The City: Classical Roots and Contemporary Realities
Nov. 1-2, 2018
University of Dallas
Cardinal Farrell Hall - Catholic Foundation Board Room, Second Floor
FOR THE first time in history, cities today contain the majority of the earth’s human population. Opportunities and commodities now considered necessary for a fulfilling human life increasingly depend on residence in a major city. Much of cities’ drawing power subsists in their ability to offer a more unconstrained life, possibilities for growth and creativity, and freedom for self-realization.
THESE PROMISES, however, often prove illusory even to those who win success, for they are promises made to individuals as individuals. The premise of the city, however, is that human nature is realized more fully in community with others. How may a good life be envisioned for today’s city dwellers as a community? And how should cities be conceived of in order to encourage that good life?
Topics to Be Explored
- Conviviality: An Ideal for the City
- The Public Virtues
- The Need for Openness
- The City’s Relation to the Region
- The City’s Relation to Nature
- The City’s Effect on Mind and Soul
- The City and Beauty
- The City and Technology
This fourth annual joint endeavor between the University of Dallas Braniff Graduate School and the Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) continues their mission to explore and expand the reach of the classic humanities more broadly, across national borders and across disciplines.
Conference Schedule
Thursday, Nov. 1
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 10 a.m. - Noon |
Panel 1: The City as Center in Latin American History. Mark Petersen, Assistant Professor of History, University of Dallas Víctor Villavicencio, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico Valeria Zepeda, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico |
| Noon - 1:30 p.m |
Lunch: Mexican-U.S. Realities. (Special event for colloquium participants only) Carlos McCadden, Dean, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico |
| 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. |
Panel 2: From Literary Realities to Classical Roots Nefer Muñoz-Solano, Assistant Professor of Spanish, University of Dallas Matthew Post, Assistant Proffesor of Humanities, University of Dallas José Pantaleón Dominguez, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico |
| 3:30 - 4:30 p.m. |
Break |
| 4 - 5:30 p.m. |
Panel 3: Ethics in the City Alejandro Ordieres, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico José Manuel Orozco, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico |
| 6 p.m. |
Dinner (Special event for colloquium participants only) |
Friday, Nov. 2
| Time | Event |
|---|---|
| 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. |
Panel 4: Aesthetics and Poetics of the City Juan Carlos Mansur, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de Mexico Bainard Cowan, Louise Cowan Chair, University of Dallas Robert Scott Dupree, University of Dallas |
| 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Lunch (Special event for colloquium participants only) |
| 1 - 2 p.m. |
Final Session: The Nurture of Soul in the City Gail Thomas, Director, Center for the City, Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture;
Former CEO, Trinity Trust |
Conference Organizers
Joshua Parens, PhD, Dean, Braniff Graduate School
Bainard Cowan, PhD, Cowan Chair in Literature