Tue, Apr 09
|Stumberg Hall
Seminar: "Lost in the Cosmos: On Sadness, Laughter, and the Self" with Dr. Ryan Womack
Why, in the midst of plenty, are we so often sad? How, in the midst of sadness, can we laugh? Please join Dr. Womack for this 4-week seminar exploring the complexities of the self, guided by Walker Percy's satirical self-help book, Lost in the Cosmos (1985).
Time & Location
Apr 09, 2019, 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM
Stumberg Hall, 3206 Fairfax Walk, Austin, TX 78705, USA
About The Event
Why, in the midst of plenty, are we so often sad? How, in the midst of sadness, can we laugh? While we explore the expansive cosmos, "We are unknown, we knowers, to ourselves," as Friedrich Nietzsche wrote. Built into the mysteries of the self are the possibilities of laughter, gratitude, and what Walker Percy called "the search". Please join Dr. Womack for this 4-week seminar exploring the complexities of the self, guided by Walker Percy's satirical self-help book, Lost in the Cosmos: The Last Self-Help Book (1985). Snacks and refreshments will be provided, so please let us know you're coming.
***Participants are encouraged to buy Percy's text.
Week one: Diagnosing the Modern Malaise
Week two: The Meaning of Sadness
Week three: The Soul of Laughter
Week four: The Self and other Selves
Ryan Womack is the Associate Director of Academic Programs at the Austin Institute. Originally from Moore, Oklahoma, he received his B.A. from Oklahoma Baptist University and Ph.D. in English from Baylor University specializing in the intersections of literature and religion, as well as the integration of science and religion in recent Catholic fiction. His research and writing are interdisciplinary, including literature, theology, technology, and philosophy. At Baylor he taught writing composition and Honors College colloquia, was co-director of RCIA classes at St. Peter's Catholic Student Center, as well as President of the English Graduate Student Association. He taught at the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota, where he was a Residence Life Scholar, Assistant Professor of English, and Catholic Studies Fellow.