Join us Wednesday, November 3rd for a presentation by author William Hampes. When people think of television and film Westerns what tends to come to mind are the great feats of physical bravery of the heroes. However, as pointed out in the book, "Cowboy Courage: Westerns and the Portrayal of Bravery," many of these Westerns also portray examples of moral and psychological courage, often by ordinary individuals. The presentation will discuss how these films and television programs focus on finding the moral and psychological courage to love, to redeem oneself for failures, losses, and transgressions, to be honest and true to oneself, to admit when wrong and back down, and to face dying and the end of one's life. The presentation will include video clips from various films and television programs.

William Hampes was a professor of psychology for 38 years at St. Michael's College, Louisiana State University at Eunice, and Black Hawk College, where he is now a professor emeritus of psychology and sociology. Besides the publication of his book on film and television Westerns, Cowboy Courage: Westerns and the Portrayal of Bravery (McFarland, 2019) and the publication of his article, "A Woman with Influence: Henrietta Porter in the Television Series Trackdown," in the Popular Culture Studies Journal, he has also had articles in the area of the psychology of humor published in academic journals.

Registration is required. 

This program is hosted indoors. Please observe social distancing and follow local COVID-19 safety recommendations. This program is subject to COVID-19 safety protocol updates. Please check back here for updates. Masks are recommended.

This program is scheduled to be held in-person and virtually. If you would prefer to attend virtually, please follow this link to learn how.