By Alexis Simms

(Sept. 1, 2015) — The University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences is kicking off its annual Passport to the World initiative with an event Sept. 3. For the academic 2015-2016 year the focus will be "A Year of Europe." This will be a yearlong celebration of Europe through cultural events, public lectures, and travel opportunities.

“The college’s Passport to the World initiative began five years ago and enables the campus to embark on yearlong explorations of the culture and history of a particular region or country,” said Mark Lawrence Kornbluh, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “This year’s focus on Europe will integrate art, history, literature, political analysis, architecture, geography and so much more as we engage students, alumni and the Commonwealth in conversations about this dynamic area of our world.”

The kickoff event for the Year of Europe will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 3, on the lawn in front of Memorial Hall. As a part of the celebration there will be free food, T-shirts, and information about the events scheduled for the year. 

The following Wednesday, Sept. 9, at 7 p.m. in the Singletary Center,  esteemed writer, social theorist, and urban geographer Andy Merrifield, professor at the University of Cambridge, will present the kickoff lecture for A Year of Europe. Merrifield  has taught at the University of Southampton, Kings College, London and Clark University in Massachusetts. He also has been a visiting scholar to many American universities such as Johns Hopkins, University of California at Los Angeles, and the City University of New York. He is an author of nine books, and numerous articles, essays, and reviews, which have appeared in The Times, The Nation, New Left Review, Adbusters, and Harvard Design Magazine, among many others.

These two events will be the first of many that the College of Arts and Sciences will sponsor in support of A Year of Europe throughout the academic year. A partial schedule is below. Visit europe.as.uky.edu for a full listing.   

·         Oct. 26 — Europe & Global Food Security (partnering with the college of Agriculture), Roy Foster, Oxford professor of Irish history — "Making a Revolution in Ireland: Some Centenary Thoughts"

·         Oct. 13 — Mario Soos, deputy consul general for the Federal Republic of Germany — "Business and Economic Relationships between U.S. and Germany"

·         Feb. 17-19 —Partnering with the Bale-Boone Symposium

·         March 8 — Peder Anker, chair of the Department of Environmental Studies at New York University — "Environmentalism in Europe"

·         April 4 — University of Pennsylvania Professor James English — "Translated from the English: British Reality on the Global Screen"

·         April 12 and 13  —Poet Peter Fallon will present on: "Victor Hammer Biennial Lecture on the Book Arts: The Tradition of Irish Literacy Publishing and A Poetry Reading"

College of Arts and Sciences  faculty directors for A Year of Europe are: Susan Larson, associate professor of Spanish; Peter Kalliney, associate chair of the Department of English; and Jeremy Popkin, history professor. Event coordinator is Krista Greathouse, events and initiatives manager for the College of Arts and Sciences.