Lecture series shows breadth of career options

Lecture series shows breadth of career options

Showing a breadth of career options for humanities degree holders, Rice humanities alumni will join Rice faculty to present the Humanities Research Center (HRC) undergraduate lecture series, “Big Questions and Future Directions in the Humanities.” The goal: Show undergraduates the wide range of career options available to students who graduate with a degree from the School of Humanities.

Rice alumni who have achieved success in nonacademic fields will talk to students about their careers in media, law and information technology. Rice faculty will discuss their research and how they are shaping their fields. One lecture will address how to pursue graduate school. Also, one panel discussion led by the HRC’s four graduate dissertation fellows will specifically address the challenges of graduate school.

Lectures are open to all Rice undergraduates and take place once a month on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. in Herring Hall, Room 125.

Aug. 29
Troy Williams, who received a bachelor’s degree in history from Rice in 1995, is founder of Questia Media Inc. He will present “Oh, the Places You’ll Go with a Humanities Degree.”

Sept. 19
Kristen Ostherr, assistant professor of English, will discuss “Medical Visions: Producing the Patient Through Film, Television and Imaging Technologies.”

Oct. 10
Jill Carroll, who received a doctorate in religious studies from Rice in 1994, is associate director of the Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance and adjunct associate professor of religious studies. She will discuss “The Challenge of Peaceful Coexistence.”

Nov. 14
Karolin Fellner, who received bachelor’s degrees in English and economics from Rice in 2004, is now product manager at Pricing and Revenue Optimizations Solutions. She will present “Using a Humanities Degree in the IT Sector.”

Dec. 5
HRC dissertation fellows Cecilia Balli, anthropology graduate student; Ryan Foster, history graduate student; David Messmer, English graduate student; and Ann Ziker, history graduate student, will present “Grad School Confidential: The Next Step in Research Methods.”

Jan. 16, 2008
Charles Szalkowski, who received bachelor’s degrees in arts and accounting from Rice in 1970 and 1971, is now a venture capital and private equities transactions lawyer at Baker Botts L.L.P. He will discuss “Does the World Need Any More Lawyers? Taking (or Escaping) the Well-Marked Path.”

Feb. 13
Alexander X. Byrd, who received a bachelor’s degree in history from Rice in 1986, is now an assistant professor of history. He will present “American Slavery: We’re Over That, Right?”

March 12
Scott McGill, assistant professor of classics, will discuss “Plagiarism Before Copyright: Understanding Literacy Theft in Latin Antiquity.”

April 9
Joseph Campana, assistant professor of English, will present “Bleeding Trees and Uncanny Children.”