Professor Pier Massimo Forni, co-founder and co-director of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project, will give a lecture, "Why Civility, Why Today?" at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 4, in Shriver Hall on the Homewood campus.

Forni and Classics Department chair Guilia Sissa last March launched an international symposium to assess the relevance of notions of civility, manners and politeness in today's society and to foster scholarly research on civility. This year, research continues through outreach activities that include public schools, prisons, hospitals and other social arenas.

Forni's research on civility has been featured in publications including The London Times, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Los Angeles Times.

Admission to the lecture, part of the Wednesday Noon Series presented by the Office of Special Events, is free.