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 Pathways to Knowledge: A Lecture Series for Undergraduates
Fall 1999
September 14, 1999
The Dogaressa of Venice: A Renaissance First Lady
Holly S. Hurlburt
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of History
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In our own time, much consideration has been given to what political and cultural role (if any) the spouse of a politician should fulfill. This study examines a series of women whose husbands were elected rulers of the city of Venice during the thirteenth through fifteenth centuries. In an era where women were generally excluded from direct political experience, what sort of activities did these women execute? How were they perceived by society? How did their husbands' positions affect their lives and those of their families?
These and other questions concerning women and the political sphere in the Early Modern era as well as our own will be discussed, along with a general discussion of how historians assess the sources of the past to explore relevant issues.
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October 12, 1999
Family Perspectives on Humor
Alicja Jarzab
Ph.D. Candidate
Special Education
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Humor, traced from Plato and Aristotle to the present day, has become a core value in our society. Research has shown its importance in many facets of human interaction. Despite the proliferation of humor research, the research on family perspectives on humor and its role as a coping strategy while raising an individual with disability has either been completely ignored or has focused on the special form of humor in which the object of humor is a disabling condition or a person with disability. The purpose of this research is study family, disability and humor by listening to the voices of those involved.
The rationale, primary questions, and the fieldwork will be discussed during the
presentation.
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November 2, 1999
Religious Conversion: An Identity Change?
Jessica Greenebaum
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Sociology
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Religion permeates all societies. People search for a religious belief that fits their secular lifestyle. Conversions from one religious belief to another have become more common. We observe a greater number of "mixed marriages." This study explores the process of religious conversion from Christianity to Reform Judaism. How does an individual's past religious experience in conjunction with their gender, class, age, race, sexuality and marital status, affect the experience of becoming a Jew?
These and other relevant issues will be discussed.
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November 30, 1999
Ecological and Social Determinants of Foraging Behavior
Jayashree Ratnam
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Biology,
Behavior, Ecology and Evolution Concentration
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To forage efficiently, an animal must keep track of ecological information such as where food patches are located, which patches provide more food and which provide less, how far apart patches are from one another and how safe it is to travel between patches or feed in them. Many animals live and forage in groups. Such social animals must not only keep track of the these types of ecological information, but must also track social information such as where group members are, in which patches dominant individuals or allies are feeding and how much they might benefit or lose from interactions with group members of different social ranks.
This study explores the foraging behavior in a social primate species, the Bonnet macaque Macaca radiata diluta.
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