People, papers and presentations

Anthony Brandt, associate professor of composition and theory at the Shepherd School of Music, and Jeffrey Kripal, the J. Newton Rayzor Professor of Religious Studies, will present talks at TEDxHouston Nov. 3 at the Asia Society Texas Center, 1370 Southmore Blvd.

April DeConick, the Isla Carroll Turner and Percy Turner Professor of Religious Studies, presented the lecture “The Ancient New Age: How Gnostic Spirituality Revolutionized Religion in Antiquity” for Rackham Graduate School at the University of Michigan Oct. 18. Her talk was one of several Centennial Lectures, which showcase the diversity and quality of the intellectual legacy of the University of Michigan graduates. DeConick earned her bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from the University of Michigan.

Josée Larson, a French instructor at the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, is the recipient of The Ordre des Palmes Académiques (Order of Academic Palms) award. The award, first established by Napoleon to honor academics at the University of Paris, has been expanded to include major contributors to French national education and culture, regardless of discipline or nationality, and French expatriates making major contributions to French culture across the globe.

Peggy Roe, a Master of Liberal Studies student at the Susanne M. Glasscock School of Continuing Studies, won the 2012 Confluence Award for Excellence in Interdisciplinary Writing for her article on Augustine. She was honored at the October National Conference in Portland, Ore.