The impulse for unity and wholeness often leads us to see brokenness as a personal or communal failing. We strive to be unbreakable, and struggle when we find that we are not. When we consider our fragility as part of the human condition, we will uphold new ideals as we renew community in these uncertain times. At this year’s Day of Common Learning, Dr. Coleman will address ways in which we can form resilient communities by asking how we live amidst broken pieces, how we repair, and how we become stronger at our fissures.
About our speaker
Monica A. Coleman is professor of Africana studies at the University of Delaware. She spent over 10 years in graduate theological education at Claremont School of Theology and Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. Answering her call to ministry at age 19, Dr. Coleman brings her experiences in evangelical Christianity, black church traditions, global ecumenical work, and indigenous spirituality to her discussions of religion.
Dr. Coleman is the author or editor of six books and several articles that focus on the role of faith in addressing critical social and philosophical issues. Her memoir Bipolar Faith shares her lifelong dance with trauma and depression, and how she discovers a new and liberating vision of God. Her book Making a Way Out of No Way is required reading at leading theological schools around the country.
Dr. Coleman speaks widely on navigating change, religious diversity, mental wellness, and surviving sexual and domestic violence.
Date
Thursday, October 7
DOCL 2021 Schedule
Keynote address and Q&A
Time: 10–11 a.m.
Location: Royal Brougham
Faculty panels: “Navigating Cultural Shifts Through the Years at SPU”
Time: 1:30–3 p.m.
Location: Upper Gwinn Commons
Emeriti faculty: 1:30–2:10 p.m.
Current faculty: 2:15–3 p.m.
Faculty-hosted breakout sessions: “Deconstructing the Day’s Themes”
Time: 3:30–4:30 p.m.
Location: Various classrooms
About the 2021 Day of Common Learning
Now in its 20th year, the Day of Common Learning is a campuswide event in which students, faculty, and staff have the opportunity to engage in deep thought and conversation around a topic of interest and concern.
All DOCL 2021 events are free. Masks will be required. Because of COVID-19 requirements, the day’s events will not be open to the public.
Photo Gallery From the 2021 Keynote Address
Listen to or view past Day of Common Learning lectures.