UAS Evening at Egan Fall Lecture Series Begins

The annual fall lecture series Evening at Egan kicks off this Friday, September 9 at 7 pm with a virtual presentation, “The Art of Comparison: Exploring Comparative Literature” by Professor Mashrur Shahid Hossain.

Juneau, Alaska

Date of Press Release: September 8, 2022

The annual fall lecture series Evening at Egan kicks off this Friday, September 9 at 7 pm with a virtual presentation, “The Art of Comparison: Exploring Comparative Literature” by Professor Mashrur Shahid Hossain. Hossain is a Professor of English from Bangladesh, currently Fulbright Scholar-in-Residence at Purdue University Northwest and Indiana University Northwest.

Describing his lecture, Prof. Hossain notes, “We humans are fond of comparing. Making comparison is both an everyday act, for example good and bad, day and night, and a form of art, like literary criticism. Often, however, is it infested with paradoxes and problems: comparison tends to rely on some ‘standard’ and make value judgment. It becomes crucial when we compare cultures and literatures of two or more communities or countries. [The lecture addresses] how Comparative Literature broaches the dangers of comparison.

“The Talk analyzes the art of making comparison with a view to exploring how comparison, when informed and accommodative, enables us to discover relations and differences … Comparative Literature tells us that there are worlds outside the world we live in and that that there are the ‘others’ that complement each ‘self.’ Our understanding that there is a world outside us makes Comparative Literature a necessary venture.”

Full Schedule

For lectures on September 9 and 23:

Lectures for September 9 and September 23 are available by Zoom only. To attend a lecture, select the buttons next to those presentation descriptions. A confirmation email will be sent to you with information on how to join the Zoom session.

For lectures beginning October 7 through the end of the season:

All remaining lectures will be in-person and live streamed from the Egan Library on the Juneau Campus. Lectures are free and open to the public. All lectures begin at 7 p.m. Live Stream links can be found next to the lecture descriptions.

Lectures will be recorded and available on YouTube on the UAS Channel.

The Art of Comparison: Exploring Comparative Literature

September 9

Professor Mashrur Shahid Hossain, Visiting Fulbright Scholar

Ranked Choice Voting in 2022

September 23

Gail Fenumiai, Director of the State of Alaska Division of Elections, and Jason Grenn, Alaskans for Better Elections

The Division of Elections will discuss how ranked choice voting is administered and what voters can expect ahead of the November 8, 2022 general election.

Watching a warming Arctic from space

October 7

Logan Berner, PhD, boreal forest and Arctic tundra ecosystems researcher

In recent decades, the Arctic warmed three to four times faster than the rest of the planet. To understand the impacts of rapid climate change on Arctic ecosystems, it is necessary to draw on many types of observations including long-term satellite records. This presentation will focus on satellite observations that show widespread greening of Arctic ecosystems over the past four decades. Arctic greening is related to higher temperatures increasing plant growth and enabling shrubs and trees to expand their footprint across these northern landscapes. Arctic greening is not only a signal of global environmental change, but also has important implications for climate feedbacks, wildlife, and northern communities.

Lessons from Indigenous Tourism for a Regenerative Future

October 28

Alexis Bunten, author and expert on Indigenous-led economic development, organizational decolonization, and cross-cultural communications

Join Alexis Bunten, author of “‘So, how long have you been Native?’ Life as an Alaska Native Tour Guide,” (University of Nebraska Press) and “Indigenous Tourism Movements” (University of Toronto Press) for an in-depth exploration of Indigenous leadership in the regenerative tourism space to learn best practices for increasing the quadruple bottom line (people, planet, profit and purpose) via tourism in Southeast Alaska and beyond. Note: This event will be live in the UAS Egan Library on the Juneau Auke Lake Campus and livestreamed for those joining from a distance. Sponsored by the "Educational Legacy Fund.” This lecture is the first of a three-part University of Alaska speaker series on just & regenerative business education. More information on future lectures in this UA series coming soon.

The Empirical Study of Art Objects: How Philosophical and Scientific Approaches Have Framed Our Preferences and Understanding of What Art Is and What Art Does

November 4

Dr. Melissa Dolese, UAS Assistant Professor of Psychology

In this talk, Dr. Dolese will take you through some philosophical and perceptual approaches to understanding art and show how those approaches have informed our understanding of art and our preferences. She will focus on art as a relational and meaning-making space and show how art can influence our actions.

UAS Creative Showcase

November 18

UAS Art, Theatre, and Writing faculty will showcase our current work and encourage a conversation about the rich and diverse artistry happening in our community. Featuring:

• Ernestine Hayes, MFA, Professor of English, Emerita; Rasmuson Distinguished Artist 2021; and Marie Darlin Award Recipient 2021. Hayes will be reading from her current work in progress.
• Carin Silkaitis, MFA, Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences
• X'unei Lance Twitchell, MFA, PhD, Professor of Alaska Native Languages
• Emily Wall, MFA, Professor of English
• Liz Zacher, MFA, Assistant Professor of Art

Updates, zoom registration links, and live stream links for the lecture series can be found on the Egan Lecture webpage.