Humanities Day on Oct. 21 celebrates scholarship with the public

Humanities Day has become an annual University of Chicago tradition since it began in 1980. On Oct. 21, visitors will have the chance to take part in the free, daylong series of discussions, tours, performances and lectures on topics ranging from crime in ancient Mesopotamia to electronic music in the Cold War era.

“It’s great to have the opportunity to see the range of topics on which colleagues are working, and all of the interesting questions that they are asking,” said Claudia Brittenham, associate professor in the Department of Art History, who will give a talk on Aztec sculpture. “It’s a great opportunity to spark conversation and collaboration, and of course, seeing all the intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for the humanities around the University of Chicago is always inspiring.”

Prof. Larry F. Norman, an expert in 17th- and 18th-century French literature, theater and intellectual history, will deliver the keynote address, “Classicisms: Varieties of an Aesthetic Experience,” at 11 a.m. in Mandel Hall. 

Norman, the Frank L. Sulzberger Professor in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures and the Committee on Theater and Performance Studies, most recently co-curated the exhibition Classicisms at the Smart Museum of Art.

Other highlights of this year’s Humanities Day include:

To register and see a full listing of events, visit the Humanities Day website.