The presentations remaining in the 2004-05 Sweet Briar College Honors Colloquia continue a discussion of "Order and Chaos" - a theme that has taken the annual lecture series to new heights.

A few years ago the Honors Program adopted the idea of an annual topic - a common strand that colloquia presenters can choose to build their talks around. Each approaches it through the prism of his or her academic discipline. Since then the lectures have cohered in a way that strengthens the series' purpose, said Julie Hemstreet, SBC Honors Program associate administrator.

"The theme gives a sense of continuation to the colloquia series," she said. "Although not all presenters adhere to it, most do, so it becomes an ongoing, yearlong discussion."

Two previous themes - memory and values - also yielded continuity, but Hemstreet noticed something special about order and chaos. "With this theme we have ventured into the arts more than we have in past years," she said. "And that's been a nice addition."

Hemstreet points out that order and chaos are found as readily in art as in the natural or social sciences. This commonality goes to the heart of the Honors Colloquia's purpose: to present a well-rounded look at what's going on in Sweet Briar's academic community. The colloquia are especially useful to students, who may decide to take a presenter's class or pursue an honors research project with him or her. Faculty and staff also learn what their colleagues are doing in the classroom and in their research.

Kay Brimijoin, SBC assistant professor of education, is the next lecturer to explore order and chaos within a particular discipline. She will present "The Chaos of Teaching and Learning: Reaching Every Mind We Teach," on Wednesday, March 9 at 4:30 p.m. in the Honors Center.

In addition to Sweet Briar presenters, the program welcomes guest lecturers to participate. On Tuesday, March 29, Peter S. Onuf, Thomas Jefferson Foundation Professor at the University of Virginia, will present "Anarchy and Order in the American Founding." Onuf specializes in the history of the early American republic. Recently he has written about Thomas Jefferson's political thinking, which grew from his earlier studies on the history of American federalism, foreign policy, and political economy.

Look for these topics as the 2004-05 series continues:

• March 9 - Kay Brimijoin, SBC assistant professor of education: "The Chaos of Teaching and Learning: Reaching Every Mind We Teach." High-stakes testing has created chaos in public school education. Brimijoin will share research that shows how differentiation brings order to teaching and learning and enhances students' performance, including the gifted and those with special needs.


• March 29 - Peter S. Onuf, UVa professor of history: "Anarchy and Order in the American Founding." The special presentation will be held at 7 p.m. in the Cochran Library Browsing Room and is open to the College community and general public.


• March 30 - Eric Casey, SBC assistant professor of classical studies: "Collecting the Cosmos: Libraries in the Ancient World." In the ancient world, collecting books was a sign of imperial power and prestige, and kings were willing to beg, borrow, and steal for their massive collections. Casey looks mostly at the great library of Alexandria and asks why, when, or even whether the library burned to the ground. Alexandria's fitting example reveals both a devotion to creating an orderly textual universe and the exaggerated rumors of a fiery and chaotic collapse of the library.


• April 13 - Thomas J. Laub, SBC visiting assistant professor of history: "Order, Chaos, and ‘Deep Order' under the Nazi Regime." Laub will examine the turmoil beneath the apparent order of the Nazi occupation of France in World War II.


• April 27 - Tracy Chapman Hamilton, assistant professor of art history: " 'La Royne de France est a Paris venue': Queen and City as Created by Marie de Brabant and Adenet le Roi." Hamilton will draw from her work on the writings of the 13th-century poet Adenet le Roi, which paint a vivid and personal image of queen Marie de Brabant's (1260-1321) influence on the French court and city of Paris in her early years as queen. Hamilton will present on the topic in Paris at the International Medieval Society conference this summer and is writing on Marie de Brabant's patronage.

The Honors Colloquia are held at 4:30 p.m. in the Honors Center unless otherwise noted. For more information, please contact Hemstreet at 381-6473 or jhemstreet@sbc.edu.

SBC Honors Colloquia offer the entire campus community opportunities to engage in academic discourse outside of the classroom. Sweet Briar faculty, as well as visiting scholars, present research talks in all academic disciplines for audiences that include faculty and students from Sweet Briar College and occasionally students and faculty from other colleges. The informal presentations are meant to encourage questions and discussion, and all students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to participate.