GROTON, CT — The Fall 2007 American Experience Lecture Series at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point Campus will feature lectures on the exploration of America, recreational fishing, stonewalls, marshes, waterfronts, and free enterprise.
Sponsored by the University’s Department of American Studies, the series includes lectures on historical issues and events.
“Broadly speaking, this year’s lecture series is loosely arranged around interdisciplinary approaches to labor and the environment,” said Matthew McKenzie, assistant professor of history and American studies coordinator.
“Defining these terms broadly, this year’s series explores a variety of ways that people and their work have engaged their cultural, ecological and social surroundings,” said McKenzie. “In light of current environmental concerns, our series also examines how Southeastern Connecticut’s future revolves around people’s locales.”
Dane Morrison, a professor and former chair of the history department at Salem State College, will speak on Sept. 18. In his talk, titled, “True Yankees: Americans’ ‘Discovery’ of the Eastern World,” he will discuss the discovery and exploration of America using newspaper accounts, published books, journals, logs, and private letters of expatriate merchants, sea captains, and their families.
Other lectures in the series include:
- Oct. 2 – All Aboard the ‘Fisherman’s Express’: The Development of Saltwater Recreational Fishing on Long Island by Elizabeth Pillsbury of Columbia University. Pillsbury will explore how the Long Island Railroad transformed the fishing industry in the coastal waters of New York State by documenting the economic and ecological influence of the rapidly growing number of salt-water anglers along coastal waters.
- Oct. 16 – Stone Walling the American Experience by Robert Thorson, UConn professor of geology. Thorson will explain the geography of stone walls and why they became the signature land form for rural New England.
- Oct. 30 – Free Enterprise in Southeastern Connecticut: Great History, Questionable Future by Rob Simmons, state of Connecticut business advocate and former second district congressman. Simmons will focus on why the region has been successful.
- Nov. 13 – Working Waterfronts: Perspectives from Providence Harbor by Austin Becker, University of Rhode Island Sea Grant Coastal Resources Center. Drawing on his experience as a professional mariner and a researcher, Becker will discuss the economic, cultural, social, and policy challenges he has worked on in Providence Harbor.
- Nov. 27 – Marshes: The Disappearing Edens by Bill Burt, a noted photographer, author, and naturalist. This slide lecture will explore Burt’s favorite North American marshlands, with a view towards their beauty and the birds that live there. Some of the photographs presented are featured in Burt’s new book, also titled Marshes: The Disappearing Edens.
The lecture series is free and open to the public. Light refreshments are provided. The
lectures are held at the University of Connecticut’s Avery Point Campus, in the Marine Sciences Building, Room 103, from 7:30-8:30 pm. For more information contact Maryann Pepin (860) 405-9026.
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