"Culture and Crisis," a community dialogue series led by Coastal Carolina University faculty, are held each Wednesday through March 24 at the Waccamaw Higher Education Center in Litchfield. All sessions begin at 7 p.m. and are free and open to the public.

"Culture and Crisis" is the eighth community forum series sponsored by the Board of Visitors of Coastal Carolina University’s Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts. The series is designed to involve area citizens and Coastal faculty members in discussions about significant issues. For more information call 843-349-2421.

“Bodacious Buddhas and Brassy Bodhisattvas: Recent Portrayals of Buddhists in Dramatic Films”

Wednesday, Feb. 24

Ronald S. Green, Philosophy

This session focuses on the characteristics of principal fictive figures identified as Buddhists in four recent films: “The Cup” (2000), “I Heart Huckabees” (2004), “Zen Noir” (2006), and “Samsara” (2001). These characteristics are representative of archetypes found in certain film genres, and are compared and contrasted accordingly. Models for these figures and similar personas appearing in pre-modern Buddhist literature will be discussed, and published reviews of these films will be examined. Film clips will be shown, with observations and viewer comments encouraged.

“Global Climate Change Politics Beyond the Kyoto Protocol: A View from the Rainforest Canopy”

Wednesday, March 3

Pamela L. Martin, Politics

This presentation analyzes the current global climate change regime of the Kyoto Protocol, in effect until 2012, and discusses future global climate change policies. As the world grapples with how to resolve the increasing need for energy and the ultimate destruction of the planet, Ecuador and other developing countries are proposing innovative solutions. This discussion examines the Yasuní-ITT Initiative, an innovative plan to combat global climate change and decrease carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere while protecting the Amazon basin.

“I See Dead People: Hags, Hants and Plat-eyes in the Waccamaw Neck”

Wednesday, March 10

Veronica Gerald, English

Ask people about ghosts along the Waccamaw Neck, and they will tell of the Grey Man of Pawleys Island and Alice of Murrells Inlet. Little is usually said about the Plat-eye, the malevolent spirit who crossed the Atlantic with the Africans; Hags, living women with the supernatural ability to shed their skins and travel to their victims; or Hants, uneasy spirits who cannot cross over to the other side. Belief in these entities crosses economic and class lines. The lecture discusses the origins, history, stories and presence of the Plat-eye, Hants and Hags and their impact on those who believe.

Can I Stop Boycotting Wal-Mart Now?

Wednesday, March 17

Dennis Earl, Philosophy

Lots of morally-minded people have complaints about Wal-Mart’s business model. They say that Wal-Mart and Sam’s Club have low prices, yes, but at intolerable human costs to their employees, local communities and even their customers. This session presents a reconsideration of Wal-Mart values in the light of recent economic condition. Earl will discuss how Wal-Mart’s low prices help alleviate the string of difficult economic times.

“Shadows of War”

Wednesday, March 24

Paul Olsen and Ken Townsend, Visual Arts and History

In 2007, professors Townsend and Olsen flew to Afghanistan to interview and photograph soldiers in Kabul and Kandahar (which resulted in various public lectures and the exhibition, “Embedded,” in the Bryan Gallery at Coastal Carolina University). In summer 2009, Townsend and Olsen re-interviewed six of the soldiers after they returned stateside. This session will briefly summarize the professor’s original work and present selected follow up interviews and photographs through a combination of slides and video. The discussion will provide a portrait of how these soldiers are coping with their wartime experiences, as well as the imprint of their service on their loved ones.