What might a history professor have to say about zombies? How would an art faculty member weigh in on the U.S. prison system? Can environmental studies be used to frame a discussion about the Bible? Mary Marchand, professor of English and head of Goucher’s interdisciplinary academic division, has organized “Interdisciplinary Thinking in Three Acts” to find out.
“It’s supposed to be a fun and playful forum,” Marchand said of the tripartite series in which Goucher professors will delve into a range of though-provoking topics. “We want to see how different disciplines come together to create fresh knowledge.”
Marchand chose the topics—“The Prison,” “The Bible,” and “The Zombie”— with little rhyme or reason, though she says each “looms large in American culture.” Incarceration rates, a holy text, and the cultural popularity of the walking dead seemed like good subjects to kick things off. And, beginning the titles with “the” was entirely on purpose. “I wanted to make them entities or artifacts,” she said.
Each participating professor will speak for 15 minutes about how his or her discipline would approach and make sense of the cultural artifact. In her research, Emily Billo, assistant professor of environmental studies, focuses on relationships between humans and the environment. She’s not 100% sure what she’ll say about zombies during her panel, but she thinks it will be engaging for students to see “different dynamics among professors and to give them a chance to interact in a way that doesn’t necessarily happen in classrooms.”
Billo chose to participate in the zombie session, though she found all three interesting. “I think it will be exciting to see that we can discuss across different programs and talk about issues in distinct, and similar, ways,” she says.
“The goal is to find out if something new comes out of these discussions, or if there will be a new understanding of the subject,” Marchand said. “It’s supposed to be kind of an invitation to the community to start to think in interdisciplinary ways.”
Goucher already has strong programs in interdisciplinary studies, including peace studies and the growing environmental studies program. Marchand said President José Antonio Bowen’s support of interdisciplinary thinking is encouraging.
“I think it’s the right time for interdisciplinary studies to take off on campus,” she said, noting academia’s natural tendency to isolate into areas of study. “It’s by virtue of our training. I’m not just literature; I’m American literature. And I’m not just American literature, but 1890-1920 American literature,” she said. “But that’s not how the world works.”
The idea for the series developed this summer, when the interdisciplinary academic division decided to highlight thinking across programs and departments.
It may be just the beginning of important multifaceted conversations among Goucher community members. Marchand said another similar event focusing on environmental studies might occur at the end of this semester or the beginning of the spring semester.
What, When, Where, & Who
“The Prison” will be discussed on Monday, October 13, 3:30-4:45 p.m. in the Batza Room of the Sanford J. Ungar Athenaeum. Professors Ann Duncan (religion), Nyasha Grayman (psychology), and Irline Francois (women, gender, and sexuality studies) will participate.
“The Bible” will be discussed on Monday, October 20, 3:30-4:45 p.m. in the Batza Room of the Sanford J. Ungar Athenaeum. Professors April Oettinger (art), Kelly Brown Douglas (religion), and Mary Marchand (English) will participate.
“The Zombie” will be discussed on Monday, October 27, 3:30-4:45 p.m. in the Batza Room of the Sanford J. Ungar Athenaeum. Professors Emily Billo (environmental studies), James Dator (history and Africana studies), and Ailish Hopper (peace studies) will participate.
The panels will be followed by an audience question-and-comment session, and there will be light refreshments.