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Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137

Laramie

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-2929

Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu

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UW Saturday U Program In Gillette March 29

March 14, 2014
Woman smiling
Leslie Waggener, archivist and head of the UW American Heritage Center's Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership, will discuss Wyoming’s energy boom-and-bust history during Saturday U, UW’s free one-day college education program Saturday, March 29, in Gillette. (UW Photo)

Area residents have the opportunity to go back to college for a day -- minus the tests, stress and homework -- Saturday, March 29, with three professors from the University of Wyoming and Gillette College who will lecture during Saturday U, UW’s free one-day college education program.

Single motherhood in contemporary horror films; income inequality and today’s economic challenges; and Wyoming’s energy boom-and-bust cycle are topics that will be discussed at the Gillette College presentation hall. The program is free and open to the public.

The half-day of college classes and discussion begins with refreshments at 8:30 a.m., followed by a welcoming address at 8:45 a.m. The guest lectures begin at 9 a.m.

In its sixth year, Saturday U is a collaborative program that connects popular UW and community college professors with lifelong learners. Offered six times a year -- twice each in Jackson, Gillette and Sheridan -- Saturday U is sponsored by the university, the UW Foundation, UW Outreach School and Wyoming Humanities Council. The program is presented locally by Gillette College and the UW Outreach School.

Participants may attend one, two or all three lectures in Gillette, plus the final luncheon and roundtable discussion at 12:30 p.m. The program is free and open to the public.

Listed below are program topic descriptions and UW and Gillette College representatives lecturing:

9 a.m. -- “Mother as Monster: Scary Single Motherhood in Contemporary Horror Films,” Miranda Miller, Gillette College English Division. According to the latest census data, the number of single mothers has tripled since 1970 to more than 10 million. At the same time, the single mother -- the image of the broken household -- has become a regular feature of horror cinema, engendering a real and enduring fear, Miller says. She will analyze how contemporary horror films interact with this changing role of motherhood.

10:15-11:15 a.m. -- “Income Inequality and America’s Coming Economic Challenges,” Rob Godby, UW associate professor of economics and finance. Income inequality in American society -- and the choice of appropriate public policies to combat it -- have recently taken center stage in public discourse, Godby says. He will discuss the underlying trends regarding income inequality and why it may or may not matter with respect to the nation’s future economic growth.

After describing possible causes of inequality and its trends during the past 30 years, Godby will address challenges and actions American citizens and policy makers should consider in attempting to rectify the issue.

11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. -- “Please Give Us One More Boom: Oil and Gas in Wyoming,” Leslie Waggener, archivist and head of the UW American Heritage Center's Alan K. Simpson Institute for Western Politics and Leadership. “Boom and bust in the state’s oil and gas industry has been a repeated theme as this industry rose to become Wyoming’s primary revenue generator,” Waggener says.

From the 1920s Salt Creek boom to the recent developments in Sublette County and the Niobrara Shale oil play, Waggener draws from historic materials and recent oral histories to draw conclusions and proffer suggestions for her topic.

For more information, visit the Saturday U website at www.uwyo.edu/saturdayu/[BROKEN LINK].

Contact Us

Institutional Communications

Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137

Laramie

Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: (307) 766-2929

Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu

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