About

84th Annual Conference - October 4-5, 2019 - Conference Website

Remaking Ourselves: The Impact of Human Creativity on Humanity and the World

As humans, we have tremendous power to influence the world in which we live. We establish governments to define our economic and political systems. We create businesses that reshape individuals, communities, nations, and the entire planet. We study the natural world and invent new technologies and medical treatments. We study our history, create art, and examine what it means to be human. But we are also finite beings with inconsistent moral and ethical behaviors and an inability (or resistance) to anticipate the long-term consequences of our actions. As faculty serving at Lutheran institutions, we are encouraged to reflect on the effects of human actions.

We invite you to Wittenberg University to engage in interdisciplinary conversations about the ways in which human actions remake ourselves and the world. What unintended consequences have emerged, even from some of our greatest achievements? How does looking at change through different generational, cultural, and other lenses help us better understand change, its origins and its impact? What opportunities to turn real or perceived problems into solutions exist? Are there problems so great that we cannot overcome them? Is the greatest challenge of all human nature itself?

• Conference Hosted by Wittenberg University

Keynote Speaker

Gilbert Meilaender, Ph.D.

Gilbert Meilaender is Senior Research Professor at Valparaiso University and the Paul Ramsey Fellow at the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. He is the author of many books and articles in the field of Christian ethics. He has served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Christian Ethics, as an Associate Editor of Religious Studies Review, as a Consultant Editor of Studies in Christian Ethics, and as an Associate Editor of the Journal of Religious Ethics. He is a Fellow of the Hastings Center and was a member of the President's Council on Bioethics from 2002 to 2009.

The ALCF is proud to partner with the Kenneth H. Sauer Luther Symposium, an annual lecture that is part of the Wittenberg Series, to bring Professor Meilaender to campus. His talk is entitled "Remaking the Human" and promises to raise provocative questions about how scientific possibilities raise ethical questions about what it means to be human.

Keynote address

Friday, October 4, 2019, 7:30 pm, Barbara Deer Kuss Science Center, Bayley Auditorium

Posthuman Or Perfected Human? Biotech Enhancement And The History Of Redemption

Session 1

"Convivenza as creatively remaking our collective selves: The possibilities and challenges of co-building school communities"

- Jenna Nelson - Concordia University, Chicago

- Jamie Kowalczyk - Concordia University, Chicago

In this presentation, each presenter comes at the idea of convivenza (living with others) as a way of exploring how schools engage in reforming new communities to produce a greater sense of belonging and to improve learning/achievement.

"Garden to Table: Poetry, Pottery, Community: A Banquet Hosted by Ceramics 1 & 2 classes"

- Janet Neuwalder - California Lutheran University

How do you create an experience for awareness & inclusion that engages students to care about food that nourishes and vessels they eat upon; does it matter? How can you foster of sense of compassion and stewardship for our Earth? A ceramics banquet!

"Art in Public as an Ethical Tool"

- Mat Greiner - Grand View University

When art expands its form via the ethical dimension of aesthetics it demonstrates its value to community building and problem solving. Explore art as a tool for community building and problem solving through the practice of public art.

"How does research that guides developmentally appropriate practices for children support best practices for adult learners?"

- Kelly Sadlovsky - Concordia University, St. Paul

Current research will be shared. The purpose of the study is to align research supporting developmentally appropriate practices for children to many of the same needs for adult learners.

"Pedagogy, Knowledge and Learning: Remaking Parochial School Teachers’ Writing Instruction"

- Amanda Mulcahy - Concordia University, Chicago

- Dara Soljaga - Concordia University, Chicago

- Simeon Stumme - Concordia University, Chicago

The impact of collaborative professional development in Chicago area Lutheran schools facilitated by a local university and how remaking teacher development using a sociocultural framework impacts literacy skills in the classroom.

"The Challenge of Ethical School Leadership in 21st Century Schools"

- Mary Zaharis - Concordia University, Chicago

What is ethical leadership? Why is it important to school leadership? Participants will learn about a framework for ethical decision making and apply it in order to resolve various ethical scenarios similar to challenges faced by school leaders in the continually evolving landscape of schools.

"Creativity after Genocide: Reflections on Marš Mira, March of Peace, to Srebrenica"

- Keith Doubt, Wittenberg University

The March of Peace (Marš mira) is an annual peace walk organized in memory of the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide. The presenter has participated twice and shares pictures and reflections on this creative, human action after genocide.

"Creativity and the Past: How Teaching History Shapes and Challenges Collective Memory"

- Matthew Bloom - Concordia University, Texas

History is a vital part of the university curriculum as students create and assess accounts of the past. Conversations about the past often lead to conflict among people emphasizing the impact on the world of the collective memory of past events.

Session 2

"The environmentalist’s dilemma: Game theory, morality and the environment"

- Mary Kay Johnston - Concordia University, Texas

Human societies rarely pursue proactive solutions to large-scale, long-term problems. To be successful, solutions should employ principles of game theory along with a consideration of a society’s core organizing principles and moral foundations.

"Turf Wars, SoCal Water Conservation"

- David Grannis - California Lutheran University

This presentation is about the making of a short film on the turf removal program in the city of Thousand Oaks. It highlights how the city, parks, businesses, residents and California Lutheran University dealt with the drought crisis.

"Tending the garden: Christian perspectives on human agency and responsibility in addressing global warming"

- Anders Tune - Wittenberg University

After briefly describing the scientific understanding of global warming, this paper will use theological (e.g. Gen. 2:15) and ethical analyses to understand human agency and responsibility in our care for the earth, as applied to global warming.

"Remaking Epistemic Systems: Lessons from Activist Communities"

- Lacey Davidson - California Lutheran University

The future we can build is limited by what we can creatively imagine. This presentation explores strategies used by activists for enacting transformational epistemic norm changes that lead to new social visions and pathways toward a just future.

"Where is the line between creativity and “creativitiness”?"

- Michael Kalmes - Concordia University, Ann Arbor

Sometimes what seems creative is not actually that original or a real solution. It can even be designed to fool the credulous. What questions, if any, can we ask to help us distinguish the creative from the merely innovative or even harmful?

"A Critique of Liberalism"

- Camelia Raghinaru - Concordia University, Irvine

This presentation reflects on the legacy of the political philosophy of liberalism in the West, particularly in light of its present challenges and unintended consequences, through the lens of Carl Schmitt and Leo Strauss.

"Bacterial Resistance: Are We Returning to a “Pre-Antibiotic” Era?"

- Daniel Marous, Wittenberg University

- Lindsey King, Wittenberg University

- Amor Niksic, Wittenberg University

The development of antibiotics and resulting bacterial resistance will be discussed as well as the cultural, economic, and scientific challenges to combating resistance. Two germane undergraduate research projects will also be presented.

"Remaking Humanity through Genome Editing"

- Kerry Cheesman - Capital University

Although medical procedures such as IVF and gene therapy have created ethical issues for some, the recent demonstration of human genome editing using the techniques of CRISPR threatens to rewrite what it means to be human.

Session 3

"Bioethics of Human Reproduction and Embryonic Development"

- Claire DeWeese - Wittenberg University

- Saylor Frye - Wittenberg University

- Nicolas Weissman - Wittenberg University

Dr. Michelle McWhorter will introduce and lead a discussion on bioethics topics related to human reproduction and embryonic development. Presentations will be given by students in her 2019 spring semester honors seminar. Presentations include bioethics relating to posthumous sperm retrieval, intersex, and pharmaceutical drug use during pregnancy.

"The Star is Smashed: Deconstructing Gender in American Alcoholism Films"

- Heather Wright - Wittenberg University

This paper analyzes three recent Hollywood film narratives about alcoholics: Destroyer (2018), Vox Lux (2018), and the latest remake of A Star is Born (2018), considering their gender and political dynamics.

"Imagistic Literalism in John Donne's "The Broken Heart"

- Neal Migan - Concordia University, Ann Arbor

This essay explores poetic imagery in a short lyric by John Donne, the 17th-century metaphysical poet. It will appeal to anyone interested in how imaginative literature and beautifully ghastly imagery allows us to remake ourselves.

"The Impact on Humanity and the World by the Use of Human Creativity in the Production and Quality of Field Corn"

- Norman Beck - Texas Lutheran University

Advantages, disadvantages, and moral issues of the application of the technology of cross-pollination to produce hybrid corn, of chemical fertilizers to increase productivity of corn, and of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) of corn.

"Church and Development in Post-Colonial Africa: Revisiting African Development Plan and the Theology of Reconstruction Through the Lens of the Capabilities Approach"

- Samuel Deressa - Concordia University, St. Paul

This presentation discusses the weak areas of both African Development Plan and the theology of reconstruction and will propose a re-articulation of both development plans based on Martha Nussbaum’s

Session 4

"The impact of communication technology on the nature of human relationships"

- Katie Warber - Wittenberg University

- Kelly Dillon - Wittenberg University

- Stefne Broz - Wittenberg University

We'll address the negative impact of communication technology on the nature of human relationships. Using digital media reduces inhibitions typically present in face-to-face interaction, leading people to behave in ways they otherwise wouldn't.

"The Ethical Implications of CGI in Media"

- Robert Wahl - Concordia University, Wisconsin

Using today's CGI technology, actors can be aged, made younger, or appear in films even though deceased. What are the limits of this technology and what ethical issues are raised when characters we see on screen may not exist or are altered?

"Minimal Social Group Assignment and Statement Repetition Are Associated with Increased Truth Ratings for General Knowledge and Ingroup-specific Statements"

- Michael Anes - Wittenberg University

- Kelsey Fobean - Wittenberg University

- Jayson Nowak - Wittenberg University

- Zacchaeus Martin - Wittenberg University

- Madison Vanhook - Wittenberg University

In a media-saturated world we seek to understand effects of repetition on believability and how polarization may affect attitudes. Here we manipulate repetition and group identity and examine effects on truth ratings for descriptive statements.

"A 1581 Book of Concord: How digital tools linked with traditional methodology spark 21st century scholarship"

- Suzanne Hequet - Concordia University, St. Paul

- Megan Johnson-Saylor - Concordia University, St. Paul

This 1581 Book of Concord is part of a Digital Humanities Project at CSP. The scanned book with its provenance will be viewable in Digital Commons. A searchable database of 8000 plus subscribers' names is being developed for online research.

"Rebuilding teacher-student rapport: Rethinking relational practices of teaching and the infusion of communication technology tools within academic online courses"

- Ardelle Pate - Concordia University, Chicago

For Christian universities, the move to online classrooms has come with a cost. We need to rethink relational practices of teaching online. This presentation offers questions and encourages responses from the participants.

"Civic and Civil Dialogues: Community-Based Learning and Literacy in the Writing Classroom"

- Emelia Robertson - Concordia University, Ann Arbor

This presentation suggests a community-based writing course creates a unique space for navigating the crisis of discourse facing our country on a small-scale. It will offer theoretical and practical touch points to community-based course design.

Architectural Tour

2019 ALCF Committee

• Ed Hasecke, President, Wittenberg University

• Paul Hillmer, Past President, Concordia University St. Paul

• Robert Hayes, Secretary, Concordia University Chicago

• Patricia Trautrimas, Treasurer, Midland University

• Mark Looker, Concordia University Ann Arbor