Professorial Lectures: 2019-2020
An Unorthodox Analysis of Monetary and Fiscal Policy
Daniel Saros (Department of Economics)
Mainstream economic analysis omits references to social classes and class conflict. This omission shapes its interpretation of capitalist economies and the types of policies that mainstream economists favor. By contrast, I…
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A Whimper and a Bang: Finding Novel Ways to Study the Past and Future of the Universe
Todd Hillwig (Department of Astronomy)
Our understanding of the universe around us continues to grow at an amazing pace. Today we hear terminology such as “Dark Matter,” “Dark Energy,” and “Accelerating Universe” in relation to…
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The Academic Roots of Martin Luther King’s Moral Vision
Aaron Preston (Department of Philosophy)
Martin Luther King’s moral vision had many sources, but he identified only one of these as his “basic philosophical position”: a now largely forgotten view called “Personalism,” which he learned…
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Auf Wiedersehen!: A Teenage Girl Chronicles the Destruction of Her Hometown and Worldview during the Second World War
Kevin Ostoyich, Ph.D. (Department of History)
In this lecture, Professor Ostoyich will present the experiences of “Hildegard Weber,” a thoroughly-indoctrinated member of the League of German Girls (the female division of the Hitler Youth), who chronicled…
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The Pedagogical Importance of Happiness
Lissa Yogan, Ph.D. (Department of Sociology)
Twenty years have passed since Martin Seligman, 1998 President of the American Psychological Association, pitched Positive Psychology to the behavioral and social sciences. New research highlights the important benefits of…
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From Light to Color: A Scientific Explanation of Poetry
Carlos Miguel-Pueyo, Ph.D. (Department of World Languages & Cultures
Since the origins of civilization, humans have viewed the concept of “light” as paving the way to a higher dimension, whether spiritual or artistic. Ever since we became conscious of…
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Student Development of Valpo’s Solar Furnace and A Program to Prepare Students to Obtain High Quality Employment
Scott Duncan, Ph.D. (Department of Mechanical Engineering & Bioengineering)
The Mechanical Engineering program at Valpo recognizes that it is critical to prepare our graduates for immediate success once they begin their employment. This presentation will describe two methods that…
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The Return of Reason: Contemporary Juvenile Justice
Dawn Jeglum Bartusch, Ph.D. (Department of Sociology & Criminology)
Juvenile justice systems have existed in the United States since 1899. Significant transformation of juvenile justice philosophy, policy, and practice began in the 1960s. In this talk, I will discuss…
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Engineering a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow
Mark Budnik, Ph.D. (Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering)
Few words are less understood than “engineering.” What is engineering? What is its purpose? Yet every year, millions of students across the world head to college to enroll as engineering…
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Designing a Public Advocate: The Story of Alice Hamilton, MD
Matt Ringenberg, MSW (Department of Social Work)
Alice Hamilton is the person most responsible for establishing workplace safety standards in the United States. She is often referred to as the “mother of OSHA” (The Occupational Safety and…
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