Theme Guides to selected programs from the Fall 2012 Visions & Voices program were created in partnership with USC Libraries faculty and staff. Look for recommended books and readings on the people, performances and topics covered by these events. Visit the current season of: USC Visions and Voices; view the 2012-2013 season's brochure. Photo: Holly Burt from California, USA, "October Tree", University of Southern California, CC BY 2.0 Celebrating Peace: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Cindy Blackman Santa and More (Online Theme Guide: Research Guide) / (Theme Guide: Research Guide - PDF) / (Theme Guide: Resource Guide - PDF) August 29, 2012 An evening to peace featuring some of the best jazz musicians in the world.Additional topics in guide: Zakir Hussain, Carlos Santana; Guide creator: Stephanie Bonjack. L.A. Conservancy Walking Tour: Art Deco (Theme Guide: Resource Guide - PDF) September 8, 2012 Take an in-depth look at the history, materials and style of Art Deco architecture, popular in Los Angeles in the 1920s and 1930s. Downtown L.A. boasts an extraordinary collection of Art Deco buildings, due to a building boom during the heyday of this architectural style.Additional topics in guide: Gothic, pre-Columbian, Egyptian art. The Last Days of Pompeii: Decadence, Apocalypse, Resurrection (Theme Guide: Research Guide - PDF) / (Theme Guide: Resource Guide - PDF) September 21, 2012 The city of Pompeii was destroyed and preserved by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79. The Vesuvian sites have inspired artists from Ingres to Dalí to Warhol to engage with contemporary concerns in diverse media. View this art in the Getty Villa, itself modeled on an Italian villa destroyed by the same eruption that buried Pompeii.Additional topics in guide: TimeScape Room, street view of Pompeii, Archaeological Institute of America; Guide creators: John Juricek, Amy Ciccone. Too Much Medicine? How Overtreatment, Unnecessary Care and Economic Incentives Imperil the U.S. Healthcare System: A Lecture by Shannon Brownlee (Theme Guide: Research Guide - PDF) / (Theme Guide: Resource Guide - PDF) September 27, 2012 Shannon Brownlee, acting director of the New America Foundation Health Policy Program, is the the author of Overtreated: Why Too Much Medicine Is Making Us Sicker and Poorer.Additional topics in guide: American Healthcare System, Healthcare.gov, Alliance for Health Reform; Guide creator: Amy Chatfield. Los Angeles Philharmonic: Dudamel's Rite of Spring (Theme Guide: Research Guide - PDF) / (Theme Guide: Resource Guide - PDF) September 30, 2012 Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring was initially so controversial that it caused a riot in the concert hall. This performance marks Gustavo Dudamel’s first performance of this classic piece with the LA Phil. Also hear Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte.Additional topics in guide: Steven Stucky, Pierre Monteux, Valery Gergiev, Mariinsky Theatre Orchestra; Guide creators: John M. Jackson, Ross Scimeca. November (Theme Guide: Research Guide - PDF) / (Theme Guide: Resource Guide - PDF) October 12, 2012 In David Mamet's play, President Charles Smith is desperate to secure his reelection, and he’s not afraid to beg, bargain or sacrifice the remains of his integrity to make it happen.Additional topics in guide: Elections; Guide creator: Ken Klein. The Book of Mormon (Online Theme Guide: Research Guide) / (Theme Guide: Research Guide - PDF) / (Theme Guide: Resource Guide - PDF) October 30, 2012 A gleefully profane, irreverent and blasphemous tribute to the magic of Broadway, The Book of Mormon suggests that sometimes faith is all you need.Additional topics in guide: Trey Parker, Robert Lopez, Matt Stone; Guide creator: Stephanie Bonjack. LA Opera: Madam Butterfly (Theme Guide: Resource Guide - PDF) December 1, 2012 In Puccini’s classic opera, what begins as an idyllic liaison in an enchanting land of cherry blossoms turns into the heartbreaking tragedy of an abandoned bride forced to make an excruciating decision.Additional topics in guide: Ron Daniels, Herbert von Karajan; USC Libraries contributor: Ross Scimeca.