by christian bell

News Editor

Calvin's ever-eclectic yearly lecture circuit, the January Series, will return again this year with an impressive and diversified line up of speakers and presentations.

The award-winning series is heralded by its director June Hamersma as, ``a free liberal arts education in 15 days.'' Year after year, the January Series brings top speakers in a broad range of foci to campus to give presentations and lectures on everything from racial apartheid to extra-dimensional physics.

If it sounds dry, it really isn't - USA today has thrice nominated the January Series as ``best campus lectures series in the United States,'' two Interim courses are being taught on it, and the series draws daily attendance in the thousands.

The Series is especially popular because of its diversity and attention to detail in current world events.

``I don't do the tried and true,'' Hamersma said. ``A liberal arts education is a broad education - that's why the January Series never has a theme. No two are even remotely alike.''

This year the January Series will once again feature an intriguing selection of guests, all of whom have a sharp eye towards events that impact the world, both today and beyond.

``We've been cutting edge,'' Hamersma said. ``We get people when they're on their way up.''

The series opens on January 3rd with Robert Hughes, a writer for the Wall Street Journal. Although his speech is entitled, ``Short Attention Span Culture,'' Hughes was at the World Trade Center on September 11th and witnessed firsthand the events that unfolded that day. While the title of his topic remains constant, his presentation will certainly integrate his experience into the presentation.

On January 8, Fareed Zakaria, editor of Newsweek Internation, will speak about ``Terrorism in an Age of Globalization.'' Zakaria recently published a widely-acclaimed article in Newsweek entitled, ``Why They Hate Us,'' an in-depth look at the Muslim and Arabic world.

Biotechnology will also be a focus of the series. Two speakers - Jeremy Rifkin and James Peterson will each take a different perspective on the issue of human genetics.

The January Series also features an artistic and musical component. On the 10th, the all-male choir Cantus will perform an hour set called ``Lamentation and Exultation.'' Cantus won rave reviews from all who attended their performance last year.

Because of her forward-looking approach, Hamersma succeeds in luring speakers where others have failed. But her method is not competitive - she works within the Calvin framework to bring a different aspect of education to light.