Classicists Barry Strauss, Paula Debnar and Alan Boegehold will present "Lessons from Ancient History: A Panel on Thucydides" this afternoon. Strauss, the author of "The Battle of Salamis: The Naval Encounter that Saved Greece and Western Civilization," is a professor of classics and history at Cornell University. Boegehold is a professor emeritus of classics at Brown University and Debnar is currently a professor of classics at Mt. Holyoke College. (Wed., Nov. 17 at 4:30 p.m., Alumni House. No admission charge.)

Renowned investigative journalist Seymour M. Hersh will deliver Hampshire College's seventh annual Eqbal Ahmad Lecture. Hersh has uncovered numerous scandals including the tortures at Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq. He received a Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for cracking open the story of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. He is also the recipient of more than a dozen other investigative reporting awards, including four George Polk Awards and the National Magazine Award. (Thurs., Nov. 18 at 4 p.m., Robert Crown Center, Hampshire College. No admission charge.)

Rock legend Bob Dylan will perform live at UMass this Saturday! Dylan has made an invaluable contribution to rock by challenging the notion that artists are required to have conventionally good voices to both perform and succeed in the music biz. Lyrically, Dylan has revolutionized the music world with his stream-of-consciousness writing style. (Sat., Nov. 20 at 8 p.m., Mullins Center, UMass. Tickets range from $35 to $45 and may be purchased at the Mullins Center Box Office or by calling 545-0505.)

George Bizet's opera "Carmen" will be presented by the Commonwealth Opera and a 40-piece orchestra at UMass. Although "Carmen" is not set in any particular time period, author David Nixon began with extensive research to narrow down a time frame for the play. During the process, he eventually realized that it was the timelessness of the emotions and the ever-present flavor of Spain that he hoped to capture as the heart of the tale. (Fri., Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. and Sun., Nov. 21 at 2 p.m., Fine Arts Center, UMass. Tickets range from $15 to $50 and may be purchased by calling 545-2511.)

Editors' Movie Rental of the Week

"The Clearing," which first premiered at the Sundance Film Festival this year, is being released on DVD this week. Featuring a stellar cast including Robert Redford, Helen Mirren and Willem Dafoe, the movie is a suspenseful crime thriller based on the true story of a kidnapping that occurred in Holland. Redford plays an affluent executive who is kidnapped by a disgruntled employee (Dafoe) and then held in an isolated forest to await ransom. Meanwhile, his wife (Mirren) must deal with the FBI agents who invade her home and disrupt her family life in order to negotiate the release of her husband. The movie received critical acclaim for its beautiful cinematography, great acting performances and able direction. If you're looking for an old-fashioned suspense thriller, rent "The Clearing" this week.