Our One Book text, Hamilton: the Musical presents diverse themes to explore. Here’s our fall 2016 line up of events. We hope you will join us! All events are free and open to the public.
The Importance of Hamilton: Examining the History
Wednesday, September 7th, Noon-12:50 pm., Library Lounge, Building L
How does Hamilton the musical measure up to history? The musical won 11 Tony Awards (and a Pulitzer Prize) but how many awards does it get for historical accuracy? Who was Alexander Hamilton? How do historians view his legacy? This is part of our One Book, One College program on the musical Hamilton.
“Straight Outta Hamilton”: The Impact of the Musical Hamilton
Wednesday, September 21, 11 am-noon, Library Lounge, Building L
Hamilton: The Musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda has been taking the country by storm. This panel will dive into the musical’s many themes such as the history, musical influences, and pop-cultural connections just to name a few. This panel will include an interdisciplinary group of faculty, staff, and administrators. This is part of our One Book, One College program on the musical Hamilton.
The Broadway Musical: The Quintessential American Art Form
Thursday, October 13th, 11am, -12:15PM, Library Lounge, Building L
The Broadway Musical is an American invention that has moved across the world. With roots in the nineteenth century, the Broadway Musical fused together theater traditions, pop culture, pop music, and big production values into a new American standard. Faculty members Tommy Hensel and Craig Rosen will explore this art form’s roots and impact. This is part of our One Book, One College program on the musical Hamilton.
The 2016 Elections: A Faculty Panel Discussion
Tuesday, September 13th, 11am-12:15pm, Library Lounge, Building L
The 2016 election has been one for the history books. At the national level, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are two of the most recognizable, controversial, and historic candidates in US history. At the local, state, and national level we face many challenges. Political Science faculty come together to discuss this historic election. Students will be able to register to vote before and after the discussion. This is part of our One Book, One College program on the musical Hamilton.
You Get What You Ask For: The Good and Bad Uses of Statistics
Thu, Oct 6th, 9:30am, 11am-12:15pm, Library Lounge, Building L
Each week a new poll about the 2016 elections comes out telling us who is ahead and who is behind. Each candidate promotes the polls that make them look best. Polls can be very useful, but most of us know that polls can be manipulated. Can we trust polls? Can we recognize the good and the bad? Faculty members from math and psychology look at how polls should be put together and how they can be biased. This is part of the One Book program on Hamilton.
Hamilton and the Use of Language: A Faculty Panel Discussion
Tuesday, October 11th, 11am-12:15pm, Library Lounge, Building L
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton is a musical and major Broadway production, but it is also a text of poetry and a country’s shared language. Miranda notes that Alexander Hamilton wrote in dense, elaborate prose, and that the musical’s use of rap and hip hop allowed Miranda (as a song writer) to pack layers of meaning into the musical. This panel discussion will explore lyrics and text of Hamilton as literature, writing, and poetry. This is part of our One Book, One College program on the musical Hamilton.