Section A · Page 6
The University Daily Kansan
Wednesday, September 22, 1999
Wednesday, September 29,1999 Thursday, September 30,1999 10:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
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Potential new members
Prospective students listen to Erica Hawthorne of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Alpha Kappa Alpha was the first African-American sorority and it promotes unity and friendship with service to mankind. The National Pan-Hellenic Council held an informational meeting representing members from the African-American and Hispanic sororities and fraternities. Photo by Melissa Thornton/KANSAN
Film series retains humor
Organizers use popular movies to explore past
By Erinn R. Barcomb Special to the Kansan
Taking its cue from the increase in last year's turnout, this semester's line-up for the humanities and western civilization film series will continue to be more modern and comedic than in previous years.
"Last year we went to a popular film series," said Joel Morton, senior instructor of the humanities and western civilization program. "The hope is to draw more people in."
Morton said that between 30 and 40 students showed up at each film last year, a substantial increase from the year before.
Last year, in response to a low student turnout for the films, the series' organizer stopped showing educational and documentary films and switched strategy.
The first film in this semester's series will be an adaptation of Homer's The Odyssey. Ulysses is a
1954 Italian film starring Kirk Douglas and Anthony Quinn. While Douglas and Quinn speak English in the film, the English of the Italian actors is poorly dubbed.
Although the film has close ties with western civilization classes, Morton stressed the humorous side of it as well.
"It has a lot of fun stuff in it, including Kirk Douglas battling the drunken Cyclops," he said, giving an example of special effects of the 1950s.
Although the classes do not read The Odyssey, Morton said the film offered a good lead-in to other ancient Greek works studied in western civilization classes.
"It's like one of those Japanese sci-fi films," Morton said.
"They offer a contemporary, popular representation of ancient times in modern times," he said. "It is important to see what we think about them as opposed to the previous generation."
Morton cited an example from Ulysses where institutionalized homosexuality was not mentioned because of the social mores of the 1950s.
"After recent scholarship, we know better," he said.
Although the series is aimed at western civilization students, anyone is welcome.
"We'd love it if any student on campus wanted to stop by," Morton said.
The film will be shown at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 30 at 3139 Wescoe Hall. The event is free. Other films in the fall series are Monty Python and the Holy Grail Oct.21 and Elizabeth Nov.18.
Morton said the spring series would probably begin with a screening of Star Wars.
"We're encouraging our teaching staff to offer extra credit for attending the screening and writing a short essay on it," he said.
Anne Daugherty, a western civilization discussion leader, said she probably would offer her students extra credit.
"It's part of popular culture in terms of films," she said. "It's one person's interpretation of what we're looking at."
For questions about the series, Morton can be reached at 864-3013 or at his office in 1029 Wescoe Hall.
"We encourage the students to watch the films critically, not only for pleasure," he said.
—Edited by Julia Nicholson
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