September 19, 2022

October brings lectures on the James Webb Space Telescope, immigration and war, as well as a visiting writer, a theater performance and other academic lectures to Susquehanna University’s campus. All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

Theatre To Present 110 in the Shade

The Department of Theatre will present 110 in the Shade Thursday, Sept. 29, through Saturday, Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, Oct. 2, at 2:30 p.m., in Degenstein Center Theater.

Set in the tiny southwest town of Three Point, the musical by N. Richard Nash, Tom Jones and Harvey Schmidt stars traveling con man Bill Starbuck who promises the local farmers he can conjure some much-needed rain. Spinster Lizzie Curry, whose advances are rebuffed by Sheriff File, blossoms as she pursues a romantic relationship with the charismatic stranger.

Tickets are $10 for adults and seniors and $5 for non-SU students. For tickets and information, visit the box office in the Degenstein Center Theater lobby or call 570-372-ARTS (2787) Monday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. during the academic year. Tickets can also be purchased online at https://susqu.universitytickets.com/.

Lecture To Highlight the Travels of Immigrants

Saul Flores will present the lecture The Walk of the Immigrants at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 3, in Degenstein Center Theater.

Flores is the founder and owner of LoveWalk, an organization that brings awareness to the immigrant journey. While a student at North Carolina State University, Flores took a “walk” — beginning in Ecuador and ending in Charlotte, North Carolina. Over three months in 2010, he walked 5,328 miles through 10 countries and nine border crossings to document how grueling and dangerous the journey of immigrants can be.

Flores’ lecture at Susquehanna is in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month

Groundbreaking James Webb Telescope Focus of Lecture

NASA engineer Michael Davis will deliver The James Webb Space Telescope: It Works; Perfectly! at this year’s Claritas Distinguished Lecture at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 10, in Degenstein Center Theater.

Davis will present an overview of the James Webb Telescope as well as some of the latest images and scientific data from this revolutionary telescope that is already rewriting physics and astronomy textbooks.

Queer Poet to Present Reading

Rachel Wiley, a queer, biracial poet and performer, will present a reading at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 11, in Stretansky Concert Hall in the Cunningham Center for Music and Art.

Wiley is the author of three full-length poetry collections published by Button Poetry: Fat Girl Finishing School, Nothing Is Okay and the recently released Revenge Body, and has performed at slam venues, colleges and festivals nationwide.

Wiley’s reading is part of Susquehanna’s Seavey Visiting Writers Series.

Lecture To Explore Women in the Judiciary

Political science scholar Christina Boyd will present Susquehanna’s Arlin Adams Lecture, Women in the Federal Judiciary: Trends in Selection and Decisions at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 24, in Faylor Lecture Hall in Fisher Hall.

Boyd is a professor of political science and the Thomas P. and M. Jean Lauth Public Affairs Professor in the School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Georgia. She also has a courtesy appointment in the School of Law, also at the University of Georgia. She holds a doctorate in political science from Washington University in St. Louis and a juris doctorate from Wake Forest University.

Foreign Policy Expert To Offer Insights on Military Withdrawals

Foreign policy expert Baris Kesgin will present the lecture Who Brings the ‘Boys’ Back Home? A Leadership-Focused Approach to Military Withdrawals at 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in Isaacs Auditorium, Seibert Hall.

Are there any shared characteristics of leaders who make the decision to withdraw from an intervention? Kesgin’s lecture seeks answers to this question in the examples of Israel’s former prime ministers Ehud Barak and Ariel Sharon and their respective decisions to disengage from Southern Lebanon in 1999 and the Gaza Strip in 2005. Kesgin will profile both leaders, present an in-depth analysis of the leaders’ decision-making processes and their responses to the relevant domestic and international factors.

Kesgin is an associate professor of political science and policy studies at Elon University where he teaches courses in international relations and comparative politics — specifically in foreign policy analysis, political psychology and the Middle East. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Middle East Technical University, his master’s degree from the University of Memphis and his doctorate from the University of Kansas. He was an assistant professor of political science at Susquehanna before joining the faculty at Elon.