LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ -- Rider University's College of Continuing Studies will again present a series of lectures by several of the University's outstanding faculty members. Each lecture in the Lunch Box series will feature a different topic and will provide some stimulating "food for thought."

All four Wednesday lectures, which are free and open to the public, will be held from noon to 1 p.m. in the Student Center Fireside Lounge on the Lawrenceville campus. Audience members are invited to bring a lunch; coffee and tea will be provided. The lecture schedule includes:

Headless Clones, Immortal Tycoons, and Thinking Machines: A Speculation of Life, Death, Work, and Play in the 21st Century, by Dr. James Castagnera, associate vice president and associate provost, will be held on Wednesday, April 1. Dr. Castagnera speculates that the human condition at the beginning of the millennium extrapolates current trends in genetic engineering, computer technology, the increasing concentration of wealth and income, virtual reality, and evolving views of competing rights and obligations in the American legal system. He will survey recent developments in biology, artificial intelligence, income distributions, and our legal system that suggest how we may live, work, play, and die -- or perhaps not die -- during the next century.

Music, Emotion, and Ecstasy: The Transcendent Nature of Music, by Dr. Jerry Rife, professor of music, will be discussed on Wednesday, April 8. People of every historical epoch and civilization have recognized the unique ability of music to affect its listeners directly, and at times, profoundly. Yet music defies reason, eludes categorization, and is too specific to be expressed accurately in words. Dr. Rife will use recorded musical examples and performance to explore the complex relationship between music and the listener, and offer insights on how music can affect our emotions and move us to the state of ecstasy.

"When I Was Young..." Family Legacies: Stories Handed Down, by Dr. Katharine Hoff, professor of English and American studies, will be presented on Wednesday, April 15. How do the stories about our pasts that we repeat traditionally at family gatherings or tell privately to little ones or overly-demanding teens shape the lives of our children and grandchildren? Dr. Hoff will analyze examples of autobiographical essays written by Rider University American studies students on the impact of family stories handed down to them.

If You Can't Remember, Just Forget About It, by Dr. Michael Epstein, professor of psychology, will be held on Wednesday, April 22. Some people hope for an effortless key to provide them with perfect memory so they will never forget anything they see, hear, or do. There is no such key. Remembering is a skill, and improving one's memory is the same as acquiring any other skill -- one needs to learn the appropriate techniques and practice them. Dr. Epstein will discuss techniques for improving one's ability to remember names, dates, telephone numbers, vocabulary, and other information.

For more information about the Lunch Box Lecture series, contact Karen Crowell, assistant dean of the College of Continuing Studies, at (609) 896-5033.

Rider University's Lawrenceville campus is located five miles south of Princeton and three miles north of Trenton on Route 206 in Lawrence Township. The campus is one-half mile south of exit 7A of Interstate 95.