Fall 2022 Humanities Symposia

By Haylee Richards

This fall semester the Trine Humanities Symposia hosted four speakers within the humanities field. These talks ranged in a variety of topics.

On October 20, Associate Professor LouAnn Homan presented “Follow me into the heart of Dracula’s Castle…if you are brave enough!” Those who attended got a look into the life of Bram Stoker and what led him to write Dracula. They then got a taste of what was to come from Trine Theater and their production of Dracula later in the semester.

On November 3, Associate Professor Dr. Eric Goddard presented “The Myth of the Medieval Flat Earth and Why it Matters.” Here attendees learned about the creation of the flat earth myth and where it came from. They also got a better understanding of why that myth still exists today.

On November 10, Associate Professor Dr. Melissa Mayus presented “Sacred Space and Creating a Saint in Medieval Iceland.” During this presentation, Dr. Mayus gave her hypothesis to attendees on why she believes that a saint was made within a Norse text. Since this text is based on loose events, Dr. Mayus argues that the necessary elements for sainthood were presented within the writing.

On November 18, Associate Professor Patrick Ridout presented “Wartime Secrets: The Origins of Comic Protagonists.” Attendees were transported through time as Ridout illustrated the many examples of protagonists that originated in comic books during wartime. Ridout covered the period of time from World War II all the way through present military conflicts, exploring a variety of comic publications.

Humanities Symposia will return in the spring semester.

Published: 4/21/2023