*Pictured is the agenda/information sheet and the professors speaking in the front.*
This event was an academically focused Halloween discussion panel on October 28th. I originally heard about this event through Dr. Kelly Murphy who teaches the HON209WI course I’m currently taking. I love the course and thought this panel would be a fun extension of some of the topics we talk about in class along with other spooky topics. This event was a great way to extend my academic knowledge in a creative way. I was also looking forward to learning about more history across cultures. I got to hear and learn about spooky topics regarding religion, philosophy, and anthropology. The panel included Dr. Kelly Murphy, Dr. Guy Newland, Dr. Hadley Cooney, and Dr. Rachel Caspari. During the activity, Dr. Murphy talked about the notion of zombies in the Bible. I really enjoyed hearing about this because religion is extremely interesting to me, and it was an extension of what we have discussed in her class as well. Dr. Newland talked about the legend of the fox in Japan. I would be really interested in learning more about the culture and history behind legends and traditions in Japan. He also talked about spiritual possessions in relation to these legends which I’m very interested in. Dr. Cooney talked about the reality of our lives. She suggested we could just be brains in vats at some control center and we would never know. This was ironic considering we had just discussed The Matrix in HON100/300. I was interested in learning more about this so I took note of the book she mentioned by Rene Descartes. I will definitely be looking into that book. Dr. Caspari talked about how much of history can be uncovered from bones. I thought this was cool. I’m very interested in skulls and memento mori which she also touched on, but she focuses on the more scientific aspects of death. Overall, there was some very interesting and spooky topics covered which is right up my alley. I learned a lot and I was also introduced to new resources to continue gaining knowledge in my interests. There was also a professor there that teaches courses on witchcraft. I’m incredibly interested in spirituality, and I plan on signing up for that witchcraft course in the future if possible. I learned a lot about possible different courses to take in my years to come and I learned about them in a fun way. This panel was a great opportunity to hear little snippets about different topics in a fun context.
Comments