Armstrong State University is pleased to announce the schedule for the 2015-2016 Moveable Feast lecture and performance series, presented by the university’s esteemed College of Liberal Arts faculty in historic venues throughout Savannah. All events are free and open to the public.

The Moveable Feast’s September 24 kick-off marks Armstrong’s third consecutive year of featuring monthly lectures and performances by distinguished faculty. The goal of the Moveable Feast series is to celebrate the vital role the liberal arts play in keeping the ideal of democratic education alive. This year’s lineup will include lectures on a variety of topics and conclude with a jazz-infused annotated performance. 

“Armstrong’s Moveable Feast series offers the Savannah community the opportunity to celebrate the joy of lifelong learning,” said Dr. Teresa Winterhalter, professor of English and assistant dean of Armstrong’s College of Liberal Arts. “We invite the public to share an evening with our accomplished faculty, exploring thought-provoking ideas in a wide range of fields.”

Members of the media may contact Melanie Simón at [email protected] or 912.344.2904 for more information and interview/image requests. The complete schedule of events follows.

Thursday, September 24, 2015, 6 p.m.

“Donald Duck’s Allies: José Carioca, the Brazilian Expeditionary Force and U.S. Armed Forces in World War II”

Dr. Michael Hall, Department of History

The American Legion Ballroom, 1108 Bull St.

Disney meets South America in this lecture, which will examine how the animated film Saludos Amigos helped launch Brazil’s position as a U.S. ally during WWII and will review the positive benefits for both the Allied Forces and Brazil in this agreement. Dr. Michael Hall’s research interests include Latin American studies and U.S. foreign relations. Hall has a Ph.D. in History from Ohio University. 

Thursday, November 19, 2015, 6 p.m.

“Suiting up the Hero: Armor and Identity from The Black Prince to The Dark Knight”

Dr. Grant Gearhart, Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy

The Telfair Museum Rotunda, 121 Barnard St.

Blending history and popular culture, this lecture will analyze the roles armor played for knights during the early Renaissance period and will discuss the similar, modern purposes of the “batsuit” in Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. Dr. Grant Gearhart’s research interests include chivalry, medieval warfare and fifteenth-century chronicles. Gearhart has a Ph.D. in Medieval and Early Modern Spanish Literature from the University of North Carolina.  

Thursday, February 4, 2016, 6 p.m.

“Crossroads of Oppression: An Analysis of the Intersection of Race and Gender in the History of Slavery in Savannah”

Drs. Jennifer Padilla Wyse and Alison Hatch, Department of Criminal Justice, Social and Political Science

The Beach Institute, 502 East Harris St.

This joint lecture will trace the complicated links and intersections between gender and the history of slavery and the slave trade in Savannah. Hatch and Wyse’s research interests include social inequality, gender and relationships. Both professors hold a Ph.D. in Sociology.

Thursday, March 10, 2016, 6 p.m.

"Cultural Cannibals or Twentieth Century Heroes?: The Case of Christodora Settlement House." 

Dr. June Hopkins, Department of History

The Massie School Classroom, 207 East Gordon St.

Armstrong State University will host a free lecture by Dr. June Hopkins, a professor in the History Department. The lecture will explore how middle-class, educated women entered into the public sphere using the settlement house as a gateway institution. Although the emphasis was on Americanizing their immigrant neighbors, Hopkins will discuss how these women found a political voice and influenced social policies. Hopkins’ research interests include welfare history, the Great Depression and World War II. Hopkins has a Ph.D. in History from Georgetown University. This event is free and open to the public.      

Thursday, April 14, 2016, 6 p.m.

“Refitting Old Ships: How Jazz Builds on Its Own Past”

Drs. Randall Reese and Steve Primatic, Department of Art, Music and Theater

Ships of the Sea Museum, 41 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.

The lecture will serve as the grand finale of this season’s Moveable Feast and will include a jazz quartet performance to show how jazz musicians expand on music of the past during the creation of new work. They will demonstrate jazz’s process of creating rhythmic, harmonic, melodic and stylistic variations for existing pieces in order to reimagine musical staples. Reese specializes in the saxophone and directs the Jazz Ensemble. Primatic specializes in percussion instruments and directs the Percussion Ensemble. Both professors hold a D.M.A. This event is free and open to the public