please save the date!
OUR NEXT DCM SEEKING WISDOM CONFERENCE WILL BE 21-22 MARCH 2025 (9TH WEEK HILARY TERM)
Please do save the dates for our next two DCM Conferences, ‘Christianity and the Life of the Mind’ on Friday 31 January & Saturday 1 February 2025 (2nd Week Hilary Term) and ‘Seeking Wisdom’ on Friday 21 & Saturday 22 March 2025 (9th Week Hilary Term). An example programme from our 2024 Humanities Stream can be found below.
Humanities Stream
Fri 15 March (11:00 am to 9:00 pm) and Sat 16 March (9:00 am to 2:00 pm)
Magdalen College, Oxford
Senior conveners: Simon Horobin, Professor, English
Conveners: David Bernabe Romero, PhD, Literature; Jessica Shirvanian-Wolfe, PhD, History; Daniel Whitesman, MPhil, Languages
What does it mean to be a follower of Christ in the world of academia and within the humanities in particular? How is our scholarship and creativity inspired by our faith in the Creator God? What are the implications of faith in Christ for assurance in our identity, motivation in our studies, and freedom as a scholar? How can we respond with intellectual humility to the challenges of academic life? Join us as we grapple with these questions, encourage one another in prayer, and share experiences of how our faith impacts our academic life as researchers, lecturers, colleagues, and writers.
**Please note our eligibility criteria: This event is for University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes postgraduates, postdocs, academic staff. If you do not fit this criteria, are DCM Alumni, or in a continuing education program, please complete this form and we will review your request **
Friday 15th March
11:00 am Registration in Magdalen College’s Old Kitchen Bar with coffee & tea
11:30 am The motivations of an (aspiring) literary historian - Andrew J. Newell, Junior Research Fellow, English
Abstract coming shortly
1:00 pm Lunch in the Old Kitchen Bar
2:00 pm Christian Feminism and Academia as Embodied Practice - Alice Brooke, Tutor, Spanish
Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Mexico, 1651-1695) is often heralded as the first feminist of the Americas, based on her defence of women’s participation in the intellectual life. Less frequently explored is the intersection between her understandings of womanhood and of Christian doctrine. This talk will explore these connections in two ways: first, by studying her commitment to the pursuit of truth in her critique of one of the most prominent preachers of her day, and second by examining her presentation of Mary as a model of intellectual virtue. The result, I argue, is a vision of the intellectual life that chimes with more modern calls – both Christian and secular – to cultivate academia as an embodied practice, engaging both body and mind in the pursuit of the common good. The talk will conclude with some reflections on practical ways we might realise such a vision in the present day.
3:30 pm Coffee & tea in the Old Kitchen Bar
4:00 pm Narnia: The Monsters and the Sceptics - Simon Horobin, Professor, English
In this talk I will look at how C.S. Lewis used an encounter with a dragon in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader to explore questions of sin and redemption. By contrasting this scene with a similar encounter in The Hobbit, I will consider Tolkien’s different approach and explore the two writers’ attitudes to allegory and the use of fairy-tales to convey scriptural truths.
The following events are held jointly with all streams at New College.
6:00 pm Prayer in Magdalen College Auditorium
6:30 pm Walking together from Magdalen College to New College
6:40 pm Drinks at the New College Bar
7:30 pm Dinner in the New College Dining Hall
Saturday 16th March
9:00 am Registration in Magdalen College’s Old Kitchen Bar with coffee & tea
9:05 am Prayer in Magdalen College Chapel
9:30 am “Feet of clay” of “jars of clay”? Re-presenting a Christian ‘hero’ in an age of spin - Mark Smith, Associate Professor, History, Department of Continuing Education
The talk will explore the example of William Wilberforce to think about the crafting of historical reputations and what might be the responsibility of a Christian historian in presenting such a figure to modern audiences.
11:00 am Coffee & tea in the Old Kitchen Bar
11:30 am A Panel-led Discussion - panelists include Andrew Dunning, Curator, Medieval Manuscripts; Benjamin Sharkey, PhD, History; Alicia Smith, Research Fellow, Medieval Studies, Cambridge; Mark Smith, Associate Professor, History, Department of Continuing Education; panel chaired by Audrey Southgate, College Lecturer, Medieval English
This is an opportunity to hear a range of graduate students and scholars further along in their careers in conversation about their experiences and insights as Christians in the academy. Please come with questions!
1:00 pm Lunch in the Old Kitchen Bar
2:00 pm Closing