What to See This Week at Duke
Rap fans may know her as the wife of Public Enemy co-founder Chuck D, but academics know Gaye Theresa Johnson as a leading historian of race and culture. Her research and writing on how marginalized people attempt to write their own historical narratives are particularly timely in a period of Black Lives Matter. She will speak at a Department of History colloquium on "The Black Radical Tradition and the Fragility of White Supremacy" at 3:30 p.m. Monday, Sept. 18, in 229 Carr Building.
Durham brands itself as the City of Medicine, but this hasn’t helped the city avoid problematic disparities in health coverage and outcomes. Dr. Jeffrey Baker, director of the Trent Center for Bioethics, Humanities & History of Medicine at Duke, has studied the history of health and health care in Durham with an emphasis on the tensions between Duke Hospital’s growth as an internationally recognized health care system and its mission to improve the health of the local community. He will speak on “The History of Duke Health and Durham’s Health” at noon Tuesday, Sept. 19, in 2002 Duke Hospital Lecture Hall.
Harvard Professor Cass Sunstein was one of the most notable intellectuals of the Obama Administration, serving as administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Immensely prolific, Sunstein comes to Duke this week through a Kenan Institute for Ethics residency. On Sept. 19, he will give three talks, each about a different recent work of writing. The biggest eye catcher is his discussion on “Impeachment: A Citizen’s Guide” at 12:30 p.m. in 3041 School of Law.
Duke Biomedical Engineering Professor Nimmi Ramanujam has improved women’s health care around the world by designing new diagnostic tools such as affordable cervical cancer screenings. Recently she’s focused attention on reimagining the gynecological exam from a women’s perspective, looking to eradicate the much-dreaded duck bill speculum. She will speak about the work at noon, Wednesday, Sept. 20, in the East Duke Parlors.
Walt Whitman’s work remains a staple of American literature, but what is less known is Duke holds an extensive collection of Whitman’s publications, notebooks, and other writings as part the Dr. and Mrs. Josiah C. Trent Collection. A new Rubenstein Library exhibit “I Sing the Body Electric” includes original manuscripts, photographs, and printed works from the collection showcasing Walt Whitman's musings about the human body. The public is invited for a tour of the exhibit and a talk by Stefania Heim and curator Arianne Hartsell-Gundy at 11:45 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 21, in the Holsti-Anderson Family Assembly room, 153 Rubenstein Library.