“Shakespeare” is many things — an author writing in a specific historical time and place; a businessman conscious of his audience; a collection of texts that have withstood the test of time; and an icon. But what makes Shakespeare important today? Join Prof. Richelle Munkhoff in this Maymester course that explores lots of avenues to understand why. ENGL 3563-001 Shakespeare; May 9-26; MTWRF 12:30 to 3:30 p.m.; HUMN 190. SOPH/JR/SR; ENGL, HUMN, THTR or TBFA majors. More info

Free exam week meals hosted by Bread and Belonging at St. Aidan's, 2425 Colorado Ave. (across from CU Engineering) May 1-4, at 6 p.m. Stop by for a free home-cooked meal during exam week. Everyone welcome! Bread and Belonging (B +B) is a weekly campus community meal and conversation hosted jointly by Canterbury Colorado Episcopal Campus Ministry and Lutheran Campus Ministry.Connect with us on our Facebook page.

Register for the Gender and Sexuality Center's Lavender Graduation. It will be held May 3, 5 to 7 p.m. in the Abrams Lounge. Registration deadline is April 27.

The Jerry Crail Johnson Earth Sciences and Map Library photo contest concluded last week with an outstanding 68 photo submissions, representing undergraduate and graduate programs across the campus, and drawing from the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities. The winner was William Armstrong. His photo, “Rock and Ice,” will be framed and on display in the Earth Sciences and Map Library starting this week. Stop by the library in the Benson Earth Sciences building to see it, as well as the 11 runner-up photos.

CAS Speaker Series. Presentation by John Osburg, Department of Anthropology at the University of Rochester. This talk is based on an ethnographic study of a group of wealthy, urban Han Chinese who have become followers of Tibetan Buddhism and patrons of reincarnated lamas and charismatic Tibetan monks. Osburg will examine the sources of the appeal of Tibetan Buddhism for wealthy Han and the range of ways in which they integrate Buddhist principles and ritual practice into their lives. Friday, April 22, 3:30 p.m., Guggenheim 205, CU-Boulder.

This Wild Earth Day celebration promises to be action-packed with leaders in the field of environmental education, climate science and creative entertainment. The event will include a performance by Jeff and Paige and Vana Vedu, a Marimba band. Nature's Educators will have some live birds of prey and reptiles here, and there will be a weather balloon launch! Join us for some hands-on crafts and activities too. Free and open to the public, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

On Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m in HUMN 1B80, the “Famous ColoRussians” series features John O’Loughlin, CU-Boulder professor of geography and faculty associate in the Institute of Behavioral Science. Professor O’Loughlin has received the gold medal from the Russian Geographical Society for his research on Russia, and he was the first foreigner in more than 100 years to win such an award. O’Loughlin will talk about his work and travel along with the Q&A session. This event is free and open to public. Reception will follow.

"In Love with the Wild: Thoughts about Public Lands in the 21st Century" Bill Hedden, Executive Director, Grand Canyon Trust Thursday, April 21, 5:30 p.m. Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom. This event is free and open to the public, but you must be registered to attend. More information and registration available at: http://www.colorado.edu/law/research/gwc/events.

CAS Luncheon Series. This talk will be presented by Kathryn Goldfarb of Anthropology. This paper is based on ethnographic research in Japan and is part of a larger project that explores how “non-normative” kinship practices articulate with family ideologies. Here I suggest that the lived meanings of kinship and family are sometimes best understood by exploring the absence of locally meaningful kinship ties—absences that are often perceived and experienced in the body. April 21, noon, CAS Conference Room, 1424 Broadway. Lunch is provided.

Featuring Najam Haider from the Barnard College Department of Religion Haider is one of the leading scholars of early Twelver and Zaydi Shi’ism. His research focuses on the formation of early Muslim identities and Islamic historiography. Haider will be giving a talk on April 19 at 5 p.m. in HUMN 150 “The Remembered Imam: Truth and Meaning in Early Muslim Historiography” in which he will examine the relationship between rhetoric and history in early Muslim writings.