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The University of Scranton
Weinberg Memorial Library
Linden & Monroe
Scranton, PA 18510
Library Services: 570-941-4000
Schemel Evening Courses: Spring 2025
Course Fees for Non-Members are $100 per individual & $175 per couple
Short Science Fiction, Utopia, and Dystopia: Origins and Innovations
This course covers a selection of short stories and other media that fall under the nebulous umbrellas of science fiction, utopian, and dystopian narratives. Keeping in mind that these terms encompass a wide variety of radically diverse texts, we will explore short stories and other works of fiction that exhibit key characters of SF, utopia, and/or dystopia. Moving from the nineteenth century through to the present day, we will examine the ways in which creators use speculative elements to express the conditions and concerns of their historical moments. Ultimately, stories of the future are really about the past and present, utopia always invokes the specter of dystopia, and truth is often stranger than fiction.
Madeline Gangnes, Ph.D.,
Assistant Professor of English and Theatre, University of Scranton
Defining Justice: Western Perspective from Ancient Wisdom to Modern Thought
This course explores the concept of justice through foundational texts from Ancient Greece (Aeschylus, Plato, Aristotle) and Rome (Cicero) to the modern era (Mary Wollstonecraft, Martin Luther King Jr., John Rawls, Pedro Arrupe, S.J., and Martha Nussbaum). Participants will examine justice through six key themes—Order, Harmony, Virtue, Responsibility, Progress, and Love. Through guided discussions, we'll uncover how these thinkers have shaped our understanding of fairness, morality, and the common good and reflect on what justice might mean today.
George Aulisio, Ph.D.,
Dean and Professor, Weinberg Memorial Library, University of Scranton
Italy's Dolce Vita in a Historical Framework
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.
Roy Domenico, Ph.D.,
Professor of History, University of Scranton
For more information and to register for programs, contact:
570-941-4740
schemelforum@scranton.edu