Skip to main content
Skip to main content
The Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry
Noam Chomsky
Legacy, Linguistics, and Higher Education
Above: A selection of questions from our hour with Prof. Chomsky
Noam Chomsky discussed his legacy, issues in higher education, linguistics, and philosophy.
Read more about Professor Chomsky on his website
Click here to learn more about the CAVEA, where the event took place.
A full video of the event will be available soon
Cornel West
Race, Democracy, and The Humanities
Above: Dr. West's speech, thanks to the MSU Denver Educational Technology Center
Preceded by a selection of spoken-word artists, musicians, and lecturers, Dr. Cornel West shared his passionate thoughts on race, democracy, and the humanities in the Tivoli building on Auraria Campus.
You can learn more about Dr. West and his work here.
Ben Nichols
The Last Pale Light in the West: On Cormac McCarthy's Blood Meridian
Above: A short montage of D-phi's first event. Music credit: Davy Brown by by Ben Nichols. Video by Devin Strauch
Lucero’s frontman, Ben Nichols, performed and discussed "The Last Pale Light in the West," a solo album based on Cormac McCarthy's classic American novel, Blood Meridian. The performance was preceded by a lecture by MSU Denver Historian, Matthew Makely, who offered a historical analysis of the original sources and events that inspired McCarthy’s book.
Click the links to learn more about Ratio Beerworks, Ben and Lucero
Link to full event here!
Robots
From Computer to Consciousness
Above: A short sample of the conversation in the Phipps IMAX theater at the DCPA
A talkback with the audience at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science Phipps Imax Theater took on the topics of modern developments in artificial intelligence, the nature and consequences of consciousness, and issues of morality involving AI's.
Full video coming soon.
Paul Muldoon
An Evening with the Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet
Above: A full recording of Paul Muldoon's visit to the Tivoli Brewery. Thanks to Alex Stadler for this great recording!
The Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry organized a night of poetry and conversation with one of the most intriguing literary geniuses of our time, Pulitzer Prize winning poet Paul Muldoon. A professor at Princeton University, president of the Poetry Society (UK) and Poetry Editor at The New Yorker, he has been hailed as “the most significant English-language poet born since the second world war” (indirect, The Guardian). In recent years, he has championed a rapprochement between poetry and song, publishing a book of “rock lyrics” and frequently performing with his band, Wayside Shrines. Recorded at Tivoli Brewing Co, Denver, CO.
Click here to visit Paul Muldoon's website.
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot
Romeo and Juliet
The Denver Center for Performing Art's “Shakespeare in the Parking Lot” performed an abridged version of Romeo and Juliet outside the Tivoli Building. The play was followed by a conversation with the troupe’s talented cast and director, moderated by English Department chair Cindy L. Carlson.
You can learn more at Shakespeare in the Park here
Full video of event coming soon
Tribes
The Tyranny of Language
D-phi and The Denver Center for Performing Arts partnered to bring a conversation with the cast after a performance of Tribes, a critically acclaimed play that examines family, belonging, and language.
Learn more about Tribes and the DCPA here
Out of the Past
Fate, Philosophy, and American Film Noir
Above: Full video of Dr. Pippin's presentation and the following discussion
After a screening of the classic 1947 film, Out of the Past, at History Colorado, distinguished University of Chicago professor Robert Pippin spoke with us on the themes of fate and agency in American Film Noir.
Learn more about Robert Pippin at his University Page
Click the link to visit History Colorado's website
FADE
Selfhood, Storytelling, and Mexican American Identities
In collaboration with the Denver Center for Performing Arts, D-phi hosted a conversation with the director and cast of FADE, along with professors of Philosophy and Chicano Studies from MSU Denver.
To read more about the play, visit the DCPA Website.
The English Patient
As part of a series of events leading up to The English Patient author Michael Ondaatje's lectures and readings, D-phi organized a showing of the Academy Award winning film by the same name. The event was followed by an enlightening discussion led by panelists who offered cinematic, literary, and historical perspectives on the film.
Mystery, Murder, and Mayhem
Crime Writing Panel and Open Mic
Five local Mystery/Crime authors shared excerpts from their work and answered questions from the audience about their muses, writing processes, and the genres themselves. The event was followed by an open mic, where attendees shared their mystery-related stories and poetry.
Event co-sponsored by the MSU Denver English Department, Sisters in Crime Colorado, and the Sigma Tau Delta English Honors Society.
Politics and the Silver Screen
Film Series at the Esquire Theater
In collaboration with the Esquire Theatre, D-phi is hosted a series of four award-winning political films, from searing satires (The Great Dictator and Duck Soup) to riveting thrillers (The Manchurian Candidate and All the President’s Men). These Hollywood classics were introduced and discussed by a variety of experts including political scientists, historians, and philosophers, who shed light on the historical context and cultural significance of each film.
Democracy in Principle and Practice
From Ancient Athens to Contemporary Colorado
Above: Full Video of Democracy in Principle and Practice
D-phi organized a group of experts for an informative and thought-provoking conversation about the history and contemporary significance of democracy. What are the origins of democracy? How has the concept and practice of democracy evolved over time? How do elections differ from one place to another? How have changes in technology, media and demographics impacted the nature of democracy in our own time and in our own state? These questions, and many more, were addressed by our panel of political scientists, state officials, historians and philosophers.
Frank Talks
A Conversation with former US Representative Barney Frank
Above: Full recording of our talk with former Representative Barney Frank
Barney Frank represented the Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts for more than three decades. He chaired the House Financial Services Committee from 2007 to 2011, during which time he co-authored the 2010 Dodd–Frank Act, arguably the most significant piece of financial regulation legislation passed since the great depression. Frank is widely considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States. Barney Frank joined us for a conversation on his life in politics at Auraria Campus.
Creating Monstrosity
Frankenstein, Gothic Literature, and Philosophy
Above: Full video of pre-performance discussion.
After a backstage tour, and prior to a performance of Frankenstein at the Denver Center for Performing Arts, an eclectic panel of experts discussed Mary Shelley's novel Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus, as well as the play and concept of adaptations in general.
Reconsidering the Humanities
Humanities in our Modern World
Above: Reconsidering the Humanities, thanks to the MSU Denver Educational Technology Center
D-phi hosted an involved Q&A with students and faculty which investigated the role of the humanities in our modern world.
Panelists included:
Zena Hitz, Professor of Philosophy at St. Johns College, Annapolis, author of The Crisis of the Intellectual Life
Arthur Fleischer, Economics Chair at MSU Denver, author of The National Collegiate Athletic Association: A Study in Cartel Behavior
Kimo Quaintance, Education Strategist at IQ Gemini, international expert on emergent technologies and disruptive innovation
Click the names to learn more.
Voices and the Voiceless
The Question of Advocacy
One irony of our current "age of information" is that people seem to be presented with news and perspectives that only reinforce their presuppositions and views. Another is that the dawn of global communication has perhaps only served to reinforce the systematic exclusion of certain voices. Their stories often go untold and their lives are undervalued. In short, their voices are silenced. When is it our duty to speak for them and what sort of moral dilemmas does doing so raise? D-phi presented a discussion of the complicated nature of advocacy and the power of art in making other voices heard.
Musician and comic author R. Alan Brooks, documentary filmmaker Alan Dominguez, and Carol Quinn of MSU Denver's Philosophy Department joined Cafe Cultura's poets Tanaya Winder, Franklin Cruz, and Alexis Vigil, with a live acoustic set by Blisss.
Disgraced
Performance and Talkback
Amir has spent his adulthood downplaying his upbringing to build the perfect life. But as a high-profile court case and his wife’s Islamic-inspired art show reveal just how little his culture is understood by the people around him, their misconceptions become too much to bear. The expectation to be true to yourself and to fit into mainstream society collide in this 2013 Pulitzer Prize-winning play.
After the performance D-phi hosted a talkback, including questions from the audience, with the cast and director of Disgraced, along with MSU Denver Chair of Political Science Dr. Robert Hazan at the Denver Center for Performing Arts.
Politics and The Silver Screen Part II
Film Series & Discussion
The Esquire Theater joined us for another gripping and timely film series, each followed by an expert-led discussion on the film and its historical and literary contexts. Our panelists included Dr. Rebecca Gorman (Chair, English), Dr. Jim Aubrey (Film Studies), and Dr. Pitturro (English).
The films screened and discussed:
The Grapes of Wrath (1940)
Dr. Strangelove: or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Norma Rae (1979)
1984 (1984)
Do the Right Thing (1989)
Religion and Violence
Where Faith and Violence Coincide
A day-long multi-disciplinary exploration of the relationship between violence and religion, featuring a variety of national and international experts in law, political science, psychology, and religious studies.
AlphaGo
Screening and Panel Discussion with Philosophers and Experts
Following a screening of the film, D-phi hosted a discussion on the nature of consciousness, AI, and games, with:
Jere Surber, Professor and Chair, Department of Philosophy, University of Denver
Bruce Young, of 'Fiery Rain of Go Stones,' a Denver GO club
Dr. Vijay Mascarenhas, Associate Professor of Philosophy, MSU Denver
Invented in China nearly three millennia ago, Go is believed to be among the oldest board games in the world. It's also said to have more board configurations than there are atoms in the universe. As such, Go—with its 19x19 grid—enjoys a reputation as the ultimate battleground for human versus artificial intelligence. On March 9, 2016, a seven-day tournament designed to test that premise took place in Seoul, South Korea. The Google DeepMind Challenge Match pitted a legendary Go master against an AI program—and director Greg Kohs (Song Sung Blue, DFF31) was there to capture the action. This entertaining, eye-opening documentary takes viewers from the DeepMind coding terminals in London, down the halls of Oxford and the backstreets of Bordeaux, to the site of the five-game competition in an attempt to answer the questions of our time: Where does the line between human and artificial intelligence begin and end—and what can computers teach us about ourselves?
On the Beach at Night Alone
Panel Discussion and Film Screening
Art imitates life in this haunting drama about an actress reeling in the aftermath of an affair with a married filmmaker: it's based on director Hong Sang-soo's own relationship with star Kim Minhee, which caused a media frenzy in their native South Korea. Kim won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at this year's Berlinale for her role as Younghee, who returns to Gangneung after escaping to Hamburg in an attempt to pick up the pieces—only to find herself spending one too many late nights making one too many startling confessions.
No stranger to mining his own experience for his films, Hong (Night and Day, DFF31; see also The Day After, playing in this year's festival) confronts his personal life with a newfound emotional directness here—drawing an incredibly raw and vulnerable performance from Kim in the process. It's one of the more remarkable director-actor collaborations in recent cinema.
After a screening, an expert panel discussed the film with the audience. The panel included:
Boram Jeong, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Univeristy of Colorado Denver
Hye Seung Chung, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, Colorado State University
David Scott Diffrient, Associate Professor of Film and Media Studies, Colorado State University
Edar Allen Poe is Dead and So Is My Cat
Performance and Talkback
A guy lives in his sister's basement, recording podcast episodes dedicated to his hero, the Gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe. Much to his sister's dismay, he takes very little interest in anything else. But change is on the way, coming in the unlikely form of a thrift store suit. Edgar Allan Poe Is Dead and So Is My Cat is a fantastical comedy with a dash of the macabre. This play is the first full-length production of Buntport's 17th season, a season that hopes to examine and play with theatrical conventions. Come escape the news cycle and laugh.
In addition to their original full-length plays, Buntport consistently creates all sorts of fun events, involving talented locals from all mediums. Every month offers a variety of entertainment opportunities, such as The Great Debate, buntporTED talks, Siren Song, The Narrators, and Joan and Charlie Discuss Tonight's Theme. Season 17 will also see a new live sit-com from the company that created Magnets on the Fridge, Starship Troy, and The Unauthorized Story of a Fictional Television Show.
An expert talkback followed the performance
Race & Justice
Discussion with Mayor Hancock & Author Claudia Rankine
D-phi partnered with The City of Denver, Lighthouse Writers Workshop, MSU Denver, Denver Public Library, and NEA Big Read on this discussion.
The Tragedies of David Lean
A Philosophical Film Retrospective
Philosophers Adam Graves and Sean Morris discussed the moral and aesthetic dimensions of Lean’s masterpieces.
David Lean is perhaps best known for his larger-than-life cinematography. His widescreen Technicolor spectacles, such as The Bridge on the River Kwai, contain some of film’s most iconic images—images of such monumental proportion that they tend to dwarf the characters who appear almost imperceptibly in their all-encompassing frame. He once commissioned Panavision to manufacture a custom 482mm telephoto lens, aptly known as the “Lean lens,” just to capture a single scene: Omar Sharif’s character emerging from a mirage shimmering over the vast Jafr mudflats in Lawrence of Arabia.
Films included:
Brief Encounter
Bridge on the River Kwai
Lawrence of Arabia
Each of these films tells a tale of profound unfulfillment: unconsummated love in Brief Encounter, unfulfilled duty in Kwai, and frustrated ambition in Lawrence. And each film provides a unique occasion to contemplate good and evil, virtue and vice, innocence and guilt, and to reflect upon the power of film to illuminate the nature of human existence.
Adam Graves is associate professor of philosophy at MSU Denver, specializing in phenomenology and hermeneutics (the theory of interpretation). He is currently teaching an Honors Seminar on the representation of evil in film.
Sean Morris is associate professor of philosophy at MSU Denver and works in logic, the foundations of mathematics and the history of analytic philosophy. From time to time he dabbles in questions relating to the good life as they arise in classic films.
Evil
A Multidisciplinary Discussion
A philosopher, a historian, a political scientist, and an English professor walk into a bar.
No, this isn’t the opening to an old joke. This is the opening to an evening of
multidisciplinary discussion of one of the oldest and most fraught of theoretical
concepts: Evil. The concept of “evil” may not mean the same thing across scholarly
disciplines, and may be a suspect term for scholars who wish to historicize and
contextualize the concepts and terms they work with. But while scholars post-Nietzsche
and post-Wittgenstein might be wary about the usefulness of a seemingly metaphysical
or universalizing concept like evil, the concept continues to play a significant
communicative, symbolic, and ethical role in the wider culture. Please join Professors
Amy E. Eckert (Political Science), Adam Graves (Philosophy), Andrea Maestrejuan
(History), and Craig Svonkin (English) for a multidisciplinary discussion of EVIL.
Shakespeare in the Parking Lot
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Above: D-phi's 2016 collaboration with Shakespeare in the Parking Lot, a vingette of their Romeo and Juliet
The Denver Center for Performing Arts' “Shakespeare in the Parking Lot” performed an abridged version of A Midsummer Night's Dream outside the Tivoli Building, followed by an interview with the director and actors.
Humanities in Charlottesville, After 'Charlottesville'
Tragedies and the Humanities
Victor Luftig, Professor and Director of the Center for the Liberal Arts, University of Virginia, joined us to speak about the role the humanities can play in times of crisis for our schools and communities.
Eraserhead
Screening and Discussion
A screening and expert discussion on Lynch's early film at MSU Denver's CAVEA.
James D. Reid holds a doctorate in philosophy from the University of Chicago, and is currently associate professor of philosophy at the Metropolitan State University of Denver. He has taught ethics and the history of philosophy, with special emphasis on Greek and German intellectual traditions, at Chicago, the Colorado College, the College of William and Mary, and the United States Air Force Academy. His research is interdisciplinary, drawing from philosophical, scientific, and literary sources, and is devoted to problems in the theory of meaning, value, and significance, and finding appropriate ways of talking, more richly and compellingly, about the importance of what we care about. He is currently working on several book-length projects, including a monograph on the ethical import of the philosophy of Martin Heidegger, a book on philosophical poet Novalis (forthcoming, Northwestern UP), and, with Benjamin D. Crowe (Boston University), a translation of Heidegger's The Question Concerning the Thing (forthcoming, Rowman & Littlefield). He is the co-editor of Thoreau's Importance for Philosophy (Fordham UP, 2012). He contributed several entries to Cambridge's forthcoming, multi-volume Heidegger Lexicon, edited by Mark Wrathall. His book on Rilke, poetry, and philosophy, which includes a fresh translation of the Duino Elegies, was published by Northwestern University Press. Dr. Reid has also recieved support from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Full video coming soon.
Creating Local Change
D-phi co-hosted this discussion on activism and the individual's role in their community with former Senator Linda Newell and Jack Wylie.
Trust, Anger, Resentment
On Blame and the Economy of Disesteem
Dr. Jay Wallace joined us for a presentation and discussion his most recent works. Dr. Wallace writes in moral philosophy, and his interests extend to all parts of the subject (including its history), and to such allied areas as political philosophy, philosophy of law, and philosophy of action. His research has focused on responsibility, moral psychology, and the theory of practical reason. Recently he has written on promising, normativity, constructivism, resentment, hypocrisy, love, and regret and affirmation (among other topics). Current research projects include a study of the relational elements in moral theory, The Moral Nexus, which is forthcoming from Princeton University Press.
Macbeth
On Ambition and Guilt
Above: Full video of pre-performance discussion.
To get what he wants, Macbeth will let nothing stand in his way – not the lives of others, the people of Scotland or his own well-being. As his obsession takes command of his humanity and his sanity, the death toll rises and his suspicions mount. Shakespeare’s compact, brutal tragedy kicks off the grand reopening of our theatre-in-the-round in a visceral re-imagining from director Robert O’Hara. This ambitious reinvention of the classic tale reminds us that no matter what fate is foretold, the man that chooses the dagger must suffer the consequences.
Known for his audacious artistic vision, Director Robert O’Hara is “shaking up the world, one audience at a time” (The New York Times). He has won the 2010 NAACP Award for Best Director, two Obie Awards, an Oppenheimer Award and the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Drama. This is his first production at the DCPA.
All That Jazz
Film Screening and Discussion
All That Jazz is a 1979 American musical drama film directed by Bob Fosse. The screenplay, by Robert Alan Aurthur and Fosse, is a semi-autobiographical fantasy based on aspects of Fosse's life and career as a dancer, choreographer and director. In 2001, All That Jazz was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry.
Professor Alan Sumler introduced the film, shown at the Esquire Theater. Sumler has a Ph.D. (ABD) in Classical Philology at the City University of New York Graduate Center. He teaches in the Philosophy department at MSU Denver, and the Modern Languages department at CU Denver.
Samuel Clare Knights
Readings and Discussion
Above: Full video of Knights' reading and the following discussion
PEN America Best Debut Short Story author Samuel Clare Knights joined D-phi for a reading of his work and a conversation about the nature of language and his linguistic inheritance.
Samuel Clare Knights was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan. He holds a PhD in creative writing and literature from the University of Denver and an MFA from the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University. He lives in Colorado and listens to the Grateful Dead every day. “The Manual Alphabet,” a beautiful story told partially in sign language, is about a hearing boy born to deaf parents. - From Catapult
Shakespeare in the Park
Performance and Talkback with the Director and Cast
.jpg)
In The Margins
Dance Performance and Artist Talk
Join us for In The Margins, an exploration of the complex culture of the Indo-Caribbean diaspora led by sugar bound artist Suchitra Mattai and her sister, Sumitra Mattai. Whether you chose to engage with sugar bound through dance, discussion or both, each participant will come away with a much deeper understanding of the work on view (and maybe some impressive new dance moves). Join us to enjoy one or all of the following components of this unique event:
Date: Friday September 21st
4:30 pm • Indian Dance Workshop with Sumitra Mattai
6:00 pm • Semi-classical/Bollywood style dance performance by Sumitra Mattai
6:15 pm • Artist talk with Suchitra Mattai, Sumitra Mattai and Jacqueline A.
McLeod, Ph.D., J.D., Professor of History & Africana Studies, MSU Denver
Location: 965 Santa Fe Dr, Denver, CO 80204
(This event is free and open to the public)
Birdman and Philosophy: Love, Madness and Immortality
Film & Lecture
Join philosopher Adam Graves as he conducts a post-film discussion to unravel the intricacies of Alejandro Iñárritu's existential Best Picture Oscar Winner.
Birdman, or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance), a dark and audacious comedy directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, follows the story Riggan Thomson (Michael Keaton), a washed-up Hollywood actor famous for having once played a winged superhero, who is now struggling to redeem himself on Broadway by adapting, directing and staring in his own highbrow play. Riggin’s play (that is, the play within the film) is an adaptation of Raymond Carver’s well-known short story, “What We Talk About When we Talk About Love.” But Carver’s short story is itself a modern-day retelling of the Symposium, Plato’s famous dialogue concerning the relation between love, madness, and the winged-soul’s quest for immortality. In this highly acclaimed and multi-layered film, Iñárritu brilliantly—and hilariously—weaves together timeless themes from both Carver and Plato, subverting our expectations and challenging our ordinary assumptions about the meaning of love.
Adam J. Graves, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at MSU Denver, where has taught courses on ethics, phenomenology and the philosophy of film. His publications focus on questions of selfhood, the theory of interpretation and the nature of human agency.
Date: October 4th, 7:00pm
Location: 2510 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80206
($15 Tickets are availabale here. Free tickets are available for students - email dphi@msudenver.edu for information)
Martha Nussbaum
Expert Panel Discussion
James Reid is Associate Professor of Philosophy at MSU Denver. His research is interdisciplinary, drawing from philosophical, scientific, and literary sources, and is devoted to problems in the theory of meaning, value, and significance, and finding appropriate ways of talking about the importance of what we care about.
Panel Date:
Wednesday, 9/26
6:30pm
Tivoli 444, LoRaine Good Room
900 Auraria Pkwy
Denver, CO 80204
Wounds to Scars
Acts of Remembrance in Word & Image
Above: A full recording of Drs. Gallagher and Kearney's striking presentation
A one-day only stunning multimedia performance of philosophy, art, and healing. The performance touched on themes of visual art and stories of remembrance as acts of healing.
Richard Kearney is The Charles B. Seelig Professor in Philosophy at the Boston College Philosophy Department. He is the author of over 20 books on European philosophy and literature (including two novels and a volume of poetry) and has edited or co-edited 14 more. As a public intellectual in Ireland, he was involved in drafting a number of proposals for a Northern Irish peace agreement (1983, 1993, 1995).
Sheila Gallagher is an Associate Professor of Fine Art at Boston College where she teaches courses on drawing, painting and contemporary art practice. Her work takes many forms including video, flower installations, smoke paintings and computer-aided drawing. Widely exhibited in the United States, Gallagher's work has been shown at such venues as The Institute of Contemporary Art, The Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Dodge Gallery, NYC, and Wellesley College.
Their Twinsome Minds project (a phrase from Finnegans Wake) is a multimedia performed talk with text by Richard Kearney and moving images by Sheila Gallagher. The performance mines what is often lost behind official historical accounts and acts of commemoration, and proposes a transformative work of interpreting the past for a new generation. Their Guestbook Project promotes the power of digital storytelling as a means of healing divisions.
"Peace takes practice. Peace takes creativity. Peace takes engagement."
The event took place at MSU's Center for Advanced Visualization and Experiential Analysis, which boasts 180 degrees of projection screen and state of the art audio systems.
Martha Nussbaum
Lecture
The Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry is excited to host one of the most distinguished philosophers and public intellectuals of our time, Martha Nussbaum.
In recognition of her prolific work in in areas including ancient philosophy, political philosophy, feminism, ethics, and animal rights, Martha Nussbaum was awarded the Kyoto Prize in 2016, and delivered the prestigious Jefferson Lecture in 2017. In addition to a multitude of other awards, Nussbaum has honorary degrees from over 60 universities around the world.
Martha Nussbaum will lecture on themes from her newest work, The Monarchy of Fear. The book, a thorough examination of the current political crisis, focuses on what so many pollsters and pundits have overlooked, a truth at the heart of the problem- the political is always emotional.
Lecture Date:
Thursday, 9/27
2:00pm
St. Cajetan's (Auraria Campus)
101 Lawrence Way
Denver, CO 80204
Co-sponsored by the MSU Denver History Department (With additional support from MSU Denver's Office of Sponsored Research & Programs)
You can ask your questions over livestream by commenting on this post (requires Facebook account)
PITY
Screening and Panel Discussion
PITY is a fascinating, nihilistic comedy about an upper class lawyers who, after enduring a family tragedy, develops a perverse dependency upon the compassion of others. Join the Denver Project for Humanistic Inquiry’s panel of philosophers and psychologists as they try to decipher what this minimalist film tells us about the relation between happiness and suffering, the complexity of human emotions, and the perversions to which they are subject. This event was made possible by a collaboration with the Denver Film Festival.
Panelists:
Dr. Rebecca Vartabedian (Philosophy, Regis College)
Dr. Randi Smith (Psychology, MSU Denver)
Dr. James Reid (Philosophy, MSU Denver)
Dr. Vincent Piturro (Film Studies, MSU Denver)
(Moderated by Dr. Adam Graves)
Date: November 5th, 2018
FILM SCREENING: 2:15pm (NO LATE SEATING)
Denver Pavillions
500 16th St Mall, Denver, CO 80202
DISCUSSION: 4:00pm
McNichols Civic Center
144 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80202
As always, D-phi will secure entry for students, free of charge- email dphi@msudenver.edu for free tickets!
Tickets are also available for purchase here.
Behind the Curve
Screening and Panel Discussion
Conspiracy theories are nothing new, but they seem to play an increasingly prominent role in our social and political experience. So what makes conspiracy theorists tick? Why are conspiracy theories so popular in the so-called age of information? And what do they tell us about knowledge, belief, human nature and society? Come join D-phi’s expert panel of philosophers, psychologists and social scientists as they help us unpack fascinating questions raised by the timely documentary BEHIND THE CURVE. This event was made possible by a collaboration with the Denver Film Festival.
Panelists:
Dr. Karen Adkins (Philosophy, Regis College)
Dr. Bethany Fleck (Psychology, MSU Denver)
Dr. Jere Surber (Philosophy, University of Denver)
Dr. Desiré Anastasia (Sociology, MSU Denver)
Dr. Christopher Jennings (Communication, MSU Denver)
(Moderated by Dr. Adam Graves)
Date: November 6th, 2018
FILM SCREENING: 4:00pm (NO LATE SEATING)
Denver Pavillions
500 16th St Mall, Denver, CO 80202
DISCUSSION: 6:00pm
McNichols Civic Center
144 W Colfax Ave, Denver, CO 80202
As always, D-phi will secure entry for students, free of charge- email dphi@msudenver.edu for free tickets!
Tickets are also available for purchase here.
Desire, Faith and Fidelity in Anna Karenina
Performance & Discussion
Panel Discussion featuring Chris Coleman (Artistic Director of Denver Center Theatre Company), Brian Hutchinson (Chair of Philosophy at MSU Denver), Vicki J. Grove (Senior Instructor, Russian Program, University of Colorado, Boulder), Greg Ormiston (Professor of Russian, University of Denver), and Joslyn Green (Lighthouse Writers Workshop), followed by a performance of Anna Karenina.
Date: Friday, February 8th @6:00pm
Location: Denver Center for Performing Arts, Directors Room (enter through the lobby of the Stage Theater)
(Free tickets available to students- email dphi@msudenver.edu. General admission starting at $30 available here)
iNation: Democracy in the Era of Social Media & Fake News
An Interdisciplinary Symposium
This Symposium includes lectures and panels featuring scholars from MSU Denver, the University of Denver, University of Colorado, Boulder. Keynote by Regina Rini, Canada Research Chair in Philosophy of Moral and Social Cognition at York University, and the 2018 winner of the Marc Sanders Foundation Public Philosophy Award.
Date: Tuesday, February 19, 2019
Location: CAVEA, 890 Auraria Pkwy, Room 420
(This event is free and open to the public)
The Lady Eve: Exploring Cavell on Film
Film Screening and Discussion
Stanley Cavell (1926-2018) was one of the most celebrated American philosophers of the past century. Outside of the academy, he was perhaps best know for his insightful interpretation of Hollywood classics, which had profound impact upon our understanding of the significance of film. This screening of one of his favorite screwball comedies, The Lady Eve, will be followed by a discussion with his four most accomplished students and friends.
Chair:
Timothy Gould (Metropolitan State University of Denver)
Panelists:
Richard Eldridge (Swarthmore College)
Michael Fischer (Trinity University)
Katalin Makkai (Bard College Berlin)
Marion Keane (Independent Scholar)
Date: Saturday, Febuary 23, 2019, @4:00pm
Location: SIE Film Center
(Free tickets are available for students- email dphi@msudenver.edu for more. General admission available here)
Peas and Carrots: The Rembrandt Room
Performance & Discussion
The “Peas and Carrots” series is light-hearted talk show-style event focusing on themes related to current Buntport productions, featuring music and interviews with D-phi scholars.
The Rembrandt Room is a dark comedy featuring one woman standing next to one masterpiece for who knows how long. Buntport’s first ever one-person show, this play is a mash-up of historical fact, Greek myth, and Buntport fiction.
Date: Wednesday, February 27, 2019 @ 8:00pm
Location: Buntport Theater Company, 717 Lipan St, Denver, CO 80204
(Free tickets are available for students- email dphi@msudenver.edu for more. General admission available here)
Aristotle on Biology & Human Nature
Panel Discussion
.jpg)
This panel will feature an international group of leading experts on Aristotle and his philosophy discussing the legacy and relevance of Aristotle's views on biology, human nature, and life processes.
Panelists include:
Klaus Corcliius, Chair of Ancient Philosophy at University of Tübingen, Germany
Christopher Frey, Associate Professor of Philosophy at University of South Carolina
Rachel Parsons, Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Louisiana State University
Date: Thursday, April 11th, 2019 - 5:00-6:30pm
Location: Student Success Building 400, 890 Auraria Pkwy, Denver CO 80204
(This event is free and open to the public)
Defining (Extraterrestrial) Life
A Philosopher’s Contribution to Astrobiology
.jpg)
Keynote Lecture by Carol Cleland, Director of the Center for the Study of Origins and Full Professor in the Department of philosophy at the University of Colorado Boulder. Cosponsored by MSU Denver’s Undergraduate Research Conference.
Date: Thurdsday, April 19th, 2019 - 12:45-1:45pm
Location: Tivoli Turnhalle, 900 Auraria Pkwy, Denver CO 80204
(This event is free and open to the public)
The Future of Europe
...and what it means for the Transatlantic Partnership
A discussion with members of the German Marshall Fund, and two European Ambassadors to the U.S., Italian Ambassador Armando Varricchio and Slovak Ambassador Ivan Korcok
Indecent
Interdisciplinary Panel Discussion and Performance at DCPA
Celebrate the Tony Award-nominated play “that deeply touches so much rich emotion about history and the theater, anti-Semitism, homophobia, censorship, world wars, red-baiting and, oh, yes, joyful human passion” (Newsday). Evoking the Jewish experience through traditional songs and dancing, this stirring production will leave you with a deeper appreciation for the art and experiences we often take for granted.
Pulitzer-winning playwright Paula Vogel tells the emotional true story of Sholem Asch’s groundbreaking play, The God of Vengeance, and the passionate artists who risked everything to share it. Many European productions of the provocative Yiddish story were highly successful in the early 1900s – even with a same-sex romance at its center. But when its Broadway debut was deemed “indecent,” it begged the question of who gets to decide what is considered art and what deserves to be censored. Follow the explosive tale through scandals, war and rewrites as a defiant, dedicated few refused to let it be silenced.
Join us for a topical panel discussion with academic leaders that explores the themes and issues of Indecent, followed by a performance of the play.
Speakers include:
Douglas Langworthy, DCPA's Director of New Plays
Cristina A. Bejan, Historian and Theatre Artist
Anahi Russo Garrido, Professor of Gender Studies
Carrie Colton, Professor of Theatre
September 18th, 5pm
Studio 11, Robert and Judi Newman Center for Theatre Education
Denver Center for Performing Arts
1101 13th St, Denver, CO 80204
Universe 92
The Peas & Carrots at Buntport Theater
Carly Leonard, a Neuroscientist at CU Denver, joins the cast at the Buntport theater for a post-performance conversation about the challenges of finding meaning in our increasingly techno-centric world.
October 10th, 8-10pm
Buntport Theater
Liyana
Screening and Discussion with Directors
Liyana is an award winning and genre-defying documentary that tells the story of five children in the Kingdom of Eswatini who turn past trauma into an original fable. Liyana won the award for Best Documenary at the LA Film Festival and has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
October 23rd, 4-7pm
Comcast Media and Technology Center, Tivoli Student Union
The Photons and Philosophy
Interdisciplinary Art tours at the Denver Art Museum’s Untitled Event
Tours are offered periodically throughout the evening, led by philosophers Vijay Mascarenhas and Adam Graves.
October 25, 6–10pm
Denver Art Museum
A Doll's House
Performance and Talkback with Professors and Authors James Reid and Candace Craig.October 26h, 6pm
Denver Center for Performing Arts, Newman Building
Intellectuals and Fascism in Interwar Romania
Cristina A. Bejan is a historian, theatre artist and poet based in Denver, Colorado. An Oxford DPhil and Rhodes and Fulbright scholar, Bejan's newest book "Intellectuals and Fascism in Interwar Romania" will be released this November. Join Dphi, Dr. Bejan, and Dr. Adam Graves for the launch!
November 3, 4pm
BookBar, 4280 Tennyson St, Denver, CO 80212
D-phi Conversations at the Denver Film Festival
DIVINE LOVE - November 5th
Gabriel Mascaro’ brilliant disco-dystopian drama, Divine Love, depicts a future consumed by an uncanny mixture of piety, eroticism and surveillance-state politics. Join a group of scholars—from philosophers to political scientists—as they explore the relationship between religion, politics, sex and the sacred in Mascaro’s provocative new film.
ZUMRIKI - November 6th
Nietzsche famously asked his readers how they would conduct themselves if they knew their lives were going to be eternally repeated. In his second feature film, Oskar Alegría’s asks his audience to consider whether repetition is even possible, as he tries to repeat the past by returning once again to the site of his childhood memories. Join a group of philosophers for a stimulating discussion of Zumiriki and the questions it raises about the nature of time, memory, past and place.
They Shall Not Grow Old
Film Screening and Discussion
Philosophy as a Way of Life
Reflections on the Art of Living
Panelists:
James Reid, Professor of Philosophy, MSU Denver
Paul Blaschko, Assistant Director at the Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study and Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow
Sarah Pessin, Interfaith Chair and Professor of Philosophy & Jewish Thought, University of Denver
Chair:
Caleb Cohoe, Associate Professor of Philosophy, MSU Denver and Lead Faculty Advisor, Mellon Philosophy as a Way of Life Project
Simon Critchley - CANCELED
Lecture and Discussion on Tragedy, the Greeks, and Us
We regret that Prof. Critchley’s lecture has been canceled due to illness. We are working to reschedule his talk, so please stay tuned. Our sincere apologies for any inconveniences..
The Thin Red Line
Introduction by Local Philosophers and Film Screening
Due to illness, this screening will be introduced by local philosophers, rather than Dr. Critchley.
The Thin Red Line follows the events surrounding the battle for Guadalcanal in November 1942, as the US Army fought its bloody way north across the islands of the South Pacific against ferocious Japanese resistance. It is war film. “But,” Critchley says “it is a war film in the same way that Homer's Iliad is a war poem. The viewer seeking verisimilitude and documentation of historical fact will be disappointed. Rather, Malick's movie is a story of what we might call 'heroic fact': of death, of fate, of pointed and pointless sacrifice. Finally, it is a tale of love, both erotic love and, more importantly, the love of compassion whose cradle is military combat and whose greatest fear is dishonor […] The ambition of The Thin Red Line is unapologetically epic, the scale is not historical but mythical, and the language is lyrical, even at times metaphysical."
Februrary 13th
Arc of Justice
Panel Discussions and Documentary Screening
This event will be a combined panel discussion and documentary screening. The documentary, Arc of Justice, is approximately 25 minutes long. There will be two panels- one to speak before the documentary, and one after. The first panel consists of experts who will speak to the history of housing discrimination and displacement in the Denver area and its subsequent effects on the current market. The CLT model will then be briefly introduced, providing a transition to the documentary screening. The second panel will consist of representatives from Denver-area CLTs to give an overview of current efforts.
The Evolution of Pixar
Film Screenings and Discussion
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to view Pixar shorts from the last 30 years on the big screen, from Luxo Jr. (1986) to Bao (2018). Explore the evolution of Pixar films with Dr. Craig Svonkin, associate professor of English, Metropolitan State University of Denver. Svonkin will look at the technological advances and social and cultural changes that have shaped these innovative films.