Six Eclectic World Affairs Seminars Set for Spring

The Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars aim to bring the world to Scranton.
The Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars for the spring semester at The University of Scranton will be presented by Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University; historian Annie Cohen-Solal, distinguished professor at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy; Colum McCann, an Award-winning novelist; Jill Dougherty, CNN on-air contributor; Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at John F. Kennedy School of Government and professor of history at Harvard University; and Harmar Brereton, M.D., medical and radiation oncologist.
The Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars for the spring semester at The University of Scranton will be presented by Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University; historian Annie Cohen-Solal, distinguished professor at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy; Colum McCann, an Award-winning novelist; Jill Dougherty, CNN on-air contributor; Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at John F. Kennedy School of Government and professor of history at Harvard University; and Harmar Brereton, M.D., medical and radiation oncologist.

This spring, The University of Scranton Schemel Forum’s World Affairs Luncheon Seminars will feature another diverse lineup of thought-provoking discussions centered around important global issues.

Six prominent speakers will appear at the luncheons, which will take place from noon to 1:30 p.m. in Brennan Hall’s Rose Room (with the exception of the April 21st event). In addition, a Zoom option is available for those who wish to attend remotely.

The series begins Monday, Mar. 13, with “The Courage to Care,” presented by Carol Rittner, RSM, D.Ed., distinguished professor emerita of Holocaust and Genocide Studies and the Dr. Marsha Raticoff Grossman Professor Emerita of Holocaust Studies at Stockton University, New Jersey. At the talk, Rittner will discuss the small minority of European Christians who assisted Jewish people during the Holocaust. Among the questions she’ll address are: “Why did they risk their lives?” and “What can we learn from people who had ‘the courage to care?’”

Next, on Tuesday, Mar. 28, writer and social historian Annie Cohen-Solal, distinguished professor at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, will present “A Foreigner Called Picasso,” a look at Picasso’s life in France, where he managed to flourish artistically despite always being looked at as an “other” and never being afforded French citizenship. In spite of all that, he managed to enrich the country’s cultural life like few others in its history.

National Book Award-winning Irish novelist Colum McCann will visit the University on Friday, April 21, for the seminar, “How Stories Heal the World.” During the talk, McCann will discuss how, despite living in fractured times, we can bring a healing bond to our communities and our own lives through the power of stories. The talk will take place in Redington Hall’s Collegiate Hall.

On Friday, Apr. 28, Dunmore native, CNN on-air contributor and Russia expert Jill Dougherty will present “The World after the Ukraine War,” an incisive look at how the war in Ukraine has created global upheaval, affecting energy policies, inflation, food prices and political stability.

Dougherty was in Moscow when the invasion began and now, a year into the war, she’ll examine this watershed event that is transforming Ukraine, Russia, Europe and the world.

“Vladimir Putin thought his invasion of Ukraine would be a blitzkrieg-style lightning strike to remove Ukraine’s president and pull Ukraine back under the influence of Russia,” Dougherty said. “But, one year later, President Volodymyr Zelensky is still in power in Kyiv, NATO allies are supporting Ukraine with tanks and heavy weaponry, the alliance is about to add two more members, Russia’s economy is being hit with unprecedented sanctions, and Ukrainians are more united than ever against Russia.”

On Tuesday, May 2, Fredrik Logevall, Ph.D., the Laurence D. Belfer Professor of International Affairs at John F. Kennedy School of Government and professor of history at Harvard University, will present “The Promise of American Democracy.”

At the event, Dr. Logevall will discuss America’s deeply divided politics, and whether the two major parties can ever find their way back to the type of good-faith bargaining that’s essential in a functioning democracy.

“American democracy faces challenges on various fronts,” Dr. Logevall said. “For evidence, we need look no further than the assault on the U.S. Capitol two years ago. Could such violent protest occur again? The possibility is there, so deep is the political dysfunction. But I want to suggest in the talk that there are also reasons to be hopeful, and that some of those reasons can be found in looking at the nation’s history. And I’ll also look to the future a bit, and talk about what I believe a healthy democracy requires.”

Finally, on Tuesday, May 9, Harmar Brereton, M.D., medical and radiation oncologist, Weill Cornell Medical School faculty, and clinical professor of Medicine at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, brings the seminars to a close with “Vocalising and Music in the Development of Speech Language and Consciousness.”

In previous Schemel Forum presentations, Dr. Brereton explored the evolution of consciousness reflected in tool artifacts and Paleolithic art. This time, he’ll look at how the hearing and making of sound also may have influenced the development of consciousness.

“We’ll look at the origins of music up to the beginning of vocalizing and steps taken to what music is for us today,” Dr. Brereton said. “We’ll include a biological and evolutionary review with some assumptions along the way.”

Admission to the luncheon seminars is free for University students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members. For non-members, the seminars are $25 in-person (buffet lunch included) and $10 remote.

To register for the seminars, contact Brooke Leonard at 570-941-4740 or brooke.leonard@scranton.edu. Or, to pay online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.

Additional Schemel Forum events scheduled for the spring semester include courses and collaborative events. Sondra Myers, Schemel Forum director, discusses the spring events in a WVIA interview with Erika Funke. The full schedule events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.

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