Washington and Lee begins Questioning Intimacy lecture series

Washington and Lee’s Questioning Intimacy lecture series begins Thursday, Sept. 14 at 4:30 p.m. in Stackhouse Theatre with well-known lecturer and social scientist Eric Klinenberg. The title of his lecture is “The Sociology of Connection: From Going Solo to Modern Romance.”

This is the third series of its kind that W&L has facilitated, beginning with Questioning the Good Life in 2012-13 and followed by Questioning Passion in 2015-16.

Questioning Intimacy is a year-long seminar series that strives to explore intimacy in its various forms. The seminar is organized around a series of six visiting speakers chosen for the discipline they represent and the perspective they bring to W&L’s study of intimacy. Each of the speakers is a leader in his or her field.

“I think the great thing about this series is that it is engaging at a gut level, and can be interesting for all disciplines,” said Karla Murdock, professor of psychology. “Almost anyone, at any age and from any walk of life, is curious about intimacy in some form or other. This is relevant to all of us.”

The three public lectures in the fall provide occasion for reflection on the meaning, experience, future, and value of intimate life. In addition to Klinenberg, speakers include poet and literary critic Susan Stewart and evolutionary psychologist Zanna Clay. Three public lectures in the winter/spring will explore these themes in applied or practical settings. These speakers include urbanist Charles Montgomery, legal scholar Anita Allen, and Pediatric oncologist and Divinity School professor Raymond Barfield.

Questioning Intimacy series speaker dates and times are as follows:

• Thursday, Sept. 14, 4:30 p.m.: Eric Klinenberg (Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons)
• Thursday, Sept. 28, 4:00 p.m.: Susan Stewart – public lecture (Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons)
• Thursday, Nov. 2, 4:30 p.m.: Zanna Clay (Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons)
• Thursday, Jan. 11, 4:30 p.m.: Charles Montgomery (Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons)
• Thursday, Feb. 1, 4:30 p.m.: Anita Allen (Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons)
• Thursday, Mar. 1, 4:30 p.m.: Raymond Barfield (Stackhouse Theater, Elrod Commons)

The public lectures are free and open to the public.