Rebecca Moore, emerita professor of religious studies at San Diego State University, will discuss “The Truth About Jonestown, and Other Fictions” as part of the Hawley Foundation Lecture Series on April 5 at 7 p.m. in Sussman Theater.

The mass murder-suicides that occurred in Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978, have generated multiple reports, explanations, and theories about what led members of Peoples Temple to their tragic demise. From alternative histories to sensationalistic documentaries, depictions of the forty-year old tragedy continue to fascinate the American public. Moore examines these competing narratives in order to understand the ways in which stories about Jonestown say more about us than about those who died. This is especially clear when we consider voices that have been erased from popular media accounts: those of women, African Americans, and citizens of Guyana. Learning about the past and the various interpretations of Peoples Temple and Jonestown illuminates the ways in which we engage with new religious movements in the present.

Moore has a specialization in American religions with a focus on new religious movements. She co-edited Peoples Temple and Black Religion in America (Indiana 2004) and authored Understanding Jonestown and Peoples Temple (Praeger 2009; paperback forthcoming 2018). She co-manages the website Alternative Considerations of Jonestown and Peoples Temple. Her most recent book is Beyond Brainwashing: Perspectives on Cultic Violence (Cambridge University Press, 2018).

—Charlene Skidmore, Honors Program

Attend Dogtown After Hours in the Olmsted Center on Friday, March 30, from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. Dogtown After Hours is a large-scale, collaborative, student-led event that aims to bring campus together in an alcohol-free environment. There will be free food and games, prize giveaways, student performances, and more. Everything at the event is entirely free. Last year there were over 1,000 attendees.

— Lindsay Fiegle

The Comparison Project is hosting its next lecture on miracles Thursday, March 29, at 7 p.m. in Sussman Theater, Olmsted Center. The lecture, “Fear, Loathing, and Miracles among the Cowherders: Krishna’s Childhood Prodigies,” will be presented by Richard H. Davis, professor of religion and Asian studies at Bard College in Annandale-on-Hudson, NY. Formerly he taught as assistant and associate professor at Yale University.

Read more about the lecture.

— Monique Rodriguez, College of Arts and Sciences

Join The Harkin Institute on Thursday, April 12, at 7 p.m. to hear a panel of national security experts discuss how to keep America safe from the top global security threats of the day.

The discussion will address existing global security threats to the United States, both at home and abroad, and what is being done to keep the country safe.

The Sussman Lecture Series is dedicated to the study of issues that define our public life and to engaging students and citizens in constructive dialogue regarding these issues.

Established by Richard Sussman, AS’51, in memory of his late wife Lila, the Sussman Lecture Series takes place twice a year and invites notable public figures to discuss topical current events.

Tickets are required and seating is limited. Register now.

— Emily Schettler, The Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement