Lectures on Tap - "Why Humans Speak: The Evolution and Origins of Language"

📍 Location: Exact address given in confirmation email

🧠 Lecture: "Why Humans Speak: The Evolution and Origins of Language"

🎤 Speaker: Dr. Keegan Lannon

Join us for a fascinating evening as Dr. Keegan Lannon explores one of the most profound questions in human history: why are we the only species on Earth with true language? Although humans share roughly 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees, no other species uses sound to communicate with the complexity, nuance, and creativity that we do.

In this engaging talk, Dr. Lannon will examine the neurological, evolutionary, and societal factors that may have driven the development of human speech. Are our brains fundamentally different from those of other animals? Does language make us “superior,” or are we closer to other species than we care to admit?

Dr. Keegan Lannon is a senior lecturer in the English Department at UIC, where he teaches rhetoric, comics, and first-year writing. His work bridges language, culture, and communication, making complex ideas accessible and compelling.

Come challenge what you think you know about what makes us human.

Get a drink, connect, and learn at Lectures on Tap! 🙌

Agenda

6:30 PM – Doors open: find a seat (open seating!), order food & drinks, and expect a bar line—arriving early is key.

6:55 PM – Host introduction

7:00 PM – Lecture begins

7:45 PM – Audience Q&A

8:00 PM – Have 1:1 time with the speaker, mingle with fellow guests, and order another round

8:30 PM – Wrap up.