Schemel Forum Spring Courses Delve into Compelling Themes

The University of Scranton’s Schemel Forum spring courses feature three evening series examining the origins of science fiction and speculative narratives, the evolution of justice across Western thought, and Italy’s cultural transformation after World War II.
The courses begin on a rolling basis beginning Monday, Feb. 3, and will be presented in six weekly sessions in the Weinberg Memorial Library.
Literature enthusiasts and casual readers alike will delight in discussions surrounding the topic “Short Science Fiction, Utopia and Dystopia: Origins and Innovations,” taught by Madeline Gangnes, Ph.D., assistant professor of English and theatre at Scranton. Classes will be held Mondays, Feb. 3, 10, 17 and 24, and March 3 and 10 from 6 to 7:15 p.m.
The six-week course draws from an undergraduate literature class taught by Dr. Gangnes and explores what she describes as the “very broad” subject of science fiction.
Noting that science fiction is “not just about time travelers and aliens,” Dr. Gangnes said participants will be pleasantly surprised by a course that is both serious and fun as they explore wide-ranging themes that are applicable to our daily lives. A genre of literature that has been around since the 1800s science fiction intersects with themes of utopia, or ideal worlds, and dystopia, or tumultuous worlds. During the course, Dr. Gangnes will use a discussion-based format for participants to step a little bit out of their comfort zone to study the unrealistic nature of stories that can give rise to conversations about some of the most difficult topics in our society.
“These stories have a lot to offer if we just give them a chance,” she said, noting that science fiction isn’t just fun and fantasy. Rather, it is “inspired by circumstances in which the author is living” and is “more applicable to our lives than we might imagine.” Moving from the nineteenth century through to the present day, participants will examine how authors use speculative elements to express the conditions and concerns of their historical moments through a discussion-based class format.
Dr. Gangnes conducts research and teaches at the intersections of nineteenth-century British literature and culture, visual studies, digital humanities, and book history. She is the recipient of the Excellence in Integrating Sustainability into the Curriculum Award at Scranton and has introduced a new course in Climate Fiction.
In the next offering of the spring semester, George Aulisio, Ph.D., dean and professor of the Weinberg Memorial Library, will teach a Schemel Forum course for the first time since becoming director of the Schemel Forum.
Dean Aulisio will present “Defining Justice: Western Perspectives from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Thought” on Wednesdays, March 26 and April 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
Dean Aulisio, who has a Ph.D. in and teaches philosophy, said teaching a Schemel Forum course has been in the back of his mind for a while. During his first job at the University, he worked as an adjunct librarian and provided part-time clerical support to the Schemel Forum. Being able to attend evening Schemel courses allowed him to see firsthand “how fantastic these opportunities are for the community.” Today, Dean Aulisio oversees all aspects of the Weinberg Memorial Library and administers the Hope Horn Art Gallery and the Schemel Forum. He is an active scholar of philosophy and library and information science.
Dean Aulisio said justice is a timely topic for the Schemel Forum community because of its “practical interest to contemporary events and the Jesuit mission.
“The theme of justice is both timeless and timely,” he said. “It has interested people for millennia.”
During this course, participants will explore the concept of justice through foundational texts from ancient Greece and Rome to the modern period. Participants will examine justice through six key themes – order, harmony, virtue, responsibility, progress and love – to better understand the rich concept of justice and go beyond the idea that justice is defined only by the legal system.
“We’ll explore what justice is and how it gets defined differently at different times,” said Dean Aulisio, noting that by the end of the course, participants will make informed decisions about which perspectives are most important to them.
The spring semester will wrap up with the course “Italy’s Dolce Vita in a Historical Framework” taught by Roy Domenico, Ph.D., professor of History at The University of Scranton. Classes will be held Tuesdays, April 1, 8, 15, 22 and 29 and May 6 from 6 p.m. to 7:15 p.m.
The Italian “dolce vita” is usually associated with Federico Fellini’s famous movie of the same name. While illustrating some of the peculiarly American connections, this series of talks will explore the “dolce vita” as part of a broad social and cultural transformation that overtook Italy in the decades after World War II.
A longtime faculty member at Scranton, Dr. Domenico’s research and teaching interests are in 19th- and 20th-century European politics and culture, with a focus on Italy. He has received the Distinguished Teaching Award from the American Catholic Historical Association and has been named executive secretary of the Society for Italian Historical Studies of the American Historical Association.
To register for the courses, or for more information on the Schemel Forum, call 570-941-4740 or email schemelforum@scranton.edu. Registration is free for University of Scranton and Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine students, faculty, staff and Schemel Forum members; and $100 per person and $175 per couple for non-members. To pay for courses online, visit: www.scranton.edu/schemelforum.
Additional Schemel Forum events can be found on the Schemel Forum’s webpage.