Think clearly. Act well. Appreciate life.
Recently, I became aware of, and joined, a new network of scholars called the SOLAR Network, S-O-L-A-R, for Scholars of Literature and Religion. And this network got me thinking about a range of networks, or interactions, cutting across the worlds of faith and intellect: literature and religion, universities and their communities, theology and practice, and …
Postsecular thought refutes an assumption that so many of us take for granted, namely, that we live in a secular age. But what does it mean to be postsecular? Does it mean that we are no longer secular beings? Does it mean that we’re now living in a different era? Did a truly post secular …
Hello listeners, we wanted to let you all know of a new podcast series from the Center coming this Monday, January 25th 2021, called “Faith and Imagination.” This new podcast series will feature interviews between Dr. Matthew Wickman, founding director of the BYU Humanities Center, and various scholars and others who address the cross sections …
Intersections between areas of scholarly inquiry and areas of creative expression are both fraught with complexity and ripe with opportunity. Where and how these spheres of academic, intellectual and creative work inform each other is often unique to the individual performing that work. But what happens when these two areas—the academic and artistic—also engage the …
Poetry represents perhaps the most elegant use of language, the most delicate expression of the wide range of moods and feelings that make us most deeply human. For that reason, poetry can move us to think differently, behave differently, even sometimes believe differently. In this episode, we spoke with David Marno, Associate Professor of English …
What is the role of religious universities like BYU? How should they resemble or differ from secular universities, and has their role evolved in the past few decades? Or will it? Our guest on this episode of the BYU Humanities Center Podcast is John Tanner, former Academic Vice President of BYU and, most recently, President …
Contemplative studies is an emerging interdisciplinary field in universities. It explores the intersection of what we learn with how we learn, asserting that minds that are aware of their own processes, minds that take a contemplative approach toward learning, not only digest facts but also undergo transformative experiences. In most universities, contemplative study fuses brain …
What is literature? For much of western history, the word simply designated “educated writing” or “discourse,” a meaning it still retains. However, since the turn of the nineteenth century, literature has usually meant “imaginative writing,” and some kinds of literature, like the genre of romance, is more, shall we say, “literary” than others, more rooted …
Scotland is a small nation that has exerted an outsized influence on the modern world, an influence ranging from politics and economics, to university disciplines, the arts, and even the study of literature. But Scotland also bears a fascinating history within Britain, a history of influence, resistance, and self reflection. The guest of this episode …
What do we need in violent times? Stronger weapons systems? Better intelligence so that we can root out threats before they arise? A more robust police force or rules for governing its use? Emily Katz Anhalt, who teaches classical languages and literatures at Sarah Lawrence College, believes we need stories. And not just any stories …
