North Central College presents globalization colloquium, hosts conference on Chinese thought

North Central College presents “Globalization: A Colloquium” with a keynote talk by Dr. Riad Ismat on April 30 and hosts the Midwest Conference on Chinese Thought on May 1-2 with a keynote talk by Dr. Donald Harper on May 1.

The Thursday, April 30, event “Globalization: A Colloquium” takes place from 6:30 to 8:45 p.m. in the Harold and Eva White Activities Center. It is free and open to the campus community. The issue of globalization as a contested concept has been the yearlong focus of the College’s Office of international Programs. This colloquium is the culminating event of that effort and features a keynote talk titled “Shakespeare in the Middle East” by visiting Scholar-in-Residence Dr. Riad Ismat. There also will be several break-out sessions, led by international students, faculty and students who have conducted research on globalization in various classes. For more information call 630-637-5132.

North Central is host for this year’s May 1-2 Midwest Conference on Chinese Thought (MCCT). An annual event, the MCCT fosters dialogue and interaction among scholars and students working on Chinese thought across different disciplines and through a variety of approaches.

The keynote speaker is Dr. Donald Harper, Centennial Professor of Chinese Studies with the East Asian Languages and Civilizations department at the University of Chicago. The campus community is invited to hear his free address at 4:30 p.m. in the Harold and Eva White Activities Center. It is titled “Reading the Peking University Han Laozi Manuscript from the Perspective of Western Manuscript Studies and the New Philology.” For more information contact Brian Hoffert, associate professor of religious studies and history, at bhoffert@noctrl.edu.