All this year, the Penn Humanities Forum has been exploring the concept of time—how humans came to understand it, how various cultures kept track of it, what forces shape it—with a series of lectures, discussions and performances.

On Wednesday, Feb. 27, Provost Robert Barchi joins the distinguished list of speakers with his look at the machines people use to mark the hours and minutes. Barchi’s lecture, “Managing Time: The Aesthetics and Engineering of Early Watch Design,” explores the evolution of watches in their early years. If you’re interested in time—or timepieces—this lecture should be well worth the time, however you keep track of it. For still another Humanities Forum talk on time, see Wednesday, March 6.

—S.S.

- “MANAGING TIME”: 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Penn Humanities Forum, 3619 Locust Walk.. Seating limited; for reserverations, e-mail humanities@sas.upenn.edu or call 215-573-8280. Info: humanities.sas.upenn.edu or 215-898-8220.