n 9 a.m. at Pettingill Hall (after 8 a.m. continental breakfast)

“Mind-Body Connection in 19th Century American Health Care,” how doctors and patients understood illness and healing Marli Weiner, University of Maine

“Art of the Crusader Era,” the elite international culture shared by Islamic, Armenian, Byzantine, Frankish and European rulers connected by friendship, alliance, marriage and competition – Rebecca Corrie, Bates College

“Whose Opera Is It? What the Production Does to the Score” – James Parakilas, Bates College

“Power and Idealism in Imperial Greece and Rome,” an exploration of the relationship between national character and political enterprises abroad – Peter Aicher, University of Southern Maine

“Emily Dickinson & Toni Morrison: Giants of American Literature,” the surprising similarities in the way these writers negotiate language, race and gender to “get some place where the love is generous” – Cedric Bryant, Colby College0.2

n 10:15 programs at Pettingill Hall

“Marsden Hartley: Transnational Modernist.” Considered a distinctly American artist, this Lewiston native traveled extensively, and his art is a product of that experience – Donna Cassidy, USM

“Ordinary People or Willing Perpetrators: Free Will and Coercion in Nazi Germany,” new research on freedom and choice among ordinary Germans under Nazism – Raffael Scheck, Colby College

“Marco Polo: Fact and Fiction.” Very little is known about the explorer whose name stands for a giant leap in geographical knowledge. – Otto Emersleben, Bowdoin College

“The Vicissitudes of Confucian Values in Modern China.” What role do traditional values play in China? – Jie Zhao, USM

“Money and the English Novel,” money as a central focus from Daniel Defoe to Charles Dickens – Ann Kibbie, Bowdoin College

n 11:30 programs at Pettingill Hall

“The Persistence of the Maya,” almost 500 years of survival, from the Spanish invasion to the present – David Carey, USM

“Walt Whitman at War.” The Civil War devastated Whitman’s once ardent sense of American promise, and he struggled to sustain some shred of belief in the better possibilities of national life. – Peter Coviello, Bowdoin College

“Nature as Art in Japan.” From its prehistory to today, Japan has linked nature and art in ways that reflect its religious beliefs, its landscape and the human condition. – Clifton Olds, Bowdoin College

“Pilgrimages in the Middle Ages,” an illustrated exploration of the idea of pilgrimages, a defining characteristic of the medieval world view – Kathleen Ashley, USM

“New England and the Sea,” an illustrated overview of the influence of the sea on New England life – Joseph Conforti, USM

n 12:30- 1 p.m. program at Benjamin Mays Center

12:30 p.m. box lunches, exhibits, music

1 p.m. “Taxing Maine.” Through historical characters, humor, little known facts and stories, this short play explores the meaning of taxes for Maine communities and residents’ wallets. Following the performance, the audience is invited to discuss the ideas raised in the play.

n 2:30 programs at Pettingill Hall

Poetry reading, Baron Wormser and Candice Stover

“World Islam and the West: Coexistence or Conflict in the Twenty-First Century Muslim,” Western relations in the 21st century in the context of history -Mahmud Faksh, USM

“Moving Images of Maine: Selections from the Archives of Northeast Historic Film,” historic and modern films on Micmac basketmakers, Hollywood’s use of our landscape and heritage, visions of our writers, and Helen and Scott Nearing – David Weiss, Northeast Historic Film

“Fiddle and Dance in the French Northeast,” a musical journey with folklorist/fiddler Lisa Ornstein of the Acadian Archives

“Pioneers, Inventors and Ordinary Folks: Stories of Yankee Ingenuity.” Storyteller/historian Jo Radner will present a program about particularly ingenious Mainers.

n 3:30 p.m. at Pettingill Hall Birthday cake for everyone

Family programs at Franco-American Heritage Center

n 12 p.m. Traditional Somali lunch, music, free books and activities for children

n 1 p.m. Music and stories from the Native American tradition with Allen Sockabasin, author of “Thanks to the Animals”

n 2 p.m. Poetry and stories from the African-American tradition with Ashley Bryan, nationally known author and illustrator of many children’s books, including “What a Wonderful World.”

n 3 p.m. Birthday cake for everyone

Registration is required for adult programs and suggested (but not required) for family programs. To register, call 773-5051 or 866-637-3233; or go to www.mainehumanities.org.