Profs and Pints Meetup-Metro DC

Profs and Pints Northern Virginia presents: “The Secrets of Runes,” on the origins, development, and interpretation of the runic script, with Lilla Kopár, runologist and a professor of medieval literature and culture at Catholic University.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/nv-rune-secrets .]

The fame of runes outshines that of any other ancient script. They can be found not just on Viking Age rune stones, but on Bilbo’s door and as the Bluetooth logo on your cell phone. Runic script is commonly associated with magic, used by modern practitioners of neopaganism, and in recent decades has captured the imagination of filmmakers and video game designers.

Yet most of us know little about the historical origins of runes and have no clue how to read or use them.

Come to Crooked Run Fermentation in Sterling, Va., to get schooled on runic script with the help of Lilla Kopár, a veteran scholar of runes who has earned a following among Profs and Pints fans by giving fantastic talks on medieval monsters and Norse mythology. As someone who has carried out extensive field research on runes, published several articles on runic objects, and even appeared on the History Channel commenting on runes in America, she’s exceptionally qualified to introduce you to runology and the fascinating things that runes tell us.

Dr Kopár will discuss the development of runic script from its humble origins on the borders of the Roman Empire in the first or second century CE, through its popularity in the Viking world, to its use and misuse in modern times. She’ll discuss how runes are a set of related alphabets that underwent changes over time and she’ll describe what inspired changes in this writing system and where and how runes were used in the medieval period.

Her richly illustrated talk will highlight some of the most intriguing objects with runic inscriptions, from humble bone fragments to impressive rune stones, and offer insight into the scholarly methods of deciphering and interpreting runic inscriptions. We’ll also look at the function of the runic script from simple practical notes and memorial inscriptions to cipher-runes and magic.

The most fun might be the in-class assignment, which will involve reading a few runic inscriptions and writing your name and other words in runes. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image: Part of Codex runicus, a rune manuscript written on animal skin and dating to about 1300 (University of Copenhagen / Wikimedia Commons).

Profs and Pints Northern Virginia presents: “The Power of Folk Horror,” an exploration of an especially creepy subgenre in folklore and film, with Joshua Barton, lecturer in English at Virginia Commonwealth University and scholar of horror.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/arlington-folk-horror .]

What makes a horror film scare really stick with you? Sometimes, it’s not monsters or jump-scares but the eerie feeling that something ancient, something forgotten, is still lurking just under the surface.

That’s the heart of folk horror, a subgenre that blends folklore, rural isolation, and rituals gone wrong. It takes the past—the truly forgotten past—and makes it come roaring back to bite us.
Venture into the strange and fascinating world of folk horror with Joshua Barton, who has earned a big following among Profs and Pints fans with excellent past talks on cryptids, ghosts, movie monsters, and other things that go bump in the night.

We’ll start by digging down to folk horror’s roots in classic British films like The Wicker Man and Witchfinder General, discussing how these stories introduced us to secretive villages, ominous woods, and old traditions that clash violently with the modern world.

We’ll move on to explore how folk horror has reemerged in recent hits like The Witch, Midsommar, and Lamb. What ties them all together? The feeling that history isn’t dead; it’s just been waiting.

Beyond the scares, this genre taps into something deeper. Folk horror asks what happens when we lose touch with our roots or when we get too close to them. It reflects fears about identity, nature, belief, and the things we can’t explain. And in an age of environmental anxiety, political division, and cultural upheaval, these stories are more relevant than ever.

By the end of the lecture, we’ll see that folk horror goes beyond surface-level eeriness. It’s a mirror for our collective anxieties and a reminder that the past is never as far away as we think. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image by Canva.

Profs and Pints DC presents: “Digital Device Detox,” a guide to breaking free from the addictive and destructive powers of social media and apps, with Jillian Tucker, licensed clinical social worker in private practice, adjunct professor of clinical social work at Columbia University and New York University, and therapist with nearly 15 years of experience in addiction treatment and behavioral change.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-digital-detox .]

Many of us have had the same experience: We’re trying to get things done and stay focused on the positive in our lives, but we can’t stop looking at a cell phone that tells us that we live in troubled times, that everyone else is better looking and having more fun, and that escape awaits in the worlds of Candy Crush or Pokémon Go.

Maybe it’s time to find effective ways to loosen the grip of that cell phone and rediscover the happiness that comes with using digital devices less.

Join Jillian Tucker, who previously has given several excellent Profs and Pints talks related to mental health, for a crash course on how to restore balance in your relationship with digital devices to ensure they’re simply tools you use rather than instruments through which other people use you.

She’ll start by discussing social and mental-health trends connected to the use of digital devices. We’ll delve into the specific ways that their overuse can be biologically and psychologically harmful and leads to division, depression, anxiety and anguish on an individual and societal level.

Professor Tucker also will look at why digital habits are hard to break, citing neuroscience and what we know about behavioral addiction. You’ll learn the many ways in which devices and apps are deliberately designed to be hard to stop using.

You won’t be urged to just chuck your cell phone, though. After all, such devices can keep you socially connected, be sources of joy and learning, and even save your life if you need to summon help in an emergency.

Instead, we’ll look at effective strategies for reducing digital device use, considering approaches that treat the overuse of such devices as “addiction” but moving beyond them to consider more nuanced ones as well. We’ll explore how to find our core motivation to change and how to carry out a change plan. We’ll consider how those who failed in past attempts to reduce digital-device use can overcome impasses in their effort to change their behavior.

We’ll discuss ways to minimize the feelings of inconvenience and withdrawal that might come with reducing digital-device use, and we’ll discuss strategies for regaining the social skills and reviving the in-person strategies that our device use had compromised. You’ll learn how the same conditioning and power of habit that got us using our devices so much more also can be harnessed to help us use them much less.

You’ll learn how to curate and enhance the positive aspects of digital devices, to help maintain them as a source of connection, joy, humor and learning and keep them from causing you unhappiness or stress. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image: Photo by Japanexperterna (Creative Commons).

Profs and Pints DC presents: “Understanding the Sports Betting Industry,” an exploration of how legalized gambling on sports is affecting March Madness and athletics as a whole, with Matt Winkler, founder of American University’s online master’s program in sports analytics and management, adjunct professor at AU’s Kogod School of Business, former sports executive, and scholar and teacher of sports management, business, analytics, and technology.

[Advance tickets: $13.50 plus sales tax and processing fees. Available at https://events.ticketleap.com/tickets/profsandpints/dc-sports-betting .]

Sports betting has undergone explosive growth in the United States in the wake of a 2018 Supreme Court decision lifting the federal ban on it. Its widespread legalization by the states, combined with increased integration of sports and technology, has given rise to an industry with billions in annual revenue. This growth is not only reshaping the landscape for major sports leagues like the NFL and NBA but is also profoundly impacting global events such as the NCAA Tournament and FIFA World Cup.

As more fans engage with sports through betting platforms, the dynamics of fan engagement, sports marketing, and even match and game governance are changing. Serious questions are being raised about sports betting’s integrity, regulation, and economic impact.

Gain insights into the rapidly evolving global sports betting industry and its profound impact on March Madness, other athletic contests, and professional and collegiate sports. Professor Matt Winkler’s extensive knowledge of the sports economy and betting practices, combined with his years of industry experience—with the NCAA, Major League Soccer, the NHL, WNBA, the Olympics, and the World Cup—make coming to hear him speak an experience sure to pay off.

He’ll share insight into trends such as the rise of mobile betting and the emergence of prediction markets. He’ll discuss the significance of sports integrity in gaming markets, the ethical considerations surrounding sports betting, and the various safeguards and regulatory approaches used to protect consumers, reduce problem gambling, and ensure the integrity of sports.

Among the areas we’ll explore: The economic impact of legalized sports betting and how it affects local economies, advertising, and media rights. Why major leagues and the NCAA are partnering with betting companies and what they stand to gain from it. How betting is influencing the governance and commercial strategies of major international competitions such the Olympics and FIFA’s World Cup.

Using March Madness as a case study, Professor Winkler will discuss how sports betting has altered the tournament’s viewership patterns, bracket culture, and revenue. (Doors: $17, or $15 with a student ID. Listed time is for doors. Talk starts 30 minutes later.)

Image by Canva.