Tuesday, August 06, 2002

The Campus Activities and Involvement Center at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington announces its 2002-03 Leadership Lecture Series Constructing Conscience: A Matter of Values. The series features distinguished speakers that cross the boundaries of academic disciplines to explore aspects of values, integrity and self-awareness in contemporary society. All events are scheduled for 7 p.m., Mondays, in UNCW’s Kenan Auditorium with the exception of David Sedaris, whose lecture is set for 8 p.m., Friday, April 11.

Featured speakers include Bruce Feiler, best-selling author of Walking the Bible; environmental leader Robert F. Kennedy Jr.; Asian-American actor B.D. Wong; Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison, international authority and researcher on mental illness; and acclaimed author, satirist and NPR commentator David Sedaris. The detailed schedule is listed below.

Bruce Feiler

7 p.m., Monday, Sept. 30

“Jews, Christians and Muslims: Unity and Discord Among the Children of Abraham”

Feiler is hailed as one of the leading writers of his generation with five critically acclaimed books to his credit, including The New York Times bestseller Walking the Bible. A graduate of Yale University, this award-winning journalist is a regular commentator on NPR’s “All Things Considered.” In researching and writing his books, Feiler has traveled to more than 60 countries on five continents, immersing himself in different cultures and adventures. Feiler’s lecture will include a slide presentation.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

7 p.m., Monday, Nov. 4

“Our Environmental Destiny”

Kennedy is an environmental leader, attorney, author and professor of law at Pace University. He is also president of the Water Keeper Alliance, chief prosecuting attorney for fishermen on the Hudson River and senior attorney for the National Resources Defense Council as well as co-author of River Keepers, a book about the growing movement to protect waterways.

B.D. Wong

7 p.m., Monday, Feb. 10

“All the World’s a Stage: Supporting the Transformation from Exclusion to Inclusion”

Wong is one of America’s most versatile young actors. His award-winning performances span comedy and drama, screen and stage. Wong, who earned a Tony Award for his starring role in M. Butterfly, is best known for his portrayal of Father Ray Mukada, the compassionate and tireless Catholic priest in the controversial HBO series Oz. His lecture will provide a glimpse into his development as an actor and the deeply personal issues of transformation stemming from his adolescent confusion of racial self-hatred to his eventual self-acceptance. This lecture is presented in partnership with the UNCW Office of Campus Diversity.

Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison

7 p.m., Monday, March 24

“An Unquiet Mind”

Jamison, a professor of psychiatry at John Hopkins University, is an international authority and researcher on mental illness. Her lectures, monographs and books illuminate for a general audience the often-devastating consequences of serious mood disorders. Jamison, who suffers from manic-depression, has written about her experience and management of this disorder in two books, An Unquiet Mind and Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide. From the dual perspective of expert and afflicted, Jamison educates the public about depression in an effort to reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and its treatments.

David Sedaris

8 p.m., Friday, April 11

Sedaris made his comic debut on NPR recounting his sad but unfortunately true experiences as a Macy’s Christmas elf. Regarded as one of America’s wittiest and most irreverent voices, Sedaris’ incisive, sardonic humor spares no one, especially himself. Sedaris is the best-selling author of Barrel Fever, Naked, Holidays on Ice, and most recently, Me Talk Pretty One Day. This presentation is in partnership with the UNCW Creative Writing Department and the Arts in Action Performance Series.

Box Office and Ticket Information

Tickets are $6 for the public and free for UNCW students, faculty, and staff with the exception of David Sedaris. Tickets to the Sedaris lecture/performance are $18 for the public; $12 for faculty, staff and seniors; and $6 for UNCW students and children under 12. Following each lecture, there will be a question-and-answer session. For tickets, contact the Kenan Auditorium Box Office at 800/732-3643 or 910/962-3500 between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

For more information on the series or to request black-and-white and/or color photographs of the speakers, contact Shannon Hooker, assistant director for programs and marketing, at 910/962-7600 or hookers@uncw.edu. Series information is also available on the Web at www.uncw.edu/stuaff/arts.