The Garaventa Center welcomes everyone to an online Beckman Humor Project event on Wednesday, November 11, at 5 p.m.: “What We Can Learn About ‘Cancel Culture’ from the Index of Forbidden Books (Really!).” Here’s the Zoom Webinar link to join the live event, which is free and open to all.
The Index of Forbidden Books may seem like a relic of pre-Vatican-II Catholicism that we were wise to leave behind. Una Cadegan, University of Dayton professor of history, will take a closer look at its history, and at the habits of mind it reflected, to shed light on the thought and art (and the thinkers and artists) of our own day.
Cadegan’s talk is part of the Beckman Humor Project. For more information, visit up.edu/beckmanhumor/events or email garaventa@up.edu.
All are invited to the next installment in the popular “Why Theology Needs…” series from the Beckman Humor Project on Tuesday, February 11, at 7:15 p.m., in the Brian Doyle Auditorium (DB 004). Senior theology major Andrew Plasker will explore Marie Kondo’s methodology for “tidying up” and how her attitudes toward cleaning can enrich spiritual practices and help us look at our faiths in new ways.
“The Undertaking,” part of the Rev. Claude Pomerleau Memorial Concert Series, will take place on Wednesday, February 5, at 7 p.m., in Hunt Center Recital Hall. A reception will follow.
It’s not fiction! All are invited to be alternately horrified and entertained as UP biology student Ryan Kenton presents “The Biology of Zombies and Other Parasitic Tales,” a Beckman Humor event, on Wednesday, October 30, at 7:15 p.m., in Franz Hall room 120. Kenton will dive into the world of actual parasitic wasps, worms, and fungi that have been found to turn thousands of other species into assorted forms of “zombies”
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.
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.
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.
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 
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.
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: