USC offers Ring Twitter chat Thursday

As a prelude to this summer’s Ring Festival LA, the USC Master of Liberal Studies Program will present a free lecture and groundbreaking Twitter chat From Nietzsche to “Star Wars”: The Wagnerian Power of “The Ring” on Thursday, April 15, 2010 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. PST at the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) in downtown Los Angeles.

A panel of experts, including faculty from the USC Master of Liberal Studies Program, will discuss in person and online how “The Ring” themes and symbols have permeated 20th-century literature, philosophy, psychology, and even movies and cartoons.

Moderated by James R. Kincaid, USC Aerol Arnold Professor of English, this distinctive event will combine live audience members with Twitter users world-wide to discuss the comprehensive significance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle on 21st-century sensibilities. Panelists will include USC faculty members Leo B. Braudy, Roberto Ignacio Diáz, Hilary Schor and John Carlos Rowe. Also participating will be John P. Nuckols, Vice President, Advancement, LA Opera; and Dr. Imogen von Tannenberg, translator and author.

“The LA Opera’s production of ‘The Ring’ is attracting global attention, so the MLS Program is making the expertise of distinguished USC faculty accessible to those interested in the discussion from around the world,” said Susan Kamei, associate dean for advanced and professional programs in USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences and director of the Master of Liberal Studies Program.

This lecture and Twitter chat will highlight many of the themes being covered in this semester’s MLS course “Opera, Culture, History, and Thought,” which Kincaid is teaching. “Incorporating social networking tools into the traditional educational curriculum is the way of the future,” added Kamei. “We are exploring the intersection of online and offline learning environments to cultivate more open, collaborative exchanges between audiences and presenters, as well as between students and faculty.”

The Ring Cycle event is free and open to the public, although registration is required at www.regonline.com/WagnerianPower. The MOCA Ahmanson Auditorium is located at 50 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles.

To participate online on April 15, log in to Twitter.com or any online chat client between 7:30 and 9:00 p.m. PST, and follow the hash tag #uscmls.

To submit specific questions for the panel, direct message @uscmls during the chat via Twitter. Every effort will be made to answer all questions received before the end of the evening.