The 2023 Speakers for Scholarships Series was a great success with engaging speakers on various topics from reading body language to modern drama. The Speakers for Scholarship Series, a fund-raising event to help students finance their education through our CCWC scholarships, was held monthly on Sundays from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM at the Fairfax Station Railroad Museum.
2023 Speaker Topics Included
February 26, 2023 Reading Body Language CluesPresented by Dr. Susan Adams
March 26, 2023Artists of the High RenaissancePresented by Nick Glakas
April 30, 2023Russia’s War on the UkrainePresented by Dr. Steven Barnes
May 7, 2023What’s Modern About Modern Drama?Presented by Dr. Rick Davis
More About Our Speakers and Topics
February 26 – Reading Body Language Clues
Dr. Susan Adams is a retired FBI Agent, author, college professor, and researcher in
the field of Investigative Interviewing.
Have you ever wondered what you look like when you’re not looking? You’ll find out in
this interactive presentation filled with photos, videos, and demonstrations. You’ll learn
how you and others use space and what this tells others about you. You’ll also practice
recognizing clues to stress such as increased respiration, perspiration, heart rate and
adrenaline.
March 26 – Artists of the High Renaissance
Nick Glakas is a former naval officer, international lawyer, college association
president and cruise ship lecturer.
Journey back to 16th century Italy when Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Titian
pursued artistic excellence and individual fame. The Renaissance reached its highpoint
with these great artists and their famous works such as Leonardo’s paintings of “Mona
Lisa” and the “Last Supper,” Michelangelo’s sculpture of the “Pieta” and the “David,”
Raphael’s numerous paintings of “Madonna and Child” and Titian’s magnificent canvass
of “The Assumption of the Virgin.”
April 30 – Russia’s War on Ukraine: Origins and Update
Dr. Steven Barnes – author and Associate Professor of Russian History and
Director of the Program in Russian and Eurasian Studies at George Mason.
What is Ukraine and how did it come to be the object of Putin’s violent obsession? How
do Ukraine’s history and culture help us understand the rise of this nation and their
resistance and resilience? What historical analogies are appropriate to our
understanding of this war? In this lecture and discussion, Professor Steven Barnes will
explore the historical origins of Russia’s war on Ukraine and provide an update on the
most recent developments and potentialities for the future.
May 7 – What’s Modern About Modern Drama?
Dr. Rick Davis – Dean of George Mason’s College of Visual and Performing Arts
(and Ibsen translator/director/scholar).
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, titanic playwrights like Ibsen, Chekhov, and
Shaw revolutionized the foundations of drama in response to changing understandings
of science, religion, human rights, psychology, and culture. How did this happen, and
what has become of their revolution today? Is “modern drama” still modern? This talk
explores the fascinating intersections of theater and society in a time of ferment and
discovery.