A conference in honor of Peter Hohendahl, the Jacob Gould Schurman Professor of German Studies and professor of comparative literature, is slated for Friday, April 29, 1 p.m. through Saturday, April 30, at 6 p.m. at the A.D. White House. The event, "Literature and Criticism in the Public Sphere," will feature Hohendahl's former students, friends and colleagues.

Topics at the conference include "The Politics of Liberal Education," "The Technocrats of Art: Legal Aesthetics in Post-War German Literature," "City Planning and the Public Sphere" and "Offending the Public: Handke, Herzog, Hypnosis." The keynote address will be given by Russell Berman of Stanford University, 2011 president of the Modern Language Association.

A surprise is planned for the conclusion of the conference, followed by closing remarks from Hohendahl, who will retire this summer after 34 years at Cornell.

The conference is free and open to the public. Details can be found at Hohendahl.pdf.

The conference is sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences, Department of German Studies, Institute for German Cultural Studies, Heinrich and Alice Schneider Memorial Lecture Funds, Department of Comparative Literature, Department of Government, Department of History, Department of Philosophy, Society for the Humanities, Bowmar Chair, Institute for European Studies and the Max Kade Foundation.

Linda Glaser is a staff writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.