About

87th Annual Conference - September 30-October 1, 2022

What Does It Mean To Be Human?

At the intersection of emerging forms of humanities--environmental, digital, biotechnological, medical, or legal--to name only a few, the concept of the human is challenging former categories. Different disciplines are trying to figure out who we are--our identity and place in nature and how we are distinctly human. Our discipline-based classifications are part of our human need to categorize and organize reality in manageable ways so that we can better control it and figure out our relationship to it. The disciplinary viewpoint from which we create such definitions and categories shapes a particular understanding of humanity and has specific consequences to the way we exert our agency in the world, from individual to collective choices.

In an attempt to appeal to a broad and inclusive academic audience, the 2022 ALCF conference theme invites scholars from across disciplines and professional fields to consider the complexity of the concept of the human, from the scientific and technological to the artistic and the philosophical or religious. Some of the questions we are invited to ask range from the very general to the very specific (see a list of topics below): What does it mean to be human? Why do we think, feel and act in the specific ways we do? What larger forces have shaped the particular trajectories that brought us here, and where are we heading in the future?

Academic disciplines play an important role in expanding our understanding of the human--from culture, literature and the arts to social sciences and hard sciences, to technological, juridical, medical and educational discourses. How do specific disciplines help us to gain insight into human nature and existence, and how can we provide a definition of the human from an interdisciplinary viewpoint?

Specific topics to consider include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Who is the "human" in the humanities?

• Environmental humanities and human responsibility

• Biotechnological definitions of "human"

• Disability studies, human vulnerability, trauma and affect theory

• Discourses of human rights

• Education theories and the formation of the human

• Transhuman, posthuman, and the nonhuman

• Sacred, religious, mystical, metaphysical, existential, and other non-material definitions of the human

• Gothic and horror representations of the human in relation to the nonhuman

• Recurrent archetypes, myths and legends of heroic forms of the superhuman

• Human agency in relation to nonhuman actors (viruses, technologies, social media, robots, institutions and ideologies)

Hosted by Concordia University Irvine in Irvine, California

Getting around

The nearest airport to Concordia University Irvine is John Wayne Airport (SNA) in Orange County, California. To the southwest, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is situated 45 miles from Irvine. Use the links below to discover information about Concordia University Irvine, directions, and maps to the University.

Keynote Speaker

Jack M. Schultz, Ph.D.

Jack Schultz is a Professor of Anthropology at Concordia University of Irvine, where he teaches a variety of classes on campus including Introduction of Cultural Anthropology, Religion in Society, Culture and Self, and Native Peoples of North America among others. He also teaches in the Christ College Cross-Cultural Ministry Center and both of the LCMS Seminaries.

He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Oklahoma, specializing in the anthropology of religion, American Indians (Southeastern and Plains), and anthropological theory. He has multiple publications in the anthropology of religion; most notable is his book The Seminole Baptists of Oklahoma: Maintaining a Traditional Community (University of Oklahoma Press, 1999). As a practicing anthropologist, he continues to research the interplay of religion and culture.

Dr. Schultz has conducted ethnographic research among a variety of peoples including the Seminoles, Creek, Pawnee, Lakota, and Navajo nations. He has also investigated religion in Eastern Europe and Japan. In addition to his interest in religion and culture, Dr. Schultz also investigates material culture and native technologies.

7:30 pm

Keynote Address

Location: BMC Room 151

What does it mean to be human? by Jack Schultz, PhD

The plenary keynote will be an introduction of the question by an overview of anthropological and theological thought about the nature of humanity. Cross-cultural examples will be used to illustrate differences, and Christian theological concepts will be used to orient participants in their navigation of the answers provided throughout the conference weekend.

Oral Sessions

9:30-10:30am

Session 1 - Location: BMC Room 118

9:30am Accountable leadership as human responsibility: Contemporary applications following an empirical study of Nehemiah as servant leader

Lori Doyle and Jill Swisher, Concordia University Irvine

Accountability is one construct of human responsibility that engenders human flourishing and is intricately tied to servant leadership. The authors examined the behaviors of the biblical figure, Nehemiah, to explore the complexity of the concept of the human by measuring servant leadership behaviors using an observer-based empirical instrument. A lens of accountability was applied to draw contemporary applications. Findings are linked to a conceptual foundation and extant literature on servant leadership theory.

9:50am Why Is it so Difficult for People to Change?

John Meyer, Martin Luther College

This presentation uses neuroscience, cognitive psychology, and education research to examine the physiological and psychological factors that influence an individual's meaning perspective and ability to change. It examines the cognitive processes that influence bias, decision-making, and resistance to change, and introduces an original cognitive change model that can be used to diagnose and overcome resistance. Special attention is given to religious, and in particular, Lutheran contexts.

10:10am Q&A

Session 2 - Location: BMC Room 119

9:30am Transhumanism: Can Science and Technology Change What It Means to Be Human?

Kevin Voss, Concordia University Wisconsin

One of the most contentious bioethical issues is the use of science to enhance the human body. For example, performance-enhancing drugs improve athletic ability. Is it desirable, however, to use gene editing and nanotechnology to improve the human body to the extent that it can no longer be considered human? Philosophical and biblical concepts will demonstrate that the transhumanist movement fundamentally changes the essence of what it means to be human.

9:50am Human Frailty and the Chivalric Code: Sir Gawain's Unforgivable Sin and a Community's Radical Forgiveness

Theresa FitzPatrick, Concordia University St. Paul

The fourteenth-century poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, anonymously authored and world-renowned for its perfect construction and beauty of language, includes an ending that has puzzled scholars for centuries, as it seems to celebrate the hero’s weaknesses as opposed to his victories. However, when read not as a story of celebrated heroism and great deeds but instead as an inquiry into what it means to be human, it can provide insights for those of us struggling to “live our best lives” even today.

10:10am Q&A

10:45-11:15am

Chapel Service

Location: Good Shepherd Chapel, Concordia University Irvine

Address by Rev. Quinton Anderson. Music performed by Chris Hauser.

Oral Sessions

11:30am-12:45pm

Session 3 - Location: BMC Room 118

11:30am Hearing the Human in Hip Hop: Teaching Vocation through Kendrick Lamar’s song “Alright"

Heather Brady, Grand View University

In this presentation I will share my lesson around vocation and social justice in Kendrick Lamar's song "Alright."

11:50am Times Out of Time

David Loy, Concordia University Irvine

We human beings seek ecstatic experiences—times out of time. These experiences are gifts, but they can give the impression of making us free—free of the banality of our everyday lives and the time-bound nature of our existence. Yet such a freedom may not be ours as human beings. We are called into our everyday lives to love our neighbors in vocation, and we can never really escape the temporality of our lives.

12:10pm Thinking Philosophically: A Distinctive Human Capacity

Brian Collins, California Lutheran University

In this paper and presentation I will elaborate on what it means to “think philosophically,” examine how it is a distinctive human capacity, and argue that we can’t help but conceive of it as amongst those things having ultimate value. I will also use this opportunity to examine how we as faculty at Lutheran Colleges and Universities can be doing more to emphasize this value at our institutions and to be helping our students develop their capacity to think philosophically.

12:30pm Q&A

Session 4 - Location: BMC Room 119

11:30am To Understand a Human, Build One Yourself – The Pedagogy of the Human in an Acting Studio

Tony Vezner, Concordia University Irvine

Actors are uniquely positioned to understand humanity because human action, emotion, habits, and motivations are their stock and trade. But how does one effectively train one human to pretend to be another human? Teaching acting is an often misunderstood job with a less than sterling reputation and a good deal of myth built around it. This presentation will explore the pedagogical process of the acting studio, the barriers involved, and the evidence of God’s creative hand in the art of acting.

11:50am Humanity's Expression Via Assessments of Cognitive Functioning

MaryAnn Seng, Concordia University Irvine

The presentation will discuss how humanity is exhibited through psychoeducational evidence, particularly intellectual assessments, as it reveals multi-faceted cognitive functioning and growth in children. Intelligence is just one aspect of human functioning, yet its impact is profound. The concept of cognitive functioning and intellectual assessment offers insight into its role in the expression of humanity. A snapshot of a child’s unique abilities, whether typical or atypical, confirms the nature of humanity since childhood.

12:10pm Live Theatre: A Vital Experience

Jay Sierszyn, Wisconsin Lutheran College

“I regard the theatre as the greatest of all art forms, the most immediate way in which a human being can share with another the sense of what it is to be a human being.” --Thornton Wilder. The live theatre experience offers a unique opportunity in a world of shutdowns and quarantines. We cannot lose this powerful vestige of vitality and community.

12:30pm Q&A

12:45-1:45pm

Lunch and Business Meeting

Location: BMC Room 221

Oral Sessions

1:45-3:00pm

Session 5 - Location: BMC Room 118

1:45pm Human Dignity in Islamic Thought: A Legal and Spiritual Perspective

Fatih Harpci, Carthage College

Dignity in Islamic thought is rooted in a theocentric vision and anthropological assertion that all humans enjoy the imago Dei and dignified status. In examining these conceptions from a legal and spiritual point of view, I draw primarily on Quranic passages and commentaries. As the khalifah, humans possess inherent physical and spiritual dignity, and I argue that, at its essence, this dignity reflects an awareness of human limitation and reliance on God.

2:05pm Shakespeare and Human Dignity

John Norton, Concordia University Irvine

One of the most compelling questions at the heart of Shakespeare’s tragic play Othello is “What does it mean to be human?” Two dominant answers are placed in tension from the very beginning of the story. Iago, a conniving man of treachery and deceit, proposes that to be human is to be a consuming beast, selfish, and capable of little else than seeking to satisfy desire. Conversely, the title character Othello and his wife Desdemona propose that to be human is to be full of purpose and dignity.

2:25pm Humanus: An Ovidian Word-Study

Clinton Armstrong, Concordia University Irvine

This paper offers a word-study of the adjective *humanus* through Ovid's epic *Metamorphoses*. An analysis of the poet's usage throws into question the possibility of a stable definition of "what it means to be human" from the perspective of 1st century Roman literature and classical Mediterranean culture more broadly.

2:45pm Q&A

Session 6 - Location: BMC Room 119

1:45pm Genesis 8:22 -Noah's Promise for Our World: God's Enduring Promise to a Fallen Humanity

Harald Tomesch, Concordia University Wisconsin

Noah, as a type of Christ, was God's example for us. Scientific advancements in agricultural practices to plant genetics, from paint formulations to bio-degradable plastics, from sand batteries to EV cars will challenge our personal stewardship and advocacy for a limited and intimate world around us.

2:05pm Every Ethos Implies a Mythos: Bioethics and the Theological Anthropology of Horror Movies

Scott Stiegemeyer, Concordia University Irvine

Christian bioethics is rooted in theological anthropology, Scripturally-guided and Christologically-focused. Our beliefs and values shape how we live. Notions about what it means to be human are also found in works of science fiction and horror. This presentation will examine opportunities for rich multidisciplinary conversations about human nature and challenging moral questions. Specific books and films will be touched upon. Engagement with the humanities, including popular culture, provides needed depth and texture to bioethics education.

2:25pm Big tech’s role in curriculum control: Humans and technology in postdigital education

Kathryn Wozniak, Concordia University Chicago

This talk explores the concept of postdigital education: ethical concerns with the growing role of Big Tech not only in controlling the technology we use to teach students, but now also curriculum design and educational policy in the U.S. Dissipating individual human control over technology is already persistent in the mainstream commercial technology market. What is the trade off for going 1:1 (one human to one device) in our schools?

2:45pm Q&A

Oral Sessions

3:15-4:30pm

Session 7 - Location: BMC Room 119

3:15pm What Makes the USA Human? Denying our Common Humanity at Home and Abroad

Paul Hillmer, Concordia University St. Paul

A review of US refugee policy in the post-Vietnam War era and ritualized practices of "playing Indian" in white middle-class America reveal the role white privilege plays at home and abroad in denying our common humanity.

3:35pm Studying Away in DC: A Unique Opportunity for Students from Lutheran Colleges and Universities

Ed Hasecke, Lutheran College Washington Consortium

This presentation will provide an overview of a Washington, DC semester program that is open to students from Lutheran-affiliated colleges and universities. The program was started over 30 years ago and provides a semester experience that includes an internship, classes, and a variety of field experiences that help students gain an appreciation for the complexity of Washington, DC.

3:55pm A Kierkegaardian Approach to Reading Kafka’s “Before the Law”

Camelia Raghinaru, Concordia University Irvine

4:15pm Q&A

2022 ALCF Committee

• Camelia Raghinaru, President, Concordia University Irvine

• Heather Brady, President Elect, Grand View University

• Mary Kay Johnston, Past President, Concordia University Texas

• Robert Hayes, Secretary, Concordia University Chicago

• Mark Looker, Treasurer, Concordia University Ann Arbor

• Patricia Trautrimas, Midland University

• Paul Hillmer, Concordia University St. Paul