Friday, December 3, 2001: First Fridays Speaker Series presents Russ Leo, PhD, Princeton University 
Join us for a First Fridays Speakers Series event with Dr. Russ Leo of Princeton University.
Date: Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Location: Hamilton Smith Hall, room 101
Historians and critics have for too long depicted Jean Calvin as severe and cruel, as merely a theologian of predestination; even after thirty years of exemplary revisionist studies of Calvin's life, work, and influence, one is still forced to argue for an alternative narrative, for an intellectual Calvin with more supple conceptual resources at his disposal. Mr. Leo's recent work investigates Calvin's affective determination of faith as well as the many ways in which his sermons, commentaries, and the 1559 Institutes emerge in conversation with contemporary rhetorical and poetic materials. In short, Mr. Leo examines how reflection on poetry, oratory, and drama enables Calvin to understand such central theological concepts as faith, predestination, and redemption, and the many ways through which poets, in turn, experimented with forms and ideas in conversation with Calvin's theology. In particular, Mr. Leo works with the first generation of "Calvinist" writers in English -- Arthur Golding, Thomas Norton, Fulke Greville and Phillip Sidney -- to show how these writers understood and employed the affective purchase of Calvinist theology.
The University of New Hampshire English Department Speakers Series sponsors Professors of English and other disciplines from various academic institutions for a visit to UNH during which they present a current paper and discuss their research. This event is free and open to the public. Please contact the UNH English Department for more information about this event: (603) 862-1313.
If you would like to learn more about Prof. McKeown's research interests please visit his Princeton University website: Princeton University/Russ Leo
