The University of Arkansas will host a symposium on the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther's inauguration of the Protestant Reformation today and Friday, that is free and open to the public.

Clint Schnekloth of Good Shepherd Luther Church in Fayetteville will speak at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 9 in Gearhart 26.

On Friday Nov. 10, the University of Arkansas will host six outside speakers from the fields of English, art history and history – all of whom will present on various aspects of Luther's reformation. 

The complete schedule of events includes more details and times, and speakers will include:

• Allyson Creasman, associate professor of history, Carnegie-Mellon University
  The Word on the Streets: Print and Oral Culture in the Urban Reformation

• Aaron Pratt, curator of early books and manuscripts, Harry Ransom Center 
  Where is Luther in the English Bible, 1525-1611?

• Susannah Monta, associate professor of English, University of Notre Dame 
  Donne's 'A Litanie" and Post-Reformation Community

• Armin Kunz, specialist in Reformation-era pieces, C.G. Boerner 
  From Devotion to Admiration: Some Case Studies on the Impact of the Reformation on the Visual Arts

• Amy Leonard, associate professor of history, Georgetown University 
  Wide Hips and Big Bottoms: Luther, Women and Sexuality

• Joel Harrington, professor of history, Vanderbilt University 
  Where Would We Be Without the Reformation?

There will also be a choral performance by the Schola Cantorum on Friday, Nov. 10 in Gearhart Hall, as well a special exhibit on books relevant to the Protestant Reformation, curated by Freddy Cristobal Dominguez, assistant professor of history, using items from Special Collections. 

The symposium is sponsored by the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Siences, the Medieval and Renaissance Studies Program, the Honors College, the Department of History, the Department of English and the Religious Studies Program.