LIFE 2020 Fall Preview/Highlights
By: Jack McGuire, Curriculum Committee Chair
The LIFE Curriculum Committee is excited that we have been able to put together, in this incredibly different and difficult time, what we believe will be a great slate of Fall 2020 speakers for LIFE. Currently, we have 24 speakers scheduled beginning September 8th, and an additional two speakers we hope to include in special sessions at a later time. One of our first speakers will be Dr. Amy Donley of the UCF Sociology Department who will share some hot off the presses findings from her research on COVID-19 and the Hospitality Industry. We have some other wonderfully timely presentations such as a pair of talks by Dr. Terri Fine of the UCF School of Politics, Security and International Affairs, who will talk to us after the Presidential nomination conventions and then again after the election in November. Dr. Kate Mansfield returns to LIFE from UCF Biology will talk about recent archaeological finds from Kerkenes, Turkey and we will have talks by two of the finest from UCF’s Department of Anthropology, including Dr. Marla Toyne who will share her recent work in Peru and then toward the end of the semester, Dr. Tosha Dupras, will bring us up to date on her recent research of the ancient Nubians. We are honored to also have Dr. Richard Lapchick from UCF’s College of Business Administration, who will share his thoughts on “Sport, Diversity and Athlete Activism” in the US. You will also see talks by faculty from UCF’s Music department [e.g., “Exploration in the Jazz Piano”], as well as our History department [e.g., “Alexander Hamilton”], and another timely talk from the Rosen College [e.g., “From Over-to Under -Tourism and COVID-19”]. We are also excited that the new President & CEO of WMFE will present a talk to us. There are many other great presentations planned…. check them all out on the LIFE web page.