No shortage of things to do and see on campus

One of the advantages to working on a university campus is the availability of free or inexpensive things to see and do. Among the many choices are lectures from visiting scholars and notables as well as from our very own faculty. You don’t need to be an expert on the topic to attend; there are no quizzes. Just go with open ears and a curious mind. You’re sure to learn something new. Here are just a few taking place during the next two weeks.

“Eloquence and Eminence: The Theatre of the Holocaust,” 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, Pyle Center

Robert Skloot, professor emeritus with the Department of Theatre and Drama, is a leading scholar on theater related to the Holocaust and genocide. His work is challenging and important, dealing with the suffering and aftermath of human horrors through theater. By looking, through theater, at what makes us want to turn away, we can better understand ourselves and our modern world.

Skloot’s lecture is part of the 16th annual award-winning series of Sunday afternoon lectures by retired UW–Madison faculty known for their teaching excellence and scholarship. Refreshments will be served following the talk. The lecture is free but registration is required. For more information visit this Web site or contact Emily Auerbach, 262-3733, eauerbach@dcs.wisc.edu.

“From Dictatorship to the Security Council: A Political Memoir,” 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26, 7:30 p.m., University Club

The Chilean ambassador to the U.N., Heraldo Munoz, will present a lecture, followed by a book signing. Munoz is chairman of the U.N. Peacebuilding Commission, served as president of the U.N. Security Council, and chaired the Al Qaida and Taliban Sanctions Committee in 2004. During the Pinochet dictatorship, he held leadership positions in the Socialist Party of Chile and co-founded the Party for Democracy. For more, visit this Web site or contact 262-0616 and skripp@wisc.edu.

“Healthy Land, Food and Eaters: An Ecological Approach to Health,” 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, 270 Soils Building

Fifth in the Agroecology Fall Lecture Series, this session will be presented by Angie Tagtow, managing editor of the Journal of Hunger and Environmental Nutrition. Then on Wednesday, Nov. 4, Hugh Campbell, director of the Centre for the Study of Food, Agriculture, and Environment at Otago University, New Zealand, will discuss “Growing Food and Knowing Food: The Traceability of Sustainability.” For more information on the two presentations, visit this Web site or contact 265-9930 and michaelbell@wisc.edu.

“Baba Brinkman’s ‘The Rap Canterbury Tales,’” 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, Chazen Museum of Art

Baba Brinkman is best known as a rapper and performance artist, but he also earned degrees in medieval and Renaissance English literature. His thesis connected the worlds of hip-hop music and literary poetry. He has toured the world with his hit theater show on the rap Canterbury Tales, a hip-hop interpretation of Chaucer’s famous work. A brief lecture at 4 p.m. on Chaucer and medieval manuscripts precedes the performance. Visit this Web site for more information.

“An Evening with Dave Eggers and Valentino Achak Deng,” 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 4, Chazen Museum of Art

Dave Eggers is the author of five books, including “What Is the What,” a finalist for the 2006 National Book Critics Circle Award. The book is about Valentino Achak Deng, a survivor of the civil war in southern Sudan. “What is the What” gave birth to the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation, which is run by Deng. Its mission is to build schools in southern Sudan. Eggers’ most recent book, “Zeitoun, is a nonfiction account of a Syrian-American immigrant and his extraordinary experience during Hurricane Katrina. Zeitoun stayed behind and helped in rescue efforts, until he was arrested and denied medical attention or a telephone call. For more information, visit this Web site.