Jan 22
Images Cinema Williamstown, MA
TicketsDr. Tim J. Lebestky
Associate Professor of Biology, Chair of Neuroscience Program, Williams College
andDr. Mohamad Junaid
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Children of Men— Eco-disaster: Profound infecundity
Program Description
Drs. Lebetsky and Junaid will discuss the probability of global sterility occurring and the science of sexual production, as well as the humanitarian crises and global migrant/refugee instability as depicted in the film might play out.
This January's theme is “Eco-Disaster: How We Imagine Humankind Will Navigate Global Catastrophe.” Each talk will be unique to each film and the academic focuses of each speaker, all will delve into both the actual scientific probability of such disaster occurring — and if it will occur as depicted in the film — and the veracity of the human responses to directly avoid said catastrophe and/or the psychological/sociological effects of the catastrophe coming to pass.
Film Synopsis
In 2027, in a chaotic world in which women have become somehow infertile, a former activist agrees to help transport a miraculously pregnant woman to a sanctuary at sea.
It is the year 2027, and it has been 18 years since the last baby was born. Explosions erupt in cafes, surveillance cameras abound, armed guards roam the streets, and illegal immigrants are hauled into teeming refugee camps. Theo (Clive Owen), a jaded employee of the Ministry of Energy, tunes out the chaos that surrounds him, but finds his apolitical stance challenged by the reappearance of his former lover, Julian (Julianne Moore). Now the leader of an underground immigrant rights group, Julian pleads with Theo to help escort a young female refugee (Claire-Hope Ashitey) out of the country. After reluctantly agreeing to lend a hand, Theo discovers that the refugee is harboring a shocking, hopeful secret: she is pregnant. Adapted from the P. D. James novel of the same name, Children of Men was nominated for three Academy Awards.
About the Speaker
Tim Lebestky is the Chair of the Neuroscience program at Williams College, and a professor in the Biology Department. His research seeks to understand the underlying circuits and modulators for illness related behaviors. Professor Lebestky also teaches courses about the neurobiology of emotion in humans and animal models, and is interested in how these internal states change or motivate behaviors, and how they translate into artificial intelligence systems.
Mohamad Junaid is an anthropologist with a strong belief in teaching as crucial to creating a just, sustainable, and pluralistic world. He seeks to inspire students to build a critical understanding of socio-political questions in local and global contexts and to appreciate the interconnectedness of human and non-human worlds. He provides students with intellectual tools to nurture open-mindedness and to develop new modes of thinking. In his classes, he uses a combination of social theory, ethnographic texts, and documentary films to illuminate anthropological approaches to cultural difference and questions of inequality and power, as well as to the discipline’s creative and imaginative potential.