Monkey Love and Duck Grief: An Anthropologist's Perspective on Animal Emotions
2017-10-12 12:00 - 13:00 UTC | OK
Noon, Thursday, October 12, 2017
Free Public Lecture
University of Oklahoma
JJRhyne Community Room
Zarrow Hall
Barbara J. King, University of Notre Dame
This is co-sponsored by the Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program and The Anthropology Graduate Student Association.

The Gothic Image at the Villa Diodati: Frankenstein and The Vampyre.
2018-02-16 16:00 - 17:00 (America/New_York) | David Boren Hall (Honors College) Room #180, 1300 S. Asp St., Norman, OK, 73072, United States
February 16, 2018 | 4-5pm
OSLEP Public Event

University of Oklahoma, Norman campus
David Boren Hall (Honors College) Room #180
1300 S. Asp St.
Dr. Jerry Hogle, University of Arizona
Many are well aware that Mary Shelley’s and John Polidori’s 1818-19 novels — hugely influential on “Gothic monster” fiction-making ever since — came out of a gathering of writers at the Villa Diodati (rented by Lord Byron) on the shores of Lake Geneva during the Summer of 1816. What is less well known is exactly what both novels took from precisely what was read and discussed by the Diodati party throughout those summer months. This illustrated talk argues that it was more than just bits of content that these novels took from what that gathering perused; the very nature and symbolic capacity of the monster-figures themselves in both books (and hence their influence since) come from the sense of the Gothic image that Shelley and Polidori took in during that stormy summer from the discussions and readings that kept taking place throughout that June, July, and August.

Making Fun of Roman Comedy: Humor and Abuse, Free Lecture by Dr. Hans Bork
2023-11-06 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | Frontier Room, OU Student Union, 900 Asp Ave, Norman, OK, 73109, United States
**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**
**”Making Fun of Roman Comedy: Humor and Abuse”**
Norman, Oklahoma – September 28, 2023 – The Oklahoma Scholar Leadership Enrichment Program is set to host an enlightening lecture titled “Making Fun of Roman Comedy: Humor and Abuse.” This event will take place on Monday, November 6th at 7pm in the Frontier room of the University of Oklahoma Memorial Union and is open to the public free of charge.
Comic theater in ancient Rome was a popular form of entertainment that has left a lasting impact on the world. Playwrights like Plautus created works that were reperformed and adapted in Latin for centuries. These plays have been translated into English by renowned figures such as Shakespeare and Sondheim. However, upon closer examination, the plots and themes of Plautus’ plays reveal a dark side. They delve into topics such as slavery, torture, human trafficking, sexual abuse, and war crimes.
Scholarship on Roman comedy has often approached this material from sociological or historical perspectives, yielding contradictory results. Surprisingly, few scholars have explored how these seemingly harmful elements function as jokes. How do they manage to elicit laughter from audiences? This event aims to address this question by focusing on verbal insults and mockery as an entry point.
The lecture will be given by Dr. Hans Bork, Assistant Professor of Classics at Stanford University, who will shed light on the intricate relationship between humor and abuse in Roman comedy. Attendees can expect thought-provoking discussions and insights into the mechanisms behind comedic elements that touch upon sensitive subjects. “We believe it is crucial to examine the nuances of humor in ancient Roman comedy,” said Dr. Hans Bork. “By exploring how seemingly offensive elements can generate laughter, we hope to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural context and social dynamics at play during that era.”
This event promises to be an enlightening experience for anyone interested in ancient Roman comedy, humor studies, or the intersection of comedy and sensitive topics. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to delve into the world of Roman comedy and gain fresh perspectives on its comedic mechanisms.
For more information about this event, please visit www.oslep.org.
**Media Contact**
Karl Schmidt, Assistant Director, Oklahoma Scholar Leadership Enrichment Program. Karl.schmidt@ou.edu
**Event Details**
Title: “Making Fun of Roman Comedy: Humor and Abuse”
Date: Monday, November 6th
Time: 7pm.
Location: Frontier Room, University of Oklahoma Memorial Student Union.
Admission: Free and open to the public

OSLEP to host public lecture on cannabis legalization, policy liberalization with local perspective
2025-04-01 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Chicago) | Thurman J. White Forum Buildiing, A3, 1704 Asp Ave, A3, Norman, OK, 73072, United States
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Karl Schmidt
Email: karl.schmidt@ou.edu
OSLEP to host public lecture on cannabis legalization, policy liberalization with local perspective
[Norman, Okla. Feb. 26, 2025] – Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program will host a public lecture on cannabis policy at the OU Norman campus in the beginning of April.
OSLEP will host the public lecture Tokelahoma – How Oklahoma is a Microcosm of the Politics and Policy of Cannabis given by Daniel J. Mallinson, Ph.D. (Penn State Harrisburg) in Thurman J. White Forum Building, Room A3 on April 1 from 3.00-4.45 p.m. on the OU Norman campus. Everyone is welcome to attend the lecture free of charge.
Attendees can expect to learn about the role medical cannabis legalization in Oklahoma has on cannabis liberalization nationally.
“It is a very useful policy to study for better understanding the complexities of American federalism,” Mallinson said.
Mallinson, who is also teaching the three-credit OSLEP seminar Marijuana Politics: What We Can Learn About Federalism and the Policymaking Process, explained Oklahoma is of particular interest when studying the policies behind marijuana legalization.
“It [Oklahoma] captures so many of the interesting facets of cannabis legalization,” Mallinson said. “From the importance of the ballot initiative to its adoption to is current struggles with reforming the policy and the failure of adult-use recreational legalization.”
Mallinson is a professor of public policy and administration at Pennsylvania State University where he received his Ph.D. in political science. He released the book Green Rush – The Rise of Medical Marijuana in the United States in 2024 which he coauthored with A. Lee Hannah.
About OSLEP: The Oklahoma Scholars-Leadership Program is an intercollegiate program offering open lectures to the public and three-credit seminars to undergraduate students enrolled in any of the partnering institutions in Oklahoma. The seminars are taught by distinguished scholars from different institutions around the United States. The program is sponsored by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education.
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OSLEP Hosts Free Public Talk at First Americans Museum on Native Political Comedy in Film
2026-02-21 19:00 - 20:30 (America/Chicago) | First Americans Museum, 659 First Americans Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK, 73129, United States
The Tragedy and Farce of Oklahoma Politics in Native Film with Dr. Joshua Nelson. February 21, 2026. 7pm. First Americans Museum, OKC.

Oklahoma City, OK — The Oklahoma Scholar‑Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP) will host a free public talk by Dr. Joshua Nelson (Cherokee), Associate Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, on Saturday, February 21 at 7:00 p.m. The lecture will take place in the Five Moons Theater at the First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. The event is free and open to the public.

Dr. Nelson’s talk, “The Tragedy and Farce of Oklahoma Politics in Native Film” explores a century-long tradition of political critique in American Indian comedy on film, with particular attention to Oklahoma-centered works.

Most American Indian films in the US have generally avoided overtly provocative political themes, leaning instead toward drama and coming-of-age stories. One genre that has not shied from political critique is comedy, at least since Will Rogers’ 1924 short film series that lampooned Alfalfa Bill Murray, the giant of Oklahoma politics, up through the profane, trash-cinema of Reservation Dogs’ controversial catfish-cult episode. This talk will highlight several Oklahoma-centered Native comedies (or comedic moments) over the past one hundred years that have satirized federal Indian policy, punctured the arrogant façades of powerful institutions, and ridiculed buffoonish leaders. Moving from Rogers through Bob Hicks’ “Return of the Country” (1983), up through Reservation Dogs, and on to Erica Tremblay’s recent Fancy Dance, we see multi-fronted assaults that range from clowning on specific political figures to parodying broad, structural injustices. In staking their careers on the chance that American Indian artists can participate in political critique in a free society, these filmmakers have risked much for the sake of making us laugh.

Speaker Biography
Dr. Joshua B. Nelson is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation and a native Oklahoman. He is a President’s Associates Presidential Professor and Associate Professor of English at the University of Oklahoma, with affiliations in Film & Media Studies, Native American Studies, and Women’s & Gender Studies. He earned his Ph.D. from Cornell University and is the author of Progressive Traditions: Identity in Cherokee Literature and Culture. His scholarship appears in leading journals and edited volumes in American Indian studies and film studies. Dr. Nelson is also a co-producer, co-writer, and narrator of the PBS documentary Searching for Sequoyah.

Event Details
Host: Oklahoma Scholar-Leadership Enrichment Program (OSLEP)
Speaker: Dr. Joshua Nelson (Cherokee), Associate Professor of English, University of Oklahoma
Date: Saturday, February 21
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Five Moons Theater, inside the First Americans Museum.
Admission: Free and open to the public
GET YOUR FREE TICKETS HERE: https://portal.famok.org/tickets/en-us/product/1763438?
