LEWISTON — In March, the politics of horror films, the intersection of human rights and international development, and an overview of world religions will be discussed in three lectures at Bates College.

Jason Middleton, assistant professor of English and film and media studies at the University of Rochester, wil give a talk on “American Horror Cinema in the ‘Age of Terror’: Reading the Politics of Eli Roth’s ‘Hostel'” on Monday, March 8. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in the Keck classroom (G52), Pettengill Hall, 4 Andrews Road.

A professor of international humanitarian studies at Tufts University, Peter Uvin will explore the topic “When Development Practitioners Care About Human Rights, What Do They Do Differently?” at 5 p.m. Monday, March 15, also in the Keck classroom.

Stephen Prothero, author of best-selling books about religion, will lecture on “The Work of Doing Nothing: Wandering in the World’s Religions” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 24, in Chase Hall Lounge, 56 Campus Ave.

The events are open to the public at no cost.

Middleton will analyze contemporary American horror film in the geopolitical context of the recent Bush administration’s “war on terror.” The focus will be on the 2003 film “Hostel,” which, Middleton says, initially presents a critique of American aggression and cultural arrogance, but ultimately justifies American violence in a manner resonant with the policies of the Bush administration.

While it might be tempting to dismiss such films as egregious examples of sadism and exploitation, Middleton believes the confluence of their popularity with the outrage they often provoked demands a kind of critical attention that has been applied to their progenitors — slasher horror and exploitation films and pornography.

Middleton co-edited the collection “Medium Cool: Music Videos from Soundies to Cellphones.” He is also an experimental filmmaker.

At Tufts, Uvin is director of the Fletcher School’s Institute for Human Security. His book “Human Rights and Development” advocates a rights-based approach to development. His 1998 book “Aiding Violence: The Development Enterprise in Rwanda” made the bold, influential argument that development aid was complicit in the structural conflicts that resulted in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Prothero is professor of religion at Boston University and author of several books, including “American Jesus: How the Son of God Became a National Icon” and The New York Times best-seller “Religious Literacy: What Americans Need to Know.”

He has commented on religion for National Public Radio and major television networks, and has been a guest on “The Daily Show” and “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” A regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and USA Today, he has written for The New York Times Magazine and New York Times Book Review, Slate, Salon, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and The Boston Globe.

For more information on the lecture series, e-mail [email protected].