Changes in collective societal thinking can be gradual or they can be sudden and revolutionary. Profs and Pints Baltimore, a program bringing college faculty members into relaxing and interesting off-campus venues to share their broad knowledge about specific topics, will be focusing on the revolutionary at Baltimore’s Guilford Hall Brewery this August.
Specifically, the three Profs and Pints talks will shed light on how societies deal with revolutionary change. The professors will offer a case study of how one culture has responded to rebellions against gender norms, another will focus on research-based guidance on marijuana, and the third will bring insight into the figures who transformed how people think about the universe.
Among the gradual shifts in thinking, we have the Olympics games. They have been around for nearly 3,000 years, but only in the year 1900 were women permitted to compete, and 2024 is the first year in which numerical gender parity will have been achieved. Leeches have been medicinal tools by the ancient Egyptians, and in the 19th century were the first method of treating any number of ailments via bloodletting. This practice is no longer common, but they are, however, still used for specific purposes in modern medicine under controlled circumstances.
Even within the fields of gender and medicine, however, there have been revolutions, and that is the focus of August’s Profs and Pints Baltimore talks.
On Aug. 18 at 4 p.m., Michele M. Mason, associate professor of Japanese cultural studies at University of Maryland at College Park will spotlight women who became notorious in Japan for pushing social boundaries. During “Japan’s Most Feared Women,” Mason will offer insights on Japanese history and culture and provide a broader lesson on the ways in which challenging traditional ways of doing things can trigger moral panic and backlash. Advance tickets are $13.50 and can be purchased by clicking this link.
On Aug. 22 at 6 p.m., Ryan G. Vandrey, professor at the Johns Hopkins University Cannabis Science Lab will discuss cannabis and its effects, including the benefits and risks. In “The Straight Dope on Cannabis,” he will highlight and dispel myths surrounding marijuana, and even give the audience a crash course on the differences between THC, CBD, and other chemicals found in the cannabis plant. Vandrey will summarize research on the drug’s safety and what to consider before using it for therapeutic purposes. Advance tickets are $13.50 and can be purchased by clicking this link.
On Aug. 28 at 6 p.m., William Egginton, a Johns Hopkins University professor of humanities and intellectual historian, will introduce the audience to great thinkers who have upended our concept of reality. “The Cosmic Imagination” will look back beyond quantum physics and relativity from the 20th century to the thinking from centuries before of artists, mystics, poets, and thinkers who lay the foundation for challenging our notions of time and space. Egginton will discuss Plato, Kant, Borges, Einstein, and more. It sounds erudite, but the talk will be geared toward a general audience and fashioned for understanding. Advance tickets are $13.50 and can be purchased by clicking this link.
