Held twice a year, the Ducharme Series fosters the integration of learning between different fields in the Mount’s core curriculum. The series is named in honor of Professor Emeritus Robert Ducharme, Ph.D., who advanced the Mount’s mission for 39 years as an English professor and department chair. The Ducharme Lectures are endowed with a generous gift by Raphael Della Ratta, C’92, who was an English major and philosophy minor at the Mount.
Transcendence and the Liberal Arts
Spring 2026
Boyd Creasman, Ph.D., explored how the theme of transcendence has remained central to his research and examined its function as an essential pillar of a liberal arts education. Through close analysis of foundational literary works, Creasman illustrated how engaging with transcendent themes enables readers to look beyond immediate material concerns and confront enduring questions of truth, beauty, and the human condition. Reflecting on the evolving role of the liberal arts in contemporary culture, he argued that cultivating this deeper perspective fosters empathy, critical discernment, and moral imagination, ultimately equipping students to navigate modern societal challenges with a grounded sense of purpose.
A Journey with Dante: Long Study, Great Love, and the Power of Literature
September 24, 2025
Joseph Luzzi, Ph.D., the Asher B. Edelman Professor of Literature at Bard College, examined the enduring relevance and global legacy of Dante Alighieri. Drawing on his recent scholarship and translation of Dante’s work, Luzzi explored how the fourteenth-century poet’s writings directly engage timeless questions of exile, home, and identity. He highlighted how literature can serve as an emotional and spiritual refuge for the displaced and persecuted, demonstrating that the acts of translation and close reading reveal profound truths about the human condition. Illuminating Dante’s creative journey—defined by “long study” and “great love”—Luzzi underscored the transformative power of classic literature to bridge medieval thought and contemporary self-understanding.
How to Lie (Virtuously): A Renaissance Guide to Deception in Politics
Spring 2025
John-Paul Heil, Ph.D., examined the complex historical and ethical landscape of Renaissance Italy, where Catholic humanist scholars argued that political deception and dissimulation could be practiced virtuously. Exploring an era shaped by foreign invasions, political assassinations, and despotic rule, Heil traced how seemingly minor moral compromises made in the name of political survival ultimately paved the way for modern ethical skepticism and cultural crisis. Heil connected these Renaissance justifications for political dishonesty to broader philosophical dilemmas concerning truth, power, and statecraft. In offering an antidote to cynical political pragmatism, he drew an unexpected bridge to the moral clarity and virtue ethics found in the literary world of Jane Austen, demonstrating how literature can help modern citizens recover integrity in public and private life.
Word Made Flesh
September 25, 2024
Abram C. Van Engen, Ph.D., professor in the humanities, chair of the English Department, and professor of religion and politics at Washington University in St. Louis, explored the active reading of poetry and literature as a transformative spiritual practice. In an era congested with routine busyness and fragmented attention, Van Engen advocated for poetry as a catalyst to renew Christian faith, restore contemplative rest, and deepen human participation in divine grace. He highlighted the rich interplay between literary form and theology, demonstrating how poetic language mirrors biblical parables by reorienting perception toward sacred beauty. Drawing from his work on literature and religious culture, Van Engen encouraged the Church and broader community to engage the written word not as a static artifact of the past, but as a living instrument for spiritual growth and moral imagination.
Persons, Population, and Data: AI and Catholic Healthcare Ethics
March 13, 2024
Paul Scherz, Ph.D., associate professor of religious studies at the University of Virginia, examined the integration of artificial intelligence in medicine through the lens of Catholic social teaching and bioethics. Drawing on his dual background in genetics and moral theology, Scherz addressed the ethical tensions between efficiency and human dignity within overburdened healthcare systems. While acknowledging algorithmic utility in administrative operations like billing, he cautioned against using predictive analytics and automated systems in clinical and end-of-life decision-making. Scherz emphasized that algorithmic bias frequently exacerbates existing disparities in patient care, while technological intermediaries risk eroding vital, compassionate human relationships between physicians and patients. In concluding, he urged clinicians and ethicists to measure medical innovation against the fundamental, irreducible dignity of the human person.
Praise Bee! or, What Medieval Rhetoric Can Teach Us About Ecological Advocacy
September 27, 2023
Mount Associate Professor of Communication Jordan Loveridge, Ph.D., drew upon twelfth-century manuscripts, particularly the Aberdeen Bestiary, to examine how historical rhetoric can reshape modern environmental advocacy. Loveridge illustrated how medieval writers integrated ecology, religion, and morality through anthropomorphic descriptions and four-fold biblical exegesis—interpreting nature literally, allegorically, morally, and analogically. Contrasting this rich tradition with contemporary environmental messaging, he argued that modern activism often relies on a narrow, anthropocentric framework centered solely on human economic loss rather than the inherent sanctity of creation. By revisiting the medieval practice of viewing creatures like the honeybee through multifaceted lenses of community, duty, and spiritual wonder, Loveridge urged audiences to move beyond utility and cultivate a more intimate, reverent relationship with the natural world.
Are We Living in a Horror Movie?
March 22, 2023
Mount Associate Professor of English Jack Dudley, Ph.D., examined the literary and cinematic traditions of the horror genre to demonstrate how it serves as a profound expression of the human condition. Tracing its evolution from classic 1950s Hammer Horror films to contemporary psychological cinema, Dudley highlighted the neglected artistic and intellectual merit of horror within modernist critical theory. Rather than relying on simple tropes of monsters and fright, the genre employs allegory and the unknown to compel audiences to confront difficult, existential realities like mortality and vulnerability. Dudley illustrated that engaging with the macabre allows viewers and readers to process fear, question societal assumptions, and explore the complex, unthinkable questions of modern life.
Race & Democracy: America Is Always Changing, But America Never Changes
September 29, 2022
Eddie Glaude Jr., Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton University, explored the intricate connections between race, trauma, and collective memory in modern society. Glaude examined historic injustices alongside contemporary national tragedies to illustrate the urgent challenges facing the country’s democratic fabric. Challenging the audience not to settle for comfortable narratives of American greatness, he urged citizens to confront historical wounds with vulnerability, conviction, and moral integrity rather than indifferent compromise. Glaude emphasized that building a just nation requires active commitment, civic imagination, and the courage to align daily actions with the hard work of democratic renewal.
Does Partisan News Destroy Democracy: An Historical Investigation
March 16, 2022
Mount Associate Professor of History Jamie Gianoutsos, Ph.D., focused on seventeenth-century England to explore the partisan nature of today’s news. The birth of the newspaper during the English Revolution illustrates how intertwined news and democracy have been in the Anglo-American tradition. Extreme political conflict between those who supported and those who opposed King Charles I’s government ushered in a dynamic era, that created a widespread fear of fake news. This development failed and succeeded to serve the English people. Learning about the actions of political leaders encouraged both political involvement and uncivil behavior. Under intense scrutiny, government officials nevertheless became more accountable to a better-informed public. Reflecting on this history, Gianoutsos offered three suggestions about today’s news: sound journalism should focus on protecting the people, not simply attacking political opponents; citizens must become responsible consumers of media by using the skills and knowledge obtained by studying the liberal arts; and journalists and scholars should focus on informing the public as a means of providing the best information for political decisions.
Photo by Kim Whipps
How to Think About the World (with Video Games)
September 22, 2021
Eric Hayot, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor of Comparative Literature at Penn State University, urged his audience to study video games as we do literature and art: to learn more about human nature. Emphasizing the importance of culture and aesthetic activity to human life, Hayot argued that video games are an integral part of our culture which reveal a great deal about the world we live in. He explained how many video games like The Last of Us and Destiny II involve an element of tragedy that causes players to confront morally difficult or impossible choices they might not otherwise consider. Hayot contrasted “resource poor” single-player games—which require the central figure to obtain and control finite resources—with multiplayer games that have “infinite resources” because actions are repeatable for all players, each of whom is treated equally. Our world doesn’t conform perfectly to either of these models, but every game has underlying assumptions that provide insight into “the shape of a society’s dream.”
Testing the Waters: Containing COVID-19 at Mount St. Mary’s
March 10, 2021
Associate Professor of Biochemistry Michael Turner, Ph.D., recounted the story and explained the science behind the decision to test the Mount’s wastewater to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. He and Lab Manager and Safety Officer, William Wood, were members a team charged with responding effectively and safely. Their three-pronged strategy included surveillance testing that delivered building-by-building knowledge about potential outbreaks. Turner provided information about the virus that illustrated why the university implemented these measures. The testing protocol sampled different points in the Mount’s wastewater system, replicated the pathogen’s RNA strands, and thus detected infection in specific living spaces. Students living in those buildings were tested immediately. Those testing positive were quarantined or sent home to learn remotely for an appropriate period as a way of controlling the infection. Turner emphasized that collaborative teams can “make difficult things doable” and stressed the importance of developing strategies based on facts.
Classical Texts and the American Political System
September 23, 2020
Philosophy Professor Stephen McGinley, theologian Dr. Paige Hochschild, and historian Dr. Gregory Murry compared the U.S. political system with those proposed in Plato’s Republic, St. Augustine’s City of God, and Machiavelli’s The Prince to examine alternative ways of advancing political life. McGinley compared the Republic to the lyrics of Tupac Shakur to uncover the benefits of having “a deep and abiding love of the Good.” Hochschild explained how the City of God provides a highly rational political theory that greatly values the related goods of happiness and peace and suggests citizens should approach civil society with humility because no regime, political party or leader can solve all human problems. Murry illustrated how The Prince is skeptical about humans acting selflessly, but Machiavelli’s thinking explains how selfishness can effectively check and balance the excesses of others. Murry suggested Americans take advantage of Machiavelli’s cynicism, while trusting, like Plato and Augustine, that political life can make us better versions of ourselves.
Mapping Utopia: From Plato to Atwood to Where We Live
March 10, 2020
In a lecture entitled, “Mapping Utopia: From Plato to Atwood to Where We Live,” Daniel McMahon, Ph.D., describes utopias as imagined, perfect societies that can only exist within the world of literature. Because perfection is so difficult to sustain, utopian societies often fall apart so the literary genre maintains strong ties to the dystopian tradition. Situating utopias into the history of ideas, McMahon argues that thinkers use them to break down the boundaries between academic disciplines and directly confront some of the big questions in life about how we should live, what are the legitimate sources of power and what is the goal of society. These questions, McMahon maintains, also inform the Mount’s innovative liberal arts curriculum.
McMahon is the principal of DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyatsville, Maryland. An award-winning educator, he graduated from the Mount in 1980 and serves on the boards of many nonprofit organizations including the Advisory Board of the Mount’s College of Liberal Arts. In 2019, he founded the Mount St. Mary’s University Alumni Book Award. He also frequently works as a book reviewer, blogger, and newspaper commenter.
Sin and ‘The Gift of Mortality’ in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings
September 25, 2019
Mount theologian Paige Hochschild, Ph.D., explained how J.R.R. Tolkien uses strangeness to help readers see the dignity of humanity and the goodness of creation anew. Like the character Frodo, they are called “to grow up, and enter the great story of the human experience” by participating in the struggle between good and evil.
Hochschild covered three aspects of sin in Tolkien’s literature: forgetfulness, non-acceptance, and the desire for power. Gandalf is a character who “accepts the circumstances of life as given to us” as a starting point for effective judgement and beneficial action. Hochschild identified the trilogy’s central drama as time. Possessing the gift and the curse of immortality, the elves envy the mortality of humans because human limitations “make it possible to discern the moral greatness of which we are capable, and the kind of happiness and flourishing of which we are worthy.”
The Virgin Mary--Bridge or Barrier between Catholics and Muslims?
April 10, 2019
Rita George-Tvrtkovic, Ph.D., associate professor of theology at Benedictine University shares her study of both Christian and Islamic cultures and the connections we build in her talk titled, "The Virgin Mary—Bridge or Barrier between Catholics and Muslims?
Dr. Tvrtković is the author of A Christian Pilgrim in Medieval Iraq: Riccoldo da Montecroce’s Encounter with Islam and coedited Nicholas of Cusa and Islam: Polemic and Dialogue in the Middle Ages. She is also the former associate director of the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Office for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
Check out her recent book Christians, Muslims, and Mary: A History (New York: Paulist Press, 2018).
Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives: Problems and Possibilities
October 3, 2018
Dr. Michael Towle, Mount Professor of Political Science, will be presenting the lecture, "Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives: Problems and Possibilities." Elections to the U.S. House of Representatives have become problematic, with highly partisan candidates and gerrymandered districts. This lecture will address some of these problems and propose some possible solutions. This will be a timely and relevant lecture as we approach election day in November.
As a political commentator, Dr. Towle has been featured in U.S. News and World Report as well as The Baltimore Sun. He is also the author of Out of Touch: The Presidency and Public Opinion.
Batman's Quest: Saving Gotham and Healing the Soul
April 18, 2018
Kurt E. Blaugher has been the director of theatre at Mount St. Mary’s University for thirty years, producing plays from across the dramatic spectrum. He has also taught nearly all of the courses in the humanities sequence of the Core Curriculum. His current work with David McCarthy, Saving the World and Healing the Soul, combines his interests in both classic storytelling and popular culture. Dr. Blaugher received his B.A. from Washington and Jefferson College, his M.A. from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.
David M. McCarthy is the associate provost at the Mount. He has written a variety of books, articles, and essays in the areas of moral theology and social ethics, and he was the founding editor of the Journal of Moral Theology. Along the line of Saving the World and Healing the Soul, he has published essays on Vietnam War films, The Wire, and Mad Men. Dr. McCarthy received his B.A. from High Point University, and his M.Div. and Ph.D. from Duke University.
Luther and Church Reform: Catholic Perspectives
November 1, 2017
Dr. Christopher M. Bellitto is professor of history at Kean University in New Jersey, where he teaches courses in ancient and medieval history. A specialist in church history and reform, he is the author of ten books, including the companion volumes Renewing Christianity and The General Councils.
His articles have appeared in academic journals in the United States and Europe; he has won grants from the Fulbright Program and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Dr. Bellitto also serves as Academic Editor at Large of Paulist Press and series Editor in Chief of Brill's Companions to the Christian Tradition.
A public speaker and media commentator on church history and contemporary Catholicism, he appears frequently in print, on radio, and television.
The Greatness of Gatsby
March 15, 2017
Maureen Corrigan is the "critic in residence" and the Nicky and Jamie Grant Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Literary Criticism at Georgetown University, and the scholarly curator for the American Writers Museum in Chicago (2017 opening).
Corrigan's book So We Read On: How The Great Gatsby Came To Be and Why It Endures, published in 2014 by Little, Brown, has gained her considerable national attention.
She received her doctorate and Master of Arts from the University of Pennsylvania. She received her B.A. in English from Fordham University.
In the Thicket of this World: Doing Science as a Person of Faith
November 2, 2016
Michelle M. Francl, Ph.D., is a professor of chemistry and chair of the chemistry department at Bryn Mawr College.
She has been on the faculty at Bryn Mawr since 1986 and an adjunct scholar at the Vatican Observatory.
Francl is a quantum chemist who has published in areas ranging from the development of methods for computational chemistry to the structures of topologically intriguing molecules.
The Liberated Imagination: Toward an adequate understanding of complexity
February 22, 2016
Dr. Malone is a university professor of sociology and former chair of the Department of Sociology and has taught at Mount St. Mary's University since 1985.
He holds a bachelor's degree from New York University, a master's degree from Southern Illinois University in anthropology, and a doctoral degree in sociology from Indiana University.
Augustine as a Guide through the Perils of Modernity: The Confessions on How to Think, Read, Write, and Live
September 23, 2015
Sarah Ruden holds a doctoral degree in classical philology from Harvard University and a master's degree from the Johns Hopkins Writing Seminars. She has taught Latin, English, and writing at Harvard, Yale, and the University of Cape Town, and has been a tutor for the South African Education and Environment Project, an education-enrichment nonprofit in Cape Town. She is a poet, translator, essayist, and popularizer of Biblical linguistics.
The Liberal Arts in an Age of Distraction: Cultivating Humanity in the Digital Ruins
April 29, 2015
Dr. Jordan earned his doctoral degree in philosophy from Baylor University in 2008. His areas of specialization are Iris Murdoch, value theory and metaethics. He was drawn to the Mount because of its distinctive Catholic liberal arts mission. A great deal of his teaching time is thus happily spent teaching courses in the core curriculum; however, he has also taught electives such as philosophy and literature, contemporary Catholic philosophy, contemporary value theory and metaethics.
The Other War on Poverty: The Search for Meaning in America
October 2, 2014
Leon R. Kass, M.D., Ph.D. is the Addie Clark Harding Professor Emeritus of Social Thought and in the College at the University of Chicago, and the Madden-Jewett Chair at the American Enterprise Institute. He was the chairman of the President's Council on Bioethics from 2001 to 2005.
He has been engaged for more than 40 years with ethical and philosophical issues raised by biomedical advances, and is known as an opponent of human cloning, life extension and euthanasia, and as a critic of certain areas of technological progress and embryo research. He is a proponent of liberal arts education, via the "Great Books."