Students interested in 18th century society will have the opportunity to listen to speakers discuss topics such as sexuality and civility in fictional literature at a lecture series beginning this week.Alumna Catherine Turocy, a guest teacher in Ohio State’s Department of Dance this quarter, will kick off the series at 4 p.m. today at the Sullivant Theatre with her lecture on public speaking techniques in 18th century society, “The Public Face.” Turocy said that during this period, a person of society was expected to be able to show a talent, that being of performance.”As a professional, whether it be as a type of lawyer or doctor or any other career, the idea of performing was involved,” Turocy said. “This lecture is a study of the art behind the delivery of the lines.”Karen Woods, assistant professor of dance at OSU, is responsible for selecting and coordinating speakers for the series. Woods defined the 18th century as a fascinating time period.”The 18th century was a period which celebrated rules, especially concerning decorum and etiquette,” she said. “It is interesting to study how people tried to interpret the rules for their own gain.””The Public Face” is part of the Interdisciplinary Lecture Series, “Expressions of Civility and Incivility In 18th Century Western Culture,” sponsored by OSU’s Department of Dance, the School of Music and the Department of Theatre.There will be seven speakers in this series, ranging from English scholars to music and theatre lecturers to Spanish language and literature.Turocy was invited to OSU from New York, where she is the co-founder of the New York Baroque Dance Company. “The speakers will be coming from all over the nation,” Woods said. “This should add a lot of variety to the lectures.”