Arts & Culture
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Brief bursts of wisdom
Aphorism lover and historian James Geary reflects on how ancient literary art form fits into age of social media
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Live fast, die young, inspire Shakespeare
Stephen Greenblatt finds a tragic strain in the life and work of Christopher Marlowe
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Steve McQueen could lecture you, but he’s got other plans
‘I think the audience needs more, and I feel I need to give more,’ says award-winning filmmaker — presenter of this year’s Norton talks
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Marking 100 years of Norton Lectures
Panelists reflect on ‘incredible value’ of annual series as ‘megaphone’ for artists and scholars
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How fashion police have been walking beat for centuries
Houghton Library exhibit highlights the policing of women’s fashion since the 17th century.
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Seeing what you see
New faculty Cécile Fromont is a visual problem solver
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Learning the streets, scene by scene
The acclaimed TV series “The Wire” is at the center of “HBO’s The Wire and Its Contribution to Understanding Urban Inequality,” a new course aimed at teaching Harvard undergraduates about inner-city life.
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Rule of Law, Misrule of Men
Elaine Scarry, Walter M. Cabot Professor of Aesthetics and the General Theory of Value, confronts the Bush administration’s legislative crimes, and calls for prosecutorial action to restore democracy.
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Continental Divide: Heidegger, Cassirer, Davos
Professor of History Peter E. Gordon recreates the Davos, Switzerland, meeting between philosophers Martin Heidegger and Ernst Cassirer, and their divided opinions on those heady questions of what is truth and what it means to be human.
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Chasing Stars: The Myth of Talent and the Portability of Performance
Wall Street’s stars are frequently lured to new firms, where their performance often declines. Thomas S. Murphy Associate Professor of Business Administration Boris Groysberg examines workplace performance and offers a guide on how to strategically manage your career.
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Brazil’s public intellectual
Nicolau Sevcenko, now a professor of Romance languages and literatures at Harvard, reflects on the long journey that brought him here.
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A ‘whif’ of a breakthrough
In David Edwards’ new book, “The Lab: Creativity and Culture,” he argues for a new model — the “artscience” lab — that “expands the possibilities of experimentation beyond those of traditional science labs.”
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Looking back at Anger
Film icon Kenneth Anger, Hollywood master of the edgy and the lurid, arrives at Harvard for a three-day festival of his work.
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How to Unspoil Your Child Fast: A Speedy, Complete Guide to Contented Children and Happy Parents
Nearly 95 percent of parents think their own children are overindulged; now Bromfield, a clinical instructor in psychology in the Department of Psychology, lays down rules — “take back the power!” — to parenting, the hardest job in the world.
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Saving Schools: From Horace Mann to Virtual Learning
Henry Lee Shattuck Professor of Government Peterson traces American public schools through their reformers, and addresses a new era of virtual learning in which families have greater choice and control over their children’s education than ever.
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Poetry and the Police: Communication Networks in Eighteenth-Century Paris
Darnton, director of the Harvard University Library, backtracks to 18th century Paris and the police crackdown on poetry. But verse persevered through a “viral” network of citizens, who smuggled poetry by any means they could.
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Spouting off
In their new book, “Running Out of Water: The Looming Crisis and Solutions to Conserve Our Most Precious Resource,” Peter Rogers and Susan Leal outline water’s global predicament as the world’s population soars to 8 billion.
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When photography became art
This season’s In-Sight Evenings begin at the Harvard Art Museums, mixing a freewheeling soiree with an inspired lecture.
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Harvard Humanities 2.0
A $10 million gift to the Humanities Center at Harvard will help bring the traditional arts of interpretation to more students.
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How to get happy
Former Harvard President Derek Bok and his wife Sissela, a Harvard fellow, discussed their recent books on happiness in a discussion at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
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The dark corners of ‘Cabaret’
In a panel discussion, Harvard scholars and performer Amanda Palmer examined the sinister sides and social significance of the American Repertory Theater’s new production of “Cabaret.”
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Looking past the plantation
Archaeologists examining the African-American past are broadening their focus to include a greater understanding of Africa, according to Christopher Fennell, who spoke at the Harvard African Seminar.
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Language made visible
New Harvard lecture series, “Visible Language,” explores the origins of the written word across diverse ages and cultures, its origins marked by a “diverse oneness.”
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Century of scientific breakthroughs
A lecture marks the path to a Harvard exhibit of 16th century art and science, still in the making.
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The soaring sounds of music
Harvard’s newest professor of composition explores the limits of musical expression with her works and hopes to steer students to their own musical voices.
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The golden ruling
“In Brown’s Wake,” the new book by Harvard Law School Dean Martha Minow, tackles the legacy of the landmark Supreme Court ruling Brown v. Board of Education.
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The 24/7 Baby Doctor: A Harvard Pediatrician Answers All Your Questions from Birth to One Year
This valuable handbook for new parents, written by McEvoy, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, offers evidence-based solutions and covers everything from spit-up to vaccinations.
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Travels in a Gay Nation: Portraits of LGBTQ Americans
Harvard Extension School instructor Philip Gambone traveled for two years, interviewing 40 members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer communities about their lives. These interviews include insights from David Sedaris, Mark Doty, and Barney Frank.
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Different: Escaping the Competitive Herd
Youngme Moon, the Donald K. David Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, says mediocrity in competition is rampant, but it’s adventurousness that spells success. Just ask Google or Apple.
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Out of the studio, into the classroom
Seven take on teaching roles at the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies.
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A master of motion
Artistic director offers students insights and technical tips on the graceful yet grueling craft of ballet during master class.
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Aftermath of a world at war
“Our World at War” photo exhibit revisits the scenes of recent conflicts, exposing a penumbra of pain, fortitude, and even joy.
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Off the beaten path
A new exhibition, “Rev. Badger’s Misfits: Deviations and Diversions,” at the Harvard Map Collection, asks viewers to consider some of these “cartographic curiosities.”
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Melding Spanish and spirituality
A new language course offers students at Harvard Divinity School a chance to develop a nuanced cultural approach to their ministry work.
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Sit down, stay a while
A new season of performances involving the Common Spaces Chairs Project kicked off with the chairs as the star.
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Vendler on Dickinson
Renowned critic Helen Vendler takes on Amherst’s own Emily Dickinson in her new book, “Dickinson: Selected Poems and Commentaries.”