UPbeat

News for and about University of Portland faculty and staff.

Beckman Humor Project

Why Theology Needs Hipsters, Feb. 6

School of Education doctoral fellow Danielle Trollinger presents a humorous look at what hipsters have to offer the field of theology in her Beckman Humor Project event on Wednesday, February 6, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120.

Hipsters are drawn to craft beer, obscure cheeses, organic farms, hand-dipped candles, unconventional socks, and homemade preserves. They love the authentic, the vintage, and the obscure, which is exactly why theology needs them. Prior to attending UP, Trollinger taught theology for six years at a Catholic high school in Colorado, earning the Cura Personalis Teacher of the Year award for her commitment to teaching the whole person. That commitment infuses her current scholarly work on human formation, language and imagination.

For ADA accommodations or more information: garaventa@up.edu or x7702.

7-Minute Story Slam, Feb. 1

Who doesn’t love a great story that gets funnier the more times you tell it? All are invited to a 7-Minute Story Slam on Friday, February 1, at 7:30 p.m., in Franz Hall 120 (please note new venue!). All are welcome to enjoy an evening of hilarious tales and whimsical memories told by UP storytellers, each one taking a maximum of 7 minutes. Brought to you by the Beckman Humor Project and Actually Gavin Improv.

For more information, contact Georgia Paulk at paulk21@up.edu.

7-Minute Story Slam, Feb. 1: Share Your Funniest Story!

Who doesn’t love a great story that gets funnier the more times you tell it? All are invited to a 7-Minute Story Slam on Friday, February 1, at 7:30 p.m., in Mago Hunt Recital Hall. Enjoy an evening of hilarious tales and whimsical memories told by UP storytellers, each one taking a maximum of 7 minutes, brought to you by the Beckman Humor Project and Actually Gavin Improv. Want to be part of the event? All UP students, faculty, and staff are invited to submit their own true story that captures life’s humor no later than January 18. It’s not a competition, but we do need to hear your story aloud ahead of time.
For questions or to submit a story, contact Georgia Paulk at paulk21@up.edu by January 18.

Beckman Humor Project Funding Available

This is a reminder from one of last May’s Faculty Development Day sessions that the Beckman Humor Project fund exists to help faculty and students fund just about any kind of project that uses humor as a gentle, sideways weapon against the forces of darkness. Applications for funding roll through the year, and can be downloaded from the Beckman Humor Project website. For specific questions, please contact Karen Eifler, Garaventa Center, at eifler@up.edu.

 

“It’s Alive!” Beckman Humor Lecture, Oct. 24

Justin Yeakel will offer a free lecture, “It’s Alive! Competition, Extinction, and the Ecology of Reanimation,” on Wednesday, October 24, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. In his talk, Yeakel will plumb the surprising wisdom of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein with regard to competitive forces and survival in ecological communities. Yeakel is one part paleoecologist, two parts theoretical biologist, a recovering anthropologist, and a fan of science fiction and cosmic horror. He is a professor of theoretical ecology at UC Merced, and lives in Gilroy, Calif. (“Garlic Capital of the World”) to avoid the undead.

Yeakel’s lecture is part of the Beckman Humor Project and is free and open to all. Sponsored by the Garaventa Center. For ADA accommodations or more information call x7702 or email garaventa@up.edu.

“Why Theology Needs Lord of the Rings,” Feb. 6

UP theology students Ally Liedtke and Niko Strom with Professor David Turnbloom offer the latest installment in the “Why Theology Needs…” series from the Beckman Humor Project on Tuesday, February 6 at 7:15 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons Dining Room. In their talk, Liedtke and Strom present a humorous look at what The Lord of the Rings fantasy phenomenon has to offer the field of theology. For ADA accommodations or more information: garaventa@up.edu or x7702.

 

“Humor In Nursing” Talk with Hob Osterlund: Feb. 7

osterlundWriter, photographer, and advanced practice nurse Hob Osterlund will present “Humor in Nursing: How to Find Time to Laugh When There’s Zero Time for Lunch” on Tuesday, February 7, at 7:15 p.m., in the Bauccio Commons. Osterlund’s talk is sponsored by the Garaventa Center, the School of Nursing, and the Beckman Humor Project and is free and open to all.

Osterlund founded Hawaii’s first inpatient pain and palliative care program at The Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu. She also principal investigator for the Comedy in Chemotherapy (COMIC) Study, where she and her colleagues were the first to conduct a randomized controlled trial demonstrating the positive impact of comedy on the symptoms of cancer and chemotherapy. She will discuss the nursing profession as “one of the highest and hardest trapeze acts youʻll ever see,” where nurses face impossible situations on a daily basis: trying to balance on a high wire between cost-cutting and enormously expensive interventions, between doctorsʻ orders and the reality of patient care, between compassion for others and boundaries with them, between keeping people alive and allowing them to die, and many more.

For more information contact the Garaventa Center at x7702 or garaventa@up.edu.

 “Why Aren’t Comics Funny Anymore?,” Feb. 9

pow1-250wCharles Brownstein, Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, moderates an all-star panel of experts to discuss the question of humor in comics from a variety of professional perspectives on Thursday, February 9, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Panelists include Diana Schutz (editor of Sin City, Grendel, and Usagi Yojimbo), Mark Russell (God is Disappointed in You, Apocrypha Now, Prez), Shannon Wheeler (Too Much Coffee Man), and MK Reed (The Castoffs, Americus). The event is co-sponsored by the Garaventa Center and the Beckman Humor Project, and is free and open to all. For more information or ADA accommodations: x7702 or garaventa@up.edu.

Why Theology Needs Louis CK, April 6

Loius CK DTDoes theology have something to learn from a humble and humorous world view? Come enter into theological conversation through the comedy of Louis CK on Wednesday April 6, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall Room 120. The event is free and open to all. The talk will be facilitated by David Turnbloom, theology, and theology students Kit Tobin and Jonathan Wiley, and is part of the Beckman Humor Project.

For ADA accommodations or more information, please contact the Garaventa Center at garaventa@up.edu or 7702.

Marianne Lloyd Talk, “Prayers, Puns, & Practice,” Feb. 9

lloydSeton Hall professor Marianne Lloyd will give a talk entitled “Prayers, Puns, and Practice” on the role of memory in imagination, faith, and humor on Tuesday, February 9 at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall Room 120.

Lloyd says she won’t be able to prove that God has a sense of humor, but she hopes to provide evidence that such truth should not come as a surprise. The event is part of the Beckman Humor Project, which celebrates humor as “a creative way to puncture arrogance and outwit violence.”

Lloyd, an associate professor of psychology at Seton Hall, researches memory illusions, teaches statistics and research methods and serves on the Faculty Senate and the Board for the Center for Vocation and Servant Leadership. She was the 2015 recipient of the Collegium Visionary Award for her work to bring the Catholic mission into her teaching and scholarship. Her talk is sponsored by the Garaventa Center.

For more information contact the Garaventa Center 7702 or garaventa@up.edu.