Lewis & Clark College Explore and Discovery

Frankenstein Lecture with Professor Kurt Fosso

2009-11-05T14:48:00.000-08:00

English Professor, Kurt Fosso, gave a great lecture on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein yesterday! In sporting a white lab coat to look just like the mad scientist himself, Professor Fosso talked about the history behind this classic novel, and it's evolution into theater and movies. We saw comparisons, but mainly drastic changes between the original story and films, as he showed clips of Frankenstein, Bride of Frankenstein, and the Son of Frankenstein. For example, the monster in the novel is never called Frankenstein. Frankenstein is the scientist, yet pop culture has changed this small detail. In addition, pop culture loves to make a big deal out of the creation scene where the monster comes to life, but in the book, this scene is about 3-5 pages long at most.
Professor Fosso was very funny and interacted with the audience well. It also helped that he concluded the lecture with a screening of Mel Brooks' Young Frankenstein, a hilarious parody to this classic story. This lecture was both educational and entertaining. If you have not yet read Frankenstein, this lecture was inspiration to start!

What is Exploration & Discovery?

2009-11-05T14:17:00.000-08:00

What do LC Students think of E&D?

2009-10-14T12:45:00.000-07:00

Here from students with first hand experience as they share what their E&D selections were like:

Vamps & Vampires

2009-10-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

Professor Claudia Nadine explains her course, Vamps & Vampires.

E&D Spring Selection: Get to know the Professors and their classes

2009-10-01T14:53:00.000-07:00

What do you think of your E&D class?

2009-10-01T14:48:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone!

I propose the question, "What do you think of your E&D class?", because it's always good to give your professors and the E&D staff your feedback, just incase there are any kinks that they might want to work on for next year or if there is any aspect of your class that you love and want more of.

This semester I have Professor Chana Cox for my course entitled, Ghost Stories. Thus far, we have read The Bible, Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, Flatland, and a number of essays including those of Percy Shelly and Karl Popper. It's only been a month and we've already dived right into some thick material, all interesting things I assure you. On a daily basis I find myself picking up elements of science, reason, theory, truth, alienation, rationality, and contemplating their differences and similarities. When I walk past a group of kids comparing life to a geometric equation, sometimes I want to tell them "You're not seeing the bigger picture. You can't solve real problems with math", but that's just my romantic side peaking out. I'm sure Pirsig (author of Zen...) would disagree. Plus I don't want to chime in on other people's conversations! That's rude and could potentially be awkward and who likes awkward situations? Maybe one day I will though!

Any-who, Professor Cox is brilliant! She's the one that really makes me think. She brings in elements from Science, Math, Philosophy, Sociology, Art, and sometimes her own personal life experiences to clear up passages. She's very good at bringing very dense material down to our level in giving us examples of things that could and do happen in real life and comparing it to the text that we're reading. I frequently leave her class saying "I never thought of it that way". For example, what student reads the story of Sodom and Gomorra, and thinks, "maybe this wasn't God destroying these two cities. Maybe it was a volcano eruption". I am certainly never that logical. I stick by God with the Bible, but that theory never came across to me.

I definitely recommend taking at least one course with Professor Cox. She will open up so many doors of thought for you. It'll seem as if you just acquired a new way of thinking and seeing the world around you (the dimensions of your brain will not expand though. I promise you won't get a big head). Brilliant! Absolutely Brilliant.

So what do you think of your E&D class?

-Marli