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The Spring 2014 Honors Program symposia series will kick off Tuesday, Jan. 28, with a presentation by the honors students of Denis Rey, assistant professor of government and world affairs, and James Lopez, chair of the Department of Language and Linguistics and associate professor of Spanish, on “Cuba Revisited: Politics, Culture and a Future Uncertain.” The talk begins at 4 p.m. in the Board Room on the ninth floor of the Vaughn Center.

During the presentation, Rey, Lopez and their honors students will share their experiences from a January 2014 visit to Cuba. The 12-day trip was part of a semester-long course on Cuban history and culture, designed to help participants understand Cuba’s history, its difficult relationship to the United States and the events that led to the 1959 revolution under Fidel Castro.

Guest speakers in the symposia series include Elisabeth Vallet and Charles-Philippe David from the Université du Québec à Montréal, who will speak on “Do Good Fences Make Smart Borders?” on Tuesday, March 4, at 4 p.m. in the Reeves Theater on the second floor of the Vaughn Center. On Monday, March 17, Claudia Fritsche, ambassador of the Principality of Liechtenstein, will speak in Plant Hall’s Fletcher Lounge at 1 p.m. And on Thursday, March 27, Juan Antonio Flores, associate director of public affairs for the North American Development Bank, will present “U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Cooperation for Development: The Case of the North American Development Bank” at 4 p.m. in Reeves Theater.

All lectures are free, open to the public and held on the UT campus. For a full schedule, see below:

• Tuesday, Jan. 28: “Cuba Revisited: Politics, Culture and a Future Uncertain,” Denis Rey, assistant professor of government and world affairs, James Lopez, chair of the Department of Language and Linguistics and associate professor of Spanish, and honors students, Board Room, ninth floor of Vaughn Center, 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 5: “Examining the Self: Gender Identity, Social Engagement and Art Production,” Jono Vaughan, adjunct professor of art, Reeves Theater, 5 p.m.
• Thursday, Feb. 13: Jason Simmons, assistant professor of sport management, “Fan Devotion and Family Conflict,” Macdonald-Kelce Library AV2, 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 19: Kelly Fitzgerald, Kristine Zambito and Hannah Webster, honors students, “The Honors Oxford Semester Abroad Experience,” Macdonald-Kelce Library AV 2, 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, Feb. 26: “Somewhere Between Evangelical and ‘Queer’: Sexual-Religious Identity Work in an LGBT Christian Church,” Jason Sumerau, assistant professor of sociology, Macdonald-Kelce Library AV 2, 5 p.m.
• Tuesday, March 4: “Do Good Fences Make Smart Borders?,” Elisabeth Vallet and Charles-Philippe David, professors at the Université du Québec à Montréal, Reeves Theater, 4 p.m.
• Monday, March 17: International Speaker Series, Claudia Fritsche, ambassador of the Principality of Liechtenstein, Fletcher Lounge, Plant Hall, 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, March 19: “College Students’ Responses to Dating Violence Victimization and Perpetration,” Kathryn Branch, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice, Reeves Theater, 4 p.m.
• Thursday, March 27: “U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Cooperation for Development: The Case of the North American Development Bank,” Juan Antonio Flores, associate director of public affairs for the North American Development Bank, Reeves Theater, 4 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 2: “From Crabs, Scorpions to Humans — Are Behaviors Really What We Think They are for? Good Sex for her may be Bad Sex for Him,” Abraham Miller, assistant professor of health sciences and human performance, and Jennifer Wortham, associate professor of health sciences and human performance, Crescent Club, ninth floor of the Vaughn Center, 4 p.m.
• Thursday, April 10: “Luminescent Europium (III) Complexes for Anion Sensing Applications,” Eric Werner, assistant professor of chemistry, with Tavya Benjamin, honors student, Macdonald-Kelce Library AV2, 5 p.m.
• Tuesday April 15: “Corporate Taxes: Shareholders versus the Government,” Christine Harrington, assistant professor of finance, and Walter P. Smith, associate professor of accounting, Macdonald-Kelce Library AV2, 4 p.m.
• Thursday, April 24: “Celebrating Honors: Undergraduate Research Fellows Presentation,” Honors Undergraduate Research Fellows, Board Room, ninth floor of the Vaughn Center, 4 p.m.
• Monday, April 28: “Ethical Approaches to Disciplinary Controversies,” David Reamer, assistant professor of English, with honors students, Macdonald-Kelce Library AV2, 2:30 p.m.

Please note that dates and locations are subject to change. For more information, contact the Honors Program at (813) 257-3545 or honors@ut.edu.