The pursuit of wisdom, humanities style

The Faculty of Humanities colloquium series promises to pursue the intellectual mission of the humanities — the pursuit of wisdom in its different forms.

“The series is an attempt to give our faculty members the opportunity to examine problems in several disciplines within a common setting and from a variety of perspectives,” says dean Daniel Woolf, who organized a similar series when he was at Dalhousie University.

The first in the series, Writing Up Lives in the Humanities, on Feb. 15, focuses on a hot trend — researching and writing the biography.

Organizer Michele George, associate professor of classics, says “The event will be informal rather than formal. The discussion will generate a variety of opinions from various disciplines. The participants will talk about generating ideas for subject matter, problems they've experienced and their methodology of research. Not only will members be exposed to one another's research projects, but in the broader sense, they will see a different approach to research.”

“We spend a lot of time working together, but we don't really know what research is being conducted. Sometimes within the Faculty you find individuals working on the same problem, but in a different discipline,” adds Woolf.

The goal for the discussions is that faculty members will come and consider problems arising from studies in a variety of disciplines. Woolf hopes the discussion will generate ongoing collaborations between faculty members and an increased awareness of the research being conducted within the Faculty.

Discussions will begin at 3:40 p.m. in Convocation Hall. Participants include James King, English (moderator); Virginia Aksan, history; Suzanne Crosta, French; Nicholas Griffin, philosophy; and Janice Hladki, women's studies.