50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War
Spring Library Lecture Series
»» Download Lecture Series Poster
Tuesday, March 13, 2018
LI 148 - 6:30-8:00 pm
“I Love the Smell of Napalm in the Morning”: Vietnam from Hollywood to Ken Burns*
Dr. Keith Edgerton, Department of History, MSU Billings
*Please be advised the film clips in the first lecture contain violence, coarse language and other disturbing content and will not be suitable for minors.
An overview of how Hollywood and documentary filmmakers have treated the Vietnam War since the 1960s with a special emphasis on examining how films have reflected American society’s changing attitudes about the War and those who were involved in it.
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
LI 148 - 6:30-8:00 pm
Female Voices of the Vietnam War
Dr. Melissa Boehm, Communication & Theatre, MSU Billings
Dr. Samuel Boerboom, Communication & Theatre, MSU Billings
This lecture details the experiences of some notable women journalists and activists who provided written and spoken accounts of the Vietnam War. Drs. Boehm and Boerboom discuss who these women were and the challenges they faced covering the war and speaking publicly about it. Women provided unique insights and perspectives into the United States’ involvement in the conflict in Southeast Asia. These contributions have had lasting impacts on the fields of journalism and politics.
Tuesday, March 27, 2018
LI 148 - 6:30-8:00 pm
The Supreme Court and the First Amendment: From Protests to Symbolic Speech
Dr. Paul Pope, Social Sciences & Cultural Studies, MSU Billings
The right of free speech is not absolute. Interpreting the constitution and analyzing Supreme Court precedents helps us understand the bounds of free speech in America. The ability of people to speak their minds freely is essential for a functional democracy. Quite often however, we lose sight of the difference between what is simply offensive speech and what is legally a protected right. The aim of this lecture is to examine the evolution of protest and symbolic speech since the Vietnam Conflict era and focus in on this lofty constitutional principle.
Tuesday, April 3, 2018
CI 135 - 6:30-8:00 pm
Music of the Vietnam Era… Beyond Protest
Dr. Mark Fenderson, Department of Music, MSU Billings
Dr. Scott Jeppesen, Department of Music, MSU Billings
Mr. Doug Nagel, Department of Music, MSU Billings, accompanied by Adjunct Music Faculty, Stephanie Davis, piano
A look at how the powerful political and cultural climate of the day influenced the music as well as how the music influenced the culture and politics.
Tuesday, April 10, 2018
LI 148 - 6:30-8:00 pm
Vietnam Voices
Mr. Darrell Ehrlick, Billings Gazette Editor & Adjunct Communication and Theatre Faculty, MSU Billings
For nearly one year, Billings Gazette Editor Darrell Ehrlick set about interviewing Vietnam veterans with local ties. At the conclusion of his project, he had interviewed 79 veterans and logged more than 105 hours of video. This presentation will show excerpts and highlights of some of these interviews, and trace some of the most poignant or significant moments from these interviews which covered every branch of the military, every time period of the war, and every region of the country.
