2021-2022 Virtual Faculty Library Lecture Series
Sponsored by Helen Stacy and Patricia Stacy Healey ’62
Thursday, September 23
7:00 pm (Virtual)
Raphael Lemkin and the Invention of Genocide
Dr. Jesse Harasta's talk explores the life, ideas and continuing importance of Raphael Lemkin (1900-1959). A Polish lawyer of Jewish descent, Lemkin is most famous for coining the term “genocide” and for his work in defining these war crimes and beginning the processes that eventually led to the United Nations Genocide Convention. This talk will explore the roots of the Genocide Concept in the legal and cultural history of 19th and early 20th century war crimes and “crimes of barbarity” (as they were referred to at the time), but it will discuss how the concept of genocide was ground-breaking and allowed for deeper insights into these atrocities. It will discuss how Lemkin’s sweeping definition of genocide was altered by the United Nations Convention and the implications of both the original and the official definitions. Finally, the talk will examine the importance of Lemkin’s continuing legacy in the development of the scholarly field of Genocide and Mass Atrocity Prevention Studies and discuss several groups working in this tradition.
Watch the recorded lecture here
Thursday, October 21
7:00 pm (Virtual)
The Improbable Made Possible: The Art and Advocacy of Rod Serling
Associate Lecturer Jennifer Caruana
We all know Rod Serling as the enigmatic creator and host of “The Twilight Zone,” but this Central New York native was so much more than an eerie voice echoing from our television sets. He was a soldier, an activist, and a voice that spoke loudly and firmly towards the call for social equality. In a lecture that explores Serling’s upbringing, CNY roots, military service, creative achievements, and social activism, we will navigate the intersection between cultural consciousness and creativity. Today is an era that – perhaps more than ever - often feels like an episode of Serling’s most well-known achievement, and his work encourages us to ask ourselves: what can art teach us about advocacy, agency, and the human spirit? In the era of Black Lives Matter, #MeToo, and COVID-19, the answer may surprise us all.
Watch the recorded lecture here
This is organized by Bill Loveland at Manlius Public Library: bloveland@manlius.org
The Great Minds/Great Ideas Faculty Library Lecture Series is made possible through the generous funding and support of Helen Stacy and Patricia Stacy Healey ʼ62. For more information, contact the Cazenovia Public Library at (315) 655-9322; The Manlius Library at (315) 682-6400; or the project director of the Cazenovia College Faculty Library Lecture Series, Prof. Sarah Cross at (315) 655-7679.
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