UB College of Arts and Sciences to Present Lecture Series

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- "Purchasing Pleasure: Images of Women in French and American Magazines" will be the topic of the first installment in the University at Buffalo College of Arts and Sciences Spring 2002 Lecture Series, to be held at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 28 in the Center for the Arts Screening Room on the UB North (Amherst) Campus.

In the lecture, Jeannette Ludwig, associate professor in the UB Department of Modern Languages and Literatures, will reflect on two decades of change in the publishing industry, as well as alterations in society's expectations for women, as she updates cross-cultural analysis of the content and images in French and American women's magazines.

Her lecture will attempt to provide answers to such questions as: Are French women more "chic" or "sexier" than American women? Are popular images of French and American women really different? Are American women more "practical" or "domestic" than French women? How do women's jobs outside the home appear in magazines? Are French mothers like American mothers in the magazine world? Has advertisement gone global?

The CAS series, which is free of charge and open to the public, is supported by alumni and friends of the College of Arts and Sciences. All lectures will be held at 7:30 p.m. in the CFA Screening Room.

The remainder of the spring schedule:

o "The 'Difficult Miracle' of Biography: Reflections on Writing, Black Women's Stories and Living Someone Else's Life," Feb. 25. Masani Alexis De Veaux, a professor in the UB Department of Women's Studies, will discuss her own personal experiences as a writer completing a biography of author and poet Audre Lorde. New York State Poet Laureate from1991-93, Lorde was author of 10 books of poetry and four books of non-fiction, and in her own words, a "black lesbian, mother, warrior, poet." She also was a cancer survivor for 14 years until her death in 1992 at the age of 58. In this presentation, De Veaux will discuss the joys, difficulties and peculiarities of writing someone else's life story, and will reveal some of the things she has learned along the way.

o "The Ties that Bind: On Marriage, Divorce and Children," March 18. From the "Sopranos" to films like "Life as a House," popular culture offers society a broad range of observations about relationships in families. In daily life, however, vital questions remain: How do children adjust to their parents' divorce? How does the relationship between parents affect their children? What are the key elements to achieving a successful marriage? In this presentation, Frank Fincham, a professor in the UB Department of Psychology, will discuss the findings of 30 years of psychological research on marriage and family issues, as well as expose some of the prevalent myths held by the general public.

o "What in the World is Spintronics?," April 15. Silicon-based computer technology is bumping up against the limits of materials, not to mention budgets. The days of affordably doubling computing power rapidly are coming to an end. In the worldwide research effort exploring new technologies to go beyond projected limits, one such prospect is "spintronics" -- using the spin of electrons, rather than their charge, to improve or create entirely new functions. Bruce McCombe, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the UB Department of Physics and associate dean for research and sponsored programs in the CAS, will discuss the basic ideas behind current technology and the concepts underlying spintronics and its promise. He also will provide a first-hand account of a major research program at UB supported by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).