Spring Schemel Forum Collaborative Programs
The Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton, in partnership with several groups within and outside the University community, will offer several talks free of charge during the spring semester. Reservations are required to attend the free collaborative events and can be made by calling 570-941-6206 or emailing alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.During the spring semester, the Schemel Forum at The University of Scranton, in partnership with diverse groups within and outside the University community, will offer participants insights into threats to our children’s health and development, three perspectives on democracy’s future, and the historical context behind a campus art exhibit.
On Wednesday, Feb. 13, in collaboration with Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, the University will present “Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and Resiliency: The Long Term Health, Legal and Societal Consequences.” Dennis Dawgert, M.D., a local pediatrician, will discuss the effects of ACE, which were described in a groundbreaking study in 1999 conducted by Vincent Felitti, M.D., and Robert Anda, M.D. The ACE study showed long-term effects of many common health problems and a shortening of life expectancy. Subsequent studies have shown increases in learning disabilities, incarceration and other psychosocial issues. The traumatic events that cause ACE include physical and sexual abuse, familial dysfunction and the separation of a child from the caregiver. Reservations are required to attend this free event, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the McIlhenny Ballroom on the fourth floor of the DeNaples Center, with a reception to follow.
On Thursday, March 28, in collaboration with its Humanities Initiative at The University of Scranton, the Schemel Forum will present James Miller, Ph.D., professor of politics and liberal studies and faculty director of the Creative Publishing and Critical Journalism Program at The New School for Social Research in New York City. Dr. Miller will present “Can Democracy Work? A Short History of a Radical Idea, from Ancient Athens to Our World.” He will offer a short reading from his book, “Can Democracy Work?” Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, with a book signing and reception to follow.
On Thursday, April 4, in collaboration with The University of Scranton’s Political Dialogues Campus Working Group, Patricia Roberts-Miller, Ph.D., professor of rhetoric and writing and director of the University Writing Center at the University of Texas at Austin, will present “Democracy and the Rhetoric of Demagoguery.” Dr. Roberts-Miller will discuss her recent books on demagoguery discuss its history, review its predictable patterns and suggesting ways we may combat it in our current contexts. Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, with a book signing and reception to follow.
On Monday, April 8, in collaboration with The Helen Gallagher McHugh Special Collections at the Weinberg Memorial Library, The University of Scranton and the Friends of the Weinberg Library, the University will welcome Father Rob Carbonneau, C.P., Ph.D., Passionist historian and adjunct professor of history at Scranton. Father Carbonneau will present “American Passionist Priest Martyrs in China, 90th Anniversary 1929-2019: Remembering the Chinese Catholic Witness of Faith.” He will explore what the death of three Passionists in 1929 continues to teach us about contemporary Catholics in China. The event is presented in conjunction with the exhibit “Life, Death and Memory: Art and Artifacts from the Passionist China Collection.” Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 6 p.m. in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, with a book signing and reception to follow.
On Thursday, May 2, in collaboration with the Weinberg Memorial Library, Thomas Brier, Jr., J.D., attorney at Blank Rome LLP in Philadelphia, will discuss his book “While Reason Slept,” which examines the relationship between democratic erosion and the declining belief in the power of reason. Reservations are required for the free event, which will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Heritage Room on the fifth floor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, with a book signing and reception to follow.
To register, contact Alicen Morrison, Schemel Forum assistant, at 570-941-6206 or alicen.morrison@scranton.edu.
For more information on Schemel Forum programs and memberships, contact Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, at 570-941-4089 or Sondra.myers@scranton.edu.
