News Article

FSW Hosts Humanities Colloquium: Education for a New Humanity, Devo’s Jerry Casale to Deliver Keynote Address

Jan 28, 2016


JANUARY 28, 2016 – FORT MYERS, FLA – Jerry Casale, founding member and songwriter of the band Devo, will deliver the Keynote Address of the third biennial Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) Humanities Colloquium: Education for a New Humanity at 7 p.m. on Thursday, February 11, in the Rush Auditorium, Building J, Room 103, at the FSW Thomas Edison Campus in Fort Myers.

The theme for this year’s colloquium is Evolution/Devolution/Revolution, and Casale sets the tone for the event with his lecture “We Must Repeat.” Casale attributes the spark for Devo and his postmodern sensibility to the trauma he suffered as a close-up witness to the National Guard killings of four students at Kent State University, May 4, 1970. This experience changed his worldview and fueled a creative approach to his outrage. Mr. Casale explains, “I will posit that a creative response to life’s apparent absurdity is the artist’s attempt to battle entropy while restoring order and spirituality in the face of the chaotic twin forces of evolution and devolution—a subject on which I am quite familiar.”

“The colloquium was originally conceived in 2011 as a response to the political rhetoric and policies that sought to minimize the value of the Humanities and their contribution to education and public life,” said Dr. Wendy Chase, FSW Humanities professor. “Our goal is to spark dialogue across the disciplines about the key issues facing humankind in the 21st century. With current events and our political climate as it is today, we are left to ask ourselves ‘as humans, are we evolving or devolving?’”

Two psychology professors from the University of Miami will explore the human potential to evolve on Friday, February 12, in Building U, Room 102. Dr. Amishi Jha, Director of Contemplative Neuroscience, Mindfulness Research & Practice Initiative at the University of Miami, will present “Contemplative Practices and Mental Training: Prospects for American Education” at 11 a.m. Dr. Jha is a highly sought-after speaker who recently served on a panel with the Dalai Lama. At 1 p.m., Dr. Mike McCullough delivers his lecture, “Beyond Revenge: The Evolution of the Forgiveness Instinct.” Dr. McCullough has authored over 100 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. The focus of his research revolves around the topics of gratitude, forgiveness and revenge.

The last guest lecture relates to the theme of “revolution” and will be delivered by Mark Hosler, founding member of the audio visual collage group Negativland, at 7 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 18, in Building J, Room 103. Since 1980, Negativland has created records, video, visual art works, radio, and live performance, using appropriated sound, image and text. Taken mostly from corporately owned mass culture, Negativland re-arranges these found bits and pieces to make them say and suggest things that they never intended to. Negativland has been sued twice for copyright infringement. Hosler will educate and entertain audiences with his talk titled, “Adventures in Illegal Art: Creative Media Resistance, Negativland, and the Fight Not to Be Absorbed.”

A full schedule of colloquium events can be found at https://www.fsw.edu/newhumanity/schedule. All events are free and open to the public.

The colloquium is sponsored by a grant from the Florida Humanities Council.

For more information, contact Dr. Chase, (239) 489-9470 or Wendy.Chase@fsw.edu.  

####

Florida SouthWestern State College is Southwest Florida’s largest and one of the most affordable institutions of higher education. Annually serving nearly 22,000 students globally, FSW offers a variety of nationally-ranked, career-focused academic programs with two- and four-year degrees, and professional certifications. Students are also active in clubs and programs catered to their interests. FSW will debut its intercollegiate athletics program in January 2016. Visit www.FSW.edu for more information.

Last Updated: January 28, 2016

Back to News Archives