SIUC Humanities Forum

Mark your calendars for the upcoming visit by Dr. Jonathan Shay to Carbondale!

Dr. Shay will be visiting April 17-18, and will present two public events:
- panel discussion and Q&A about psychological and moral injuries on Wed., April 18 at 2 p.m. in the University Museum Auditorium
- public presentation, “Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming” on Wed., April 18 at 7 p.m. in Student Center Ballroom D

Dr. Shay is a nationally-recognized expert on psychological and moral combat injuries and veterans, and was awarded a prestigious MacArthur Genius Prize for his work using Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey in the treatment of psychological injuries in Vietnam veterans. He is the author of Achilles in Vietnam and Odysseus in America, the latter of which features a foreword by US Senators and veterans Max Cleland and John McCain.

Audio of Nancy Sherman’s talk, “The Moral Cost of War: Shame, Guilt, and Self-Empathy” is available here.

The Saluki Times has published a story about Nancy Sherman’s upcoming visit to SIU.

Mark your calendars! Professor Nancy Sherman’s visit to SIU is coming up fast. Come see her in person on Wednesday, February 15, 7 pm at Student Center Ballroom D.
In the meantime, here’s an interview with her on PBS:

Watch Nancy Sherman Interview on PBS. See more from Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly.

Mark your calendars for public lectures by Nancy Sherman and Jonathan Shay.

Dr. Nancy Sherman, Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University and author of The Untold War: Inside the Hearts, Minds, and Souls of Our Soldiers and Stoic Warriors: The Ancient Philosophy behind the Military Mind will speak on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 7 pm in the Student Center Ballrooms.

Dr. Jonathan Shay, MacArthur “Genius” Grant awardee and author of Odysseus in America: Combat Trauma and the Trials of Homecoming and Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character will speak on Wednesday, April 18, 2012 at 7 pm in the Student Center Ballrooms.

The Trauma and the Humanities series is sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Illinois General Assembly, Illinois Humanities Council, Graduate and Professional Student Council, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Undergraduate Student Government, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, College of Liberal Arts Dean’s Office, Departments of English and Philosophy, University Honors Program, Veterans Center, Carbondale Public Library, Eta Sigma Phi Classics Company, and Philosophy Club

Book Club discussions for
Jonathan Shay’s
Odysseus in America
and
Nancy Sherman’s
The Untold War

Tuesday, December 6, 6 pm @Delyte’s in Morris Library:
Odysseus in America, Chs. 9-11

For subsequent meetings, please see our events or calendar pages.

Please join us on Sunday, Sept. 18 at 3 pm at the Carbondale Public Library for our first event of this year, a screening of the Sundance-winning documentary Restrepo. Following the movie, we will be led in discussion by Kristen Amaya of the SIUC Veterans Center.

The Humanities Forum’s focus for 2011-2012 is:
Trauma and the Humanities

We will explore the contribution of the humanities in communicating and comprehending the psychological wounds of war, and, more broadly, in fostering a better awareness of the experiences of soldiers returning from duty.

This year’s events will include speakers, reading groups, and film showings. Learn more at our events and links pages.

… practicing the humanities in the real world
… connecting students, citizens, and scholars with a real interest in public humanistic projects
… exploring what the humanities can do as a therapeutic, community-building, problem-solving instrument in the world