Unearthing the Hidden History of America’s Cemeteries

GREG MELVILLE

What American cemeteries say about race, politics, sustainability, hero worship, and unspoken values is stunning at times. With a nod to three Virginia cemeteries (Jamestown, Monticello, and Arlington), Melville explores with us how, where, and why we bury our dead, and the ways in which cemeteries reflect so many conflicting values.

Thursday, April 27 | 7-8 PM BLOCKER HALL AUDITORIUM

Greg Melville has worked as an environmental and outdoor journalist, a crime reporter, and a former editor at Men’s Journal and Sports Afield magazines. He has written for Outside, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Health, Slate, and the Boston Globe Magazine. Melville is a decorated veteran who served in Afghanistan and is in the Navy Reserve, where he is a public affairs officer with the rank of lieutenant commander. He is an award-winning instructor at the United States Naval Academy, where he teaches English and writing.

Noisy Religion as a Public Nuisance

Church Bells, the Muslim Call to Prayer, and the Challenges of Negotiating Sound

ISAAC WEINER, PH.D.

Walking down the street, you might hear church bells ringing, ISKCON followers chanting, the Muslim call to prayer, or hymns played over digital synthesizers. In American society, religious individuals rarely keep quiet; they practice their religion out loud. This lecture focuses on how religious pluralism isn’t just about different beliefs, but about how those beliefs are expressed in public in ways that inevitably impact others. Together we will focus on how conflicts about religious sound can be negotiated, and how those conflicts and resolutions affect us.

The lecture this evening focuses on Weiner’s groundbreaking work, Religion Out Loud; Religious Sound, Public Space, and American Pluralism (NYU Press, 2014).

Isaac Weiner, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion at Ohio State University. Since 2014 he also has served as co-director of the American Religious Sounds Project. Weiner’s research interests focus on religion in the workplace, pluralism, law, and sensory culture.

Tuesday, February 28

SUSAN S. GOODE FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS CENTER

6:30–6:45 pm

Preview of the student film Life is a Cabaret by Erness Anne Deseo

7-9 pm