Students who want to gain insight on a conflict between an enormous monster and a powerful virus might want to stop by the Tarble Arts Center today.

Hsuan Hsu, English professor at the University of California, will speak about Bong Joon-Ho’s 2006 South Korean box-office hit, “The Dangers of Biosecurity: The Host and the Geopolitics of Outbreak.” The movie centers on a monster that hosts a new and powerful virus.

Hsu is the guest speaker for Phi Beta Kappa’s 19th annual fall lecture at 7 tonight in Tarble.

“Students will be able to gain so much from learning about the film’s multiple engagements with important issues of today,” said Suzie Park, president of Phi Beta Kappa.

She added Hsu would make a compelling argument about the film’s ties to outbreak narrative, monster movies, economic crises and current political events.

Prior to the lecture, there was a screening of the film on Wednesday.

Park said if students were unable to attend the viewing, they would still find the lecture to be beneficial and easy to follow because they will be showing short clips and stills from the film.

Park said when the organization met last spring to discuss possible scholars to bring to campus for the event, she proposed bringing Hsu, an old friend from graduate school.

“I told members that Hsuan would be working on a paper on biosecurity and the film, ‘The Host,’ over the summer,” Park said. “They liked the idea, and we invited Hsuan, who has been excited about giving this talk at EIU ever since.”

Hsu received his Ph. D in English from the University of California, Berkley, and his A.B. degree Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Harvard University.

Hsu has published an essay collection, as well as been published in a wide variety of journals. He is currently working on a book, “Geography, Genre and the Production of Scale in Nineteenth-Century U.S. Literature.”

Other sponsors of this event include the English department and Tarble.

English professor Dagni Bredesen said “The Host” provides a cautionary tale about the influence of humans meddling with nature.

“This is an opportunity to see a B-grade horror film and listen to an expert in the study of popular culture offer us critical insight into the implications of this film beyond its fear factor,” she said.

Park said the lecture has a wide appeal and interdisciplinary approach, and many different colleges and departments have supported these two events.

Michael Watts, assistant dean of the College of Arts and Humanities, said Tarble is hosting the event because the center presents various public programs centering on the arts.

“Much contemporary art deals with current social and political issues, of which ‘The Host’ is just one example,” he said.

Bridget Pearson can be reached at 581-7942 or at dennewsdesk@gmail.com.

Six members of the Committee for the Assessment of Student Learning will decide the future of the Electronic Writing Portfolio’s remedial portion, the committee decided Tuesday.

(more…)