WHO:             Justin McDaniel

                      Associate professor and department chair of religious studies

                      University of Pennsylvania

WHAT:           Penn Lightbulb Café talk, “Living Deliberately: Monks, Saints and the Contemplative Life”

WHEN:           Tuesday, April 16, 6-7 p.m. 

WHERE:         World Café Live Upstairs, 3025 Walnut St.

Last spring, Justin McDaniel taught an experimental course on monastic and ascetic ways of living. During the course students "turned off" and "turned away" from normal modes of interaction and communication in an effort to "live deliberately." They maintained a strict code of silence in and out of the classroom and stopped all forms of electronic and Internet technology while undertaking serious eating and spending restrictions. Meditation, ritual and physical discipline were also part of their daily lives. McDaniel will discuss the course, and a few of his students will share their experiences.

The talk is part of the Lightbulb Café, a free public-lecture series presented by the School of Arts and Sciences and the Office of University Communications that takes arts, humanities and social-sciences scholarship out of the classroom for a night on the town. Café events are free and open to the public, but reservations are encouraged and can be made through Gina Bryan at 215-898-8721 or bryangm@upenn.edu.

Menu items will be available for purchase.