Politics & Religion, a Spiritual Journey and the History of the Wedding Dress Topics of Free Lectures at Ursuline College
A spiritual journey, religion and politics and the forever-evolving wedding gown are topics highlighted in Ursuline College’s 2008 Faculty Lecture Series held on Mar. 27, Apr. 8 and Apr. 22, 7:00 PM - 8:30 PM. The Mar. 27 and April 22 lectures will be held in Mullen Academic Center Little Theater (room 113) and the Apr. 8 lecture will be held in the Pilla Student Learning Center (room 101), 2550 Lander Road, Pepper Pike.
A Journey to Remember: The Jewish Christian Holocaust Journey to Poland, Italy and
Israel is the topic of the March 27 lecture by Anne Lukas, JD. Lukas will share
with attendees her recent travels with Ursuline students to the ancient cities of Warsaw,
Krakow, Rome, Assisi and Jerusalem and how Jewish and Christian tourists alike were inspired
and transformed by the excursion.
Lukas is Director of Ursuline College’s Accelerated Program (UCAP). She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Ohio University and earned her Juris Doctorate at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law. For two decades Lukas, a daughter of Holocaust survivors, has been an active board member of Kol Israel Generations, an organization of Holocaust survivor families and their supporters.
The Apr. 8 lecture The Public Face of Personal Faith: Christian Fundamentalism and
the Rupture of American Politics features Assistant Professor and Director of the Graduate Studies Ministry Program, Linda Martin Ph.D. This presentation explores the recent
rise of the religious right in America and highlights the progressive role that Christian
fundamentalism plays in politics.
Martin holds a Ph.D. in Theological and Religious Studies from Drew University and a Master of Divinity degree from Vanderbilt Divinity School. She specializes in American religion and culture and extensively researches Protestant fundamentalism, evangelicalism and women and religion.
On April 22, Ursuline fashion professor, Susan Powers will talk about The Changing
Silhouette of the American Wedding Gown: 1900-2008. She will highlight how
American wedding gowns can be learning tools when studied as historical artifacts of material
culture. An exhibit of wedding gowns is included in her presentation.
Powers graduated from Ursuline in 2007 with a Certificate of Completion in fashion design and will complete her Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies at the College in May. She is a member of the Sewing Guild and costume coordinator for the Ashtabula Ballet Theater.
“The Annual Faculty Lecture Series showcases the research and expertise of the College’s experienced faculty,” said JoAnne Podis Ph.D., vice president for academic affairs, who commented that the variety and scope of this year’s talks are reflective of the richness and diversity of an Ursuline liberal arts education.
For more information call 440-646-8107 or visit www.ursuline.edu
