variety of lectures, tours and performances.

All events are free and open to the public, but registration is required. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. in Ida Noyes Hall and continue throughout the day. The open house will begin at 10 a.m. and will conclude with an informal reception for all participants at 4 p.m.

Martin Marty, the Fairfax M. Cone Distinguished Service Professor in the Divinity School, will present the keynote speech, titled "Multi-Multiculturalism in the Humanities," at 11 a.m. Marty is among the nation's leading authorities on religious problems, practices and doctrines. He recently directed the Fundamentalism Project, a study of religious fundamentalism in the world's major religious traditions.

A detailed program with a brief description of all events will be available at registration. For more information, call 702-8469. The day's events will include:

Film & Drama

_ "How to See Your Dinosaur and Not Get Eaten, Too: Cinema and Violence From Spielberg to Benjamin," presented by Miriam Hansen, Professor in English Language & Literature and Director of the Film Studies Center.

_ A backstage look at Court Theatre's production of Once in a Lifetime, followed by a question-and-answer session with director Charles Newell and cast.

_ A behind-the-scenes peek at open rehearsals for University Theater's The Tempest and Of Mice and Men.

History

_ How equal did the founding fathers really think all humans were? A comparison of early drafts of the Declaration of Independence with the final version, presented by Laura Rigal, Assistant Professor in English Language & Literature.

_ A presentation on the Wild West shows from the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, by Janice Knight, Associate Professor in English Language & Literature.

Language & Linguistics

_ An analysis of the Yugoslav political crisis from a linguist's point of view, presented by Victor Friedman, Professor in Slavic Languages & Literatures.

_ The popular Humanities Open House lecture "How to Make $25,000 in Five Minutes," a presentation on successful writing.

Literature

_ A reading by novelist and short-story writer Richard Stern, the Helen A. Regenstein Professor in English Language & Literature.

_ A discussion of how Shakespeare's works have been adapted to film, presented by David Bevington, the Phyllis Fay Horton Professor in the Humanities.

Music

_ A performance of selections from Lassus, Palestrina, Grechaninov and Geoffray by members of the Motet Choir.

_ A performance of computer-generated music by Howard Sandroff, Senior Lecturer in Music and Director of the Computer Music Studio.

Philosophy

_ A discussion of the scientific counterrevolution -- an introduction to culture wars, 17th-century style -- led by Daniel Garber, Professor in Philosophy.

_ What are the humanities? A discussion of Plato's Apology, led by Herman Sinaiko, Professor in the Humanities.

Exhibits

_ An introduction to the Department of Special Collections' rare-book holdings, addressing the question "Does the Past Have a Future? Rare Books in an Electronic Age."

_ A tour of the prints and drawings room in the Smart Museum, with a display of how an artistic print is made.