For release: March 15, 2013
For press information, contact Curt Guenther, 901-678-2843

The Honors Program at the Lambuth Campus of the University of Memphis will sponsor a panel discussion about how politics and music intersect.  The symposium will be Friday, March 22, from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Hamilton Performing Arts Center on the Lambuth Campus.  The event is free and open to the public.

During the first hour, panelists will each present a brief opening statement about various aspects of music and politics, then discuss the topic among themselves.  The second hour will be for questions from the audience.

The panel discussion will be moderated by Dr. Paul Mego, coordinator of the Honors Program and senior lecturer in the Department of Political Science at the Lambuth Campus.  Panelists will include Jon York, Jennifer Haile-Ojwang, Jeremy Tubbs, and Jonathan Orr. 

York will discuss “Frank Zappa and the First Amendment,” focusing on the anti-censorship efforts and themes Zappa championed through his music.

Haile-Ojwang’s topic will be “Gender in Hip Hop: Hearing Women’s Voices in Hip Hop Music.”  She will address such issues as the current state of black women in the hip-hop music scene and how women’s voices are heard – if at all.

Tubbs will speak about "The Political Manifesto Music of Richard Wagner."  Although Wagner’s contributions to the development of opera are unparalleled, and overall, he helped changed the way music was performed in mid-nineteenth century Europe, Tubbs will discuss Wagner’s insertion of his political views into his opera Der Ring des Nibelungen.

Orr will discuss “Media Interpretation vs. Artistic Intent: The Popular Portrayal of Ozzy Osbourne.”

York holds a B.A. degree in political science from Lambuth University and his J.D. degree from the University of Memphis.  His practice at Pentecost & Glenn, PLLC, focuses on civil rights, municipal liability, and Constitutional law. He has served as an adjunct instructor at the University of Memphis School of Law and Lambuth University. He is also an aspiring musician, who has played in rock-n-roll bands.

Haile-Ojwang holds a B.A. degree from Spelman College and J.D. degree from the University of Memphis.  She is finishing work for an M.A. degree in philosophy at the University of Memphis.  She is an adjunct instructor of political science at the U of M and is a 2013 Memphis Teaching Fellowship recipient.  Her research interests include ancient philosophy, political theory, and black feminism (womanism). 

Tubbs earned his Ph.D. in musicology from the University of Memphis in 2008. He also holds a Bachelor of Music degree in guitar performance from Lambuth University and a Master of Music degree in music history from the U of M. He has also studied at the Berklee College of Music in Boston and at Oxford University in England.  He has published articles on various music topics and has presented papers at Yale University, Georgia State University, and the U of M.  He is a professor of entertainment music industry studies at the U of M’s Lambuth Campus.

Orr, who holds a master’s degree in sociology from University of Memphis, teaches in the University College on the Lambuth campus.  His work in sociology began with a study of the heavy metal subculture in the 1980s and continued with studies of violence in music and video games.

For more information, contact Dr. Paul Mego at 731-425-1923.