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Schemel Evening Courses: Fall 2021

Course Fees for Non-Members are $75 per individual * Couple $125 * Remote Only $60

Trust the Science? A Political History of Science

DATES: Thursdays, September 9, 16, 23, 30 and October 7, 14                  
TIME:  6:00 to 7:15 p.m.
LOCATION: Weinberg Memorial Library, Room 305; remote link will be emailed 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

Why have climate change, vaccinations, the theory of evolution, and even the history and shape
of the earth become so controversial in contemporary American society? To understand these
developments, this course will begin with an examination of how modern sciences emerged as
an attempt to avoid political and religious disagreement by viewing nature with “objectivity”.
Next, we will study creationist vs. geological conceptions of Earth’s origins, debates surrounding
Darwin’s theory of evolution, and the rise and fall of eugenics practices to get a sense of how
political and religious concerns have always played a part in scientific work.   

Paul Sampson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of History, The University of Scranton 

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Invisible Men: Novels by Ralph Ellison & Viet Thanh Nguyen

DATES: Mondays, September 13, 20, 27, and October 4, 18, 25                  
TIME:  6:00 to 7:15 p.m.
LOCATION: Weinberg Memorial Library, Room 305; remote link will be emailed 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

In this course, we will discuss W.E.B. DuBois’s concept of double-consciousness and its adaptation
into Ralph Ellison’s concept of invisibility in Invisible Man. Then we will read Viet Thanh Nguyen’s
The Sympathizer to see how he reworks those concepts for an Asian-American context.

Joe Kraus, Ph.D., Chair and Professor, Department of English & Theatre, The University of Scranton, and
President, MELUS (Society for the Study of Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States)

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Social and Moral Issues in Information Technology

DATES: Wednesdays, October 6, 13, 20, 27 and November 3, 10
TIME:  6:00 to 7:15 p.m.
LOCATION: Weinberg Memorial Library, Room 305; remote link will be emailed 

COURSE DESCRIPTION: 

The course will deal with issues that remain current. They are intellectual property, software and
music video piracy, liability for defective software, privacy, free speech, facial recognition, and computer
crime. Is the internet used as a distraction technology rather than an informative technology?

Kevin Nordberg, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and Latin American Studies, The Univeristy of Scranton

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To register for programs, contact:    
Alicen Morrison
Schemel Forum Assistant
570-941-6206
alicen.morrison@scranton.edu
For more info on the Schemel Forum, contact:
Sondra Myers
Schemel Forum Director
570-941-4089
sondra.myers@scranton.edu

 

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