Upcoming Theme (AY 2025-26)

the-symposium-2025-2026-monsters

For the 2025-26 academic year, the Symposium theme will be “Monsters.” From time immemorial, across every culture, monsters are allegorically woven into the tapestry of human existence. Whispered in the dark, told around campfires, canonized in popular media; we love to scare ourselves. From the big bads in cautionary tales to the misunderstood Other given sympathy in retellings, monsters threaten established social structures and moral order. But the effect is mixed. A monster might expose a lot about our humanity or could reveal a lack thereof. German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche cautions, “Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster.”

The etymological root, moneo, gives a sense of the larger purpose of monsters: to remind, warn, instruct, or foretell. Considered broadly, the term could include everything from aliens, ghosts, mythical creatures, or mutated animals. It might even refer to a naturally occurring animal that is massive in size and/or infrequently seen, like deep sea monsters. Monsters might be human-made like Dr. Frankenstein’s creation, occur naturally like Big Foot, or come from another dimension like the Demogorgon in Stranger Things. Sesame Street’s educational monster Muppets and the catchable pocket monsters from Pokémon offer another avenue for monsters to exist, including lucrative, trademarked product tie-ins. Humans themselves might be labelled a “monster.” Perhaps they are an inventor whose technologies are used to carry out monstrous means. Or the title is bestowed when they violate a social taboo, marking them as less-than-human.

This year’s Symposium will examine monsters from a variety of disciplines and approaches. The discourse generated will tackle monsters expansively, aiming to capture the spectrum and significance of monsters in our world.

Possible Course Areas for "Monsters"

Sample Course Descriptions

Pitching a Course for the Symposium