January 17, 2002
Harvard professor to lecture on human nature
Who Owns `Human Nature’? is the title of this quarter’s Solomon Katz Distinguished Lecture in the Humanities, scheduled for 7:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 22 in 220 Kane. The lecturer is Marjorie Garber, the William R. Kenan, Jr. Professor of English and director of the Humanities Center at Harvard University.
According to Garber, “human nature” used to be a prime topic of discussion among poets, novelists and political philosophers. These days, she says, “It seems the only ones making authoritative pronouncements about the nature of `human nature’ are scientists. What should we make of this custody battle around the question of human nature? And what are its implications for the humanities?”
A renowned Shakespearean scholar, Garber’s research spans dramatic theory and performance, cultural studies, psychoanalysis and literature, gender and feminist theory, media studies, and visual culture. Among her many books are Academic Instincts (2001), Sex and Real Estate (2000), Symptoms of Culture (1998), Dog Love (1996), Vested Interests: Cross-Dressing and Cultural Anxiety (1992), and Shakespeare’s Ghost Writers: Literature as Uncanny Casualty (1981). She is chair of the international Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes.
During her weeklong visit to the UW, Garber will participate in several other events, including visiting undergraduate classes and meeting with faculty and graduate students.
The Katz series—organized by the Walter Chapin Simpson Center for the Humanities—aims to recognize distinguished scholars in the humanities and to emphasize the role of the humanities in liberal education. For further information, contact Liz Browning at 206-543-3920.
