Rudy explores ongoing nature of learning
September 21, 2006
KOKOMO, Ind.—Do we learn to simply gain explanations, or should learning be a launching pad for ongoing questions and a greater awareness in living?
Professor of English John Rudy, Ph.D., will suggest answers in a “Last Lecture,” on Tuesday, October 10, at 6 p.m. in the IU Kokomo Art Gallery. Admission is free and open to the public.
Rudy has titled his talk “Headless in Academe: A Zen Discourse on Being Nobody and Going Nowhere.” It touches on some of the themes Rudy teaches in the Master of Liberal Studies program course, “Zen in Literature, Art, and Philosophy: Contexts for Meditative Living."
“I am interested in pursuing the meditative dimensions of learning, not necessarily the explanative, or even the discursive, components of the knowledge industry,” he said. Rudy added that he uses the term “meditative” to indicate “an endlessly questioning state of intellect that blossoms into a sense of lived and living oneness in the eternal moment.”
“The term ‘Headless’ in the lecture title is my way of acknowledging a non-egotistical, or non-self–oriented, base for the pursuit of truth.”.
Rudy has taught literature at IU Kokomo for 35 years. He has published numerous refereed articles and three books on parallel concepts of Zen Buddhism and U.S. and British Romantic writers of the 19th and 20th centuries—particularly Wordsworth, Browning, and Emerson.
Sponsored by the IU Kokomo Alumni Association, Rudy’s talk continues the “Last Lecture” series begun in 2005, as part of the campus’ 60th Anniversary observance. Current and past faculty members spoke on subjects of personal importance, ranging from civic engagement and creativity to commitment. For more information, contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@iuk.edu or (765) 455-9411.
