October 31, 2016
K-State Libraries host lecture series to accompany rare books exhibit
K-State Libraries will host a lecture series discussing authors and materials in "Wisdom of the Ages," an exhibit of written works that have shaped the course of history.
The interdisciplinary exhibit includes rare copies of the Emancipation Proclamation, the Magna Carta and dozens of first editions. The lectures feature several K-State faculty as well as local community members and will be in Hale Library's Hemisphere Room on the fifth floor. Following the lectures, guests can visit the exhibit to handle materials out of their cases.
The next lecture is from 4–5 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2. Mark Crosby, assistant professor; Jon Mahoney, associate professor; and Chris Remple, instructor, will present "Political Thought in the Remnant Trust." Their presentation will focus on the ideas presented by Thomas Paine in "Rights of Man," Thomas Hobbes in "Leviathan" and Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels in "The Communist Manifesto."
Steffi Dippold, assistant professor and Ben McCloskey, visiting assistant professor, will present "Of Just and Unjust Men" from 4:30-5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7. Dippold and McCloskey will explore print culture and the construction of a public sphere referencing "Republic" and "Rebels No Saints" by Plato.
Rev. Katie Collins; Syed Haroon Bin Farrukh, graduate student in agricultural economics; and Rev. Jonalu Johnstone will present "Religious Discourse in the Remnant Trust" from 6:30-7:30 p.m. Nov. 9. Their lecture will explore the life of Hildegard von Bingen and the art that inspired the text of Scivias libri tres, an introduction to the Quran and discuss how the Torah and the covenant with Abraham sprouted at least three separate but related religious traditions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Lisa Hamer, felony assistant public defender for the Kansas Board of Indigent Defense Services, will present "Brown v. Board of Education: The Justices’ Prophesy" from 4-5:00 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14. Hamer will discuss how the justices' made their decision that integration leads to equality and what social scientists say about the decision today.
The final lecture in the series, "Social Justice in the Remnant Trust," will feature Tosha Sampson-Choma, assistant professor, and Sue Zschoche, past chair of K-State's history department from 2002-2016. They will discuss Booker T. Washington and Mary Wollstonecraft from 2:30-3:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 1.
K-State librarians will host a Community Day from 1:30-3:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to handle and read the books in the exhibit.
Librarians also are on hand from 11 a.m. to noon and 2-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays for open case sessions. Additionally, teachers and community groups who would like to bring a class to "Wisdom of the Ages" are welcome to make an appointment with a librarian by emailing libexhibits@k-state.edu.
Materials on display in the exhibit represent a small sample of items held by the Remnant Trust, a public educational foundation. The Remnant Trust shares its growing collection on the topics of individual liberty and human dignity through traveling exhibits. "Wisdom of the Ages" will be on view at K-State through Dec. 16.
"Wisdom of the Ages" is made possible by the K-State Office of the President.