What would it take for you to kill another person?
That was a question posed in front of an audience of baby boomer “students” by Harry Stout, professor of American religious studies at Yale, during the third of four lectures at the One Day University program at Fairfield.
One Day University, which took place at the Quick Center on Sunday, is run by a New York-based company of the same name, which touts these day-long events as “a health club for the mind.”
The program “allows people of all ages and backgrounds to enjoy stimulating discussions on important topics,” according to a University press release.
Stout’s lecture on the morality of the Civil War offered a unique look into an event in American history, which, according to him, is a defining event due to the moral and religious aspects that shaped it.
He spoke about his “just war theory,” and gave the students several technical terms that he suggested they “might want to write down.”
His hour-long lecture was followed by a Q’A session during which students were able to ask the author and Pulitzer Prize finalist their own questions.
Attended predominately by older local residents who registered for the day-long program at a cost of $219, lecture topics at Sunday’s event ranged from “The United States of Men (Why Are There So Few Women in Politics?),” to “Beethoven’s Ninth: The Story of a Masterpiece.”
For attendees, the program offered “provocative” lectures from well-spoken scholars on a range of topics.
Though Martha Orenstein, from Rowayton, Conn., was quick to affirm that she would participate in One Day University again, she questioned the wide range of topics on which students are lectured.
“There are some lectures that different people enjoy more than others, and I wonder if they should all relate?” she asked.
Orenstein said that she was inspired by Stout’s lecture to read his books and continue to learn more about the Civil War, but that the lecture on Beethoven’s symphony didn’t appeal to her as much.
Steven Schragis, company president and co-founder along with director John Galvin, explained his thought process behind the wide range of lecture topics and professors that define his program.
He said the selection process of the professors is like “putting a jigsaw puzzle together,” and that he got the idea for the program after noticing that people over 50 actually tend to miss being on a college campus.
After attending a visiting day at his daughter’s college two years ago, he became inspired to provide an outlet for older people who “don’t want homework or tests but just the enjoyment of listening to professors and being challenged,” he said.
The program is held intermittently at 12 locations, mostly colleges and universities, along the East Coast.
Participants are given a notebook and pen at the start of the day should they want to take notes during lectures, as many did. In between lectures, they were encouraged to preregister for future sessions and fill out an opinion card about potential future topics, such as physics, constitutional law and earth science.
Sponsored by the University College, the program began at Fairfield last June, with Sunday’s program serving as the second session thus far.
“We are collaborating because of our shared mission to serve learners of all ages,” said Edna Wilson, dean of University College.
Scheduled to speak at the Dec. 16 program is Fairfield’s own politics professor John Orman.
Schragis said that although he doesn’t know Orman personally, he has heard great things about him.
“I think I am one of the first non-Ivy League people to participate,” Orman said. “The idea is that learning never ends and the quest for knowledge and stimulating discussion is a life-long adventure.”
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