The College of Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lectureship is one of the highest honors bestowed upon a faculty member by the College, and may be awarded only once to any particular person. Recipients are accorded this honor in recognition of the excellence of their professional attainments, exemplifying the values and mission of Illinois State University and the College of Arts and Sciences; in particular, they demonstrate the active pursuit of learning, creative activity, scholarship, and research, as well as their dissemination through publication and teaching. Each year, the College Council selects up to two faculty members as recipients of this award.
Distinguished Lecturers
First 20 Years
The first twenty years of lectures have been collected into a volume published in 1990: First 20 Years: Arts and Sciences Lectures 1968-1988, edited by Dr. Richard H. Dammers.
Distinguished Lecture Archive
We have chosen to list all of The Arts and Sciences Lectures of the past, both in chronological order and by department. We do this to honor those who have earned this distinction and because the topics of the lectures give a good overview of the many dimensions of the College of Arts and Sciences.
- 2020-2024
Dr. Maura Toro-Morn Sociology and Anthropology, Spring 2022 "Gendered Migrations in the Age of Global Disruption"
Dr. Lisa Szczepura Chemistry, Fall 2021 "Precious Metal Clusters"
- 2015-2019
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Rajeev Goel
Economics, Fall 2019 -
Alison Bailey
Women and Gender Studies, Spring 2019 -
Daniel Liechty
Social Work, Fall 2018 -
Laura Vogel
Biological Sciences, Spring 2018 -
Maria Smith
Sociology and Anthropology, Fall 2017 -
Alan Lessoff
History, Spring 2017 -
David Malone
Geography-Geology, Fall 2016 -
Dr. Tim Hunt
English, Spring 2016 -
Dr. Ken Clements
Mathematics, Fall 2015 -
Robert McLaughlin
English, Spring 2015
So Many Possibilities: Stephen Sondheim and the American Musical Theater
View lecture -
Roger Thomas
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Fall 2014
"Word Spirit": Language Ideologies in Japan and Elsewhere
Listen to lecture
- 2010-2014
-
Louis Perez
History, Spring 2014
In Search of the Beautiful Death: Japanese Samurai Aesthetics -
Timothy D. Lash
Chemistry, Fall 2013
Porphyrins - Nature's Rainbow Coalition
Listen to lecture -
Mark Swerdlik
Psychology, Spring 2013
Securing the Yellow Ribbon: Caring for Our Veterans and Their Families During Phases of Deployment
Listen to lecture
View the PowerPoint presentation -
Wib Leonard
Sociology and Anthropology, Fall 2012
Symbolic Immortality in Sports -
C. Andrew Weeks
Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Spring 2012
German Anticlerical Culture in the Age of Faith -
William Cupach
Communication, Fall 2011
The Dark Side of Relationship Pursuit: Stalking and Obsessive Relational Intrusion -
Lane Crothers
Politics and Government, Spring 2011
Making Tea: The Rise of the American Tea Party
Listen to lecture -
Roberta Seelinger Trites
English, Fall 2010
The Pixar Maturity Formula: Sexism, Growth, and Social Responsibility in Children's Movies
Lectures: Part 1 of the lecture - MP4 | Part 2 - MP4 | Part 3 - MP4 | Part 4 - MP4 | Part 5 - MP4 | Part 6 - MP4 | Part 7 - MP4 | Part 8 - MP4 | Part 9 - MP4 | Part 10 - MP4 -
Krzysztof Ostaszewski
Mathematics, Spring 2010
Modigliani, Miller, and Mortgages
Lectures: Part 1 of the lecture - MP4 | Part 2 - MP4 | Part 3 - MP4 | Part 4 - MP4 | Part 5 - MP4 | Part 6 - MP4 | Part 7 - MP4 | Part 8 - MP4 | Part 9 - MP4 | Part 10 - MP4 | Part 11 - MP4 | Part 12 - MP4 | Part 13 - MP4 | Part 14 - MP4
- 2005-2009
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James Stanlaw
Anthropology, Fall 2009
Culture, Cognition, and Contact: What the Meeting of Japanese and English Has to Say About Current Theories in Anthropology, Linguistics and Cognitive Science
Listen to lecture -
Lynn Worsham
English, Spring 2009
The Humanities in an Age of Catastrophe
Listen to lecture -
David Williams
Biological Sciences, Fall 2008
Not Neglecting Neglected Diseases: Efforts to Identify New Drugs for the Treatment of Schistosomiasis -
Ron Fortune
English, Spring 2008
'Scattered Impostures': Writing and the Work of Literary Forgery -
Paul Garris
Biological Sciences, Fall 2007
The Chemistry-Biology Interface: Bridging rat and human to understand Parkinson's disease
Listen to lecture -
Radheshyam K. Jayaswal
Biological Sciences, Spring 2007
Evolution of Super Bug Staphylococcus aureus: How far from the pre-antibiotic era? -
Curtis White
English, Fall 2006
Contrition: a Performance and Reading from Requiem -
Charles Su
Physics, Spring 2006
Enlightened by Lasers -
Charles Thompson
Biological Sciences, Fall 2005
Life in Little Wooden Houses on the Prairie: What House Wrens Have Taught Us About the Evolution of Reproductive Tactics -
Norma Presmeg
Mathematics, Spring 2005
Bridging the Arts and Sciences in Mathematics Education Research
- 2000-2004
-
Manfred Steger, Politics and Government, Fall 2004
From Market Globalism to Imperial Globalism: Ideology and U.S. Hegemony after 9/11 -
John Shields, English, Spring 2004
My Love of Learning and Desire for God -
Susan Sprecher, Sociology, Fall 2003
Close Relationships: The Study of Attraction, Love, and Friendship -
Rainer Grobe, Physics, Spring 2003
Atoms, Lasers and Computers -
Thomas Simon, Philosophy, Fall 2002
Confessions of a Virtual Terrorist: "An Autobiography of Someone Else?" -
Janice Neuleib, English, Spring 2002
Women Can't Do That: Writing Beyond the Rules -
Paul Holsinger, History, Fall 2001
TALES FROM THE DARK CORNER: Kinfolks and Strangers in the Mountain South -
A. Lee Beier, History, Spring 2001
Why Class? Why Gender? Why Race? The World Picture and its Dissolution in Renaissance England, 1500-1600 -
Steven Juliano, Biological Sciences, Fall 2000
Homage to St. Francis, St. Mark, & St. Genevieve: Mosquito ecology from behavior to communities -
Douglas H. Lamb, Psychology, Spring 2000
Slippery Slopes: Sexual and Other Dual Relationships Between Psychologists and Their Clients, Supervisees, and Students
- 1995-1999
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Robert Hunt, Politics and Government, Fall 1999
Resilient Communities for a New Era: Sustenance Without Magic? -
Richard Martin, Physics, Spring 1999
Aurora, Chaos, and Undergraduate Education -
Charles Orser, Anthropology, Fall 1998
An Archaeological Look at Race and Tradition in Pre-Famine Ireland -
Sandra Metts, Communication, Spring 1998
The Pervasive Influence of Face and Facework in Social and Personal Relationships -
Diane F. Urey, Foreign Languages, Fall 1997
Homer, Cervantes, and Galdós: Heroic Sieges in History -
Raymond M. Bergner, Psychology, Spring 1997
Approaches to Problems of Meaninglessness -
Willard Bohn, Foreign Languages, Fall 1996
Conceiving Concrete Poetry -
Brian J. Wilkinson, Biological Sciences, Spring 1996
Staph Germs and Us: Flash Fire Invasions and Smoldering Border Disputes -
Jamal R. Nassar, Politics and Government, Fall 1995
In Search of Destiny: The Middle East Between Peaceful Coexistence and Religious Revivalism -
William Morgan, English, Spring 1995
Of Fiddles, Manuscripts, and Silences: Watching Thomas Hardy at Work
- 1990-1994
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Laura E. Berk, Psychology, Fall 1994
Why Children Talk to Themselves -
John Barron Pryor, Psychology, Spring 1994
The Social Psychology of Sexually Harassing Behavior -
Mark Wyman, History, Fall 1993
America, Europe, and Immigrants Who Returned -
Richard J. Payne, Politics and Government, Spring 1993
Culture and Force in American Foreign Policy -
Lucia Cordell Getsi, English, Fall 1992
Matters of Life and Death: Poetry and the (Un)Making of Self -
Glenn D. Reeder, Psychology, Spring 1992
Inferring the Traits that Others Possess -
L. Moody Simms, History, Fall 1991
Why Popular Culture? -
Elizabeth McMahan, English, Fall 1990
Edith Wharton, Summer, and Sexuality -
Richard A. Stivers, Sociology, Spring 1990
The Deconstruction of the University -
Carl J. Ekberg, History, Fall 1989
Stealing Women in French Illinois
- 1985-89
-
Anthony E. Liberta, Biological Sciences, Spring 1989
The Influence of Surface Mining on the Survival of Symbiotic Soil Fungi -
Earl Reitan,History, Fall 1988
The Glorious Revolution in England, 1688-89: A Tri-Centennial View -
Carol Thomas Neely, English, Spring 1988
Reading Women and Madness in Shakespeare and His Culture -
Alan Monroe, Politics and Government, Fall 1987
Does the U. S. Government Do What the People Want? -
Gerlof D. Homan, History, Spring 1987
The Fall and Rise of France, 1940-1945 -
Ray Lewis White, English, Fall 1986
A Walking Tour of Winesburg, Ohio -
Rodger L. Tarr, English, Spring 1986
The Victorian Lady Jane Welsh Carlyle and the Psycho-Feminist Myth -
John B. Freed, History, Fall 1985
The Medieval Legacy of the Family -
Roger C. Anderson, Biological Sciences, Spring 1985
The State of Prairies -
John A. Dossey, Mathematics, Fall 1984
The Second International Mathematics Study: Who's on First and Why
- 1980-84
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Joel G. Verner, Politics and Government, Spring 1984
The Cuban Revolution and the International System -
Cheryl R. Stevenson, Chemistry, Fall 1983
The Interface Between the Atom, Electron and Dasein (Consciousness) -
John F. Cragan, Communication, Spring 1983
American Political Communication: An Orwellian View of Computer-based Campaign Speeches and Rallies -
Jonathan E. Reyman, Anthropology, Fall 1982
Prehistoric Pueblos: Models for the Future -
William Linneman, English, Spring 1982
Will Rogers and Art Buchwald: Fifty Years of Political Humor -
John Guegen, Politics and Government, Fall 1981
Selfism and the Dark Night of the Intellect -
Arlan Richardson, Chemistry, Spring 1981
Aging, Diet, and Cancer -
F. James Davis, Sociology, Fall 1980
Who is Black?: The Societal Definition of Race -
Charles B. Harris, English, Spring 1980
Humor and the Recent American Novel
- 1975-79
- Harvey G. Zeidenstein, Politics and Government, Fall 1979 Presidential Popularity and Presidential Support in Congress: Eisenhower to Carter
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Mark A. Plummer, History, Spring 1979
Lincoln's Railsplitter: Richard J. Oglesby -
Norton B. Crowell, English, Fall 1978
The Anti-Intellectual Legacy of Romanticism -
Phares G. O'Daffer, Mathematics, Spring 1978
Mathematics in the Schools: Myths, Realities, and a Look into the Crystal Ball -
Jack A. Ward, Biological Sciences, Fall 1977
Fish Tales and Facts - Food for Thought and the Impoverished -
Bernard L. Ryder, Chemistry, Spring 1977
A Mural of Organic Chemistry for the Ivy'd Halls -
Frederic N. Firestone, Economics, Fall 1976
Change in Economics: Darwin Meets Newton -
Roger J. Champagne, History, Spring 1976
Political Leadership and the American Revolution -
E. Joan Miller, Geography, Fall 1975
Nothing but Feet on the Ground: Folk Geography of the Ozarks -
Robert K. Ritt, Mathematics, Spring 1975
Non-Deterministic Model of the Universe
- 1970-74
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Dale B. Vetter, English, Fall 1974
Likeness, Difference, and the Humanities -
Herman E. Brockman, Biological Sciences, Spring 1974
Most Precious Heritage--Is it Endangered -
Vernon C. Pohlmann, Sociology, Fall 1973
The Census Counts on You - Can You Count on the Census -
Walter S. G. Kohn, Politics and Government, Spring 1973
Wine, Voters, and Song: An Essay on Austrian Politics -
Edward L. Schapsmeier, History, Fall 1972
Paul H. Douglas From Pacifist to Soldier - Statesman -
Edward B. Jelks, Anthropology, Spring 1972
Digging is My Bag -
Wesley C. Calef, Geography, Fall 1971
The Public Lands: Perennial Problem -
Stanley E. Grupp, Sociology, Spring 1971
The Marihuana Muddle -
Stanley S. Marzolf, Psychology, Fall 1970
What Has a Clinical Psychologist Been Up to All These Years? -
Alice L. Ebel, Politics and Government, Spring 1970
The Dilemma of Local Government
- 1965-69
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Edward L. Mockford, Biological Sciences, Fall 1969
Natural History of Bark Lice and Book Lice -
Gary L. Cronkhite, Speech/Psychology, Spring 1969
Cultural Deprivation the Wasp Ghetto -
Helen M. Cavanagh, History, Fall 1968
Illinois in Region and Nation, 1850-1861