Simco Lecture Will Explore the Meaning of Commanded Memory

February 6, 2018 - The Simco Lecture at the University of Memphis will welcome Dr. Marjorie Hass, president of Rhodes College, who will discuss "'Zakhor,' 'Never Forget' and the Meaning of Commanded Memory" Thursday, March 1, in the UC Memphis Room (340). A reception will begin at 5:30 p.m., followed by the lecture at 6 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

From the Biblical injunction to remember (zakhor) historical events to the post-Shoah imperative "never forget," to current debates about public memorials, the psychological act of memory takes on a moral dimension. Hass' talk will ask what it means to command memory, when such commandments are justified, and how they can be fulfilled.

Hass began her tenure as the 20th president of Rhodes College on July 1, 2017. She previously served as president of Austin College and provost of Muhlenberg College. A professor of philosophy, she has been recognized for her teaching excellence. A board member of the Association for American Colleges and Universities and former board chair of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, Hass is a nationally recognized spokesperson for the value of a liberal arts education. She has served on the board of the Council for Independent Colleges and as a presidential sponsor for the Texas Women in Higher Education conference.

The Simco Lecture is jointly sponsored by the Department of Philosophy and the Marcus W. Orr Center for the Humanities.