Homecoming & Parents Weekend October 3-5, 2003 By Genevieve Shiffrar September 16, 2003

Homecoming & Parents Weekend 2003 at UC Berkeley will be filled with fun events for everyone. Starting Friday, October 3rd and running through Sunday afternoon October 5th, Homecoming & Parents Weekend will be capped by the Cal Bears football game against Oregon State in Memorial Stadium on Saturday. (Game time to be announced 12 days prior to event.)

You don't need to be a sports fan to enjoy Homecoming & Parents Weekend: Faculty Seminars, Performing Arts, Guided Tours, and the Homecoming Carnival and CubFest for kids are just some of the activities for everyone.

Alumni listen to a faculty seminar. Photo: Peg Skorpinski

The Faculty Seminars are some of the most inspirational and informative events of the weekend. Registering* for the seminars allows participants to learn about fascinating issues from renowned experts in a variety of fields.

The most important event for L&S parents is a special faculty seminar, Academic Nuts and Bolts of the College of Letters & Science: A Primer for Cal Parents. Parents and others interested are invited to learn about the College of Letters & Science and the rich educational opportunities open to students at every stage of their liberal-arts studies. Speakers include Robert Holub, Professor of German and Dean of the Undergraduate Division; Alix Schwartz, Director of Academic Planning, Undergraduate Policy & Analysis; and Terry Strathman, Program Director, Office of Undergraduate Research. This seminar will take place in 145 Dwinelle Hall, 10:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

In addition, there are nine other Letters & Science Faculty Seminars on a range of issues in the liberal arts:

• Alan Dundes, Professor of Anthropology and Folklore, will discuss Folklore in the Modern World. From time immemorial to the present day, folklore has been a vital force in all human societies. Ancient myths, classic fairy tales, and popular folksongs have long been a staple, but today we find added to these such items as newly created proverbs, urban legends, and e-mail folklore. A sample of modern folklore will be considered with special emphasis on how it articulates key themes of the American worldview and values. Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Engineering Center, 3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Friday.

• Alex Filippenko, Professor of Astronomy, will explore The Runaway Universe. Recently, observations of distant exploding stars have shown that the expansion of the universe is unexpectedly speeding up. This resurrects Einstein's original, but long-abandoned idea of an "antigravity" effect in the universe, driven by a mysterious "dark energy." 145 Dwinelle Hall, 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Saturday.

• Erich S. Gruen, Professor of History and Classics, will present Sex and Humor in Biblical Narratives. Professor Gruen will discuss three famous female characters in late biblical texts: Esther, Judith, and Susanna. Each has served as a form of paradigm for the feminist heroine in a patriarchal society. On close examination, however, the tales in which these heroines appear are riddled with mockery and satire that may do more to deflate than to elevate women's position in Jewish society. 1 Pimentel Hall, Noon - 1:00 p.m. Saturday.

• Dacher Keltner, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Berkeley Center for the Development of Peace and Well-Being, will discuss Human Goodness: Its Nature and Evolution. Professor Keltner will outline the evolutionary origins of human goodness and benevolence and talks about his research on the two classes of emotions that promote concern for others. The first class contains the emotions that promote long-term commitments, including love, compassion, gratitude, and awe. The second class represents short-circuit conflict and fight-or-flight tendencies, including embarrassment, laughter, and play. 155 Dwinelle Hall, 10:30 - 11:30 a.m. Saturday.

• John Kuriyan, Chancellor's Professor in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology and the College of Chemistry, will describe Pioneering Discoveries for Health Research. Professor Kuriyan, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator and member of the National Academy of Sciences, plots the course for future cancer and infectious disease research. He studies the molecular switches cells use to set in motion events crucial to cell growth and death. Cancers develop when these switches malfunction. By studying the structure and mechanism of these switches at the atomic level, Kuriyan's research guides the development of drugs to correct these defects. Sibley Auditorium, Bechtel Engineering Center, 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Friday.

• Robert W. Levenson, Professor of Psychology and Director of the Institute of Personality and Social Research, will explore Marriage and Emotion: Bluster, Blisters, and Bliss. Professor Levenson will describe findings from the Institute's research on the inner workings of marriage and other intimate relationships. The research covers a broad range of relationships — from newlyweds to couples married more than 50 years — and a broad range of ages — from young adults to the very old. The focus of this talk will be on the emotional qualities of a couple's interactions as a factor in relationship satisfaction, relationship stability, and health. The research findings will be illustrated using videotaped examples drawn from the Institute's library of interactions between more than 1,000 couples over the past 25 years. 112 Wurster Hall, 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Friday.

• Martha L. Olney, Adjunct Professor of Economics, will examine Lessons from the Great Depression. Professor Olney, a 2003 recipient of UC Berkeley's Distinguished Teaching Award, will investigate the country's economic collapse in the early 1930s and look for signs in today's economy that we might be headed down the same path. She will question whether current economic policy makers are in a position to prevent a repeat of the Great Depression. 112 Wurster Hall, 11:00 a.m. - Noon Friday.

• Eliot Quataert, Assistant Professor of Astronomy, will present Black Holes: Cosmic Vacuum Cleaners. Professor Quataert will discuss the remarkable properties of black holes and where they're found in the universe. E-mail sawells@uclink.berkeley.edu for more information. 544 Campbell Hall, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Friday.

• Michael Watts, Director of the Institute of International Studies, Class of '63 Chair in Undergraduate Studies and Chancellor's Professor in the Department of Geography, will describe Development and Globalization in the Wake of September 11th. Professor Watts will explore the relations between the September 11th attacks, globalization and mass poverty, and development in the developing world. This faculty seminar is sponsored by the Class of '63. Heyns Room, Faculty Club, 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Friday.

Whether you participate in the Class Procession to Memorial Stadium, experience the world premier of Foe (an adaptation of the J.M. Coetzee novel by Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies Professor Peter Glazer), enjoy a guided tour of the Hearst Museum of Anthropology, or learn something new in a Faculty Seminar, Homecoming and Parents Weekend 2003 on October 3- 5 is sure to be fun and memorable.

* Most events, including the Faculty Seminars, require registration. Call (888) UNIV-CAL or see the Berkeley Homecoming & Parents Weekend website for registration options as well as the complete schedule of events.