The continuing relevance of the work of English engraver William Hogarth and media coverage of high profile trials will be the topics of discussion during the next two University Forum lectures.

On Nov. 5, UNLV foreign languages professor Ralph Buechler, English professor Timothy Erwin, and art professor David Hickey will present "William Hogarth, Our Contemporary: An Interdisciplinary Conversation" at 7:30 p.m. in the auditorium of the Marjorie Barrick Museum of Natural History.

The three UNLV professors will share insights into Hogarth's engravings and discuss his work's relevance today as they celebrate the 300th anniversary of his birth. Hogarth is best known for his three moralizing yet comical series of engravings, A Harlot's Progress, A Rake's Progress, and Marriage A la Mode.

On Nov. 9, Kathy Kellerman, associate professor of communication at the University of California, Santa Barbara, will present "Media Coverage of (In-) Famous and Celebrity Trials."

Beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Classroom Building Complex, Room A-112, the lecture will show how media coverage of high profile trials -- such as the O.J. Simpson, Timothy McVeigh, and the Unabomber trials -- differs substantially from the actual trials.

According to Kellerman, only a small portion of a high profile trial's events are covered and what is covered reflects "newsworthiness" rather than legal significance. She adds that inaccuracies are common in such reporting and that describing is subordinated to forecasting. In the end, Kellerman asserts, trial reporting tries the defendant, while the trial itself judges the prosecution's case.

All University Forum lectures are free and open to the public.

The University Forum lecture series is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and underwritten by the UNLV Foundation. For additional information on the series, call 895-3401.