Welcome back!!! We hope everyone is off to a great start.

The CPH has lots of exciting events and programs planned this semester! Be sure to check back frequently for updates.

It's that time of year again. Join us December 9 and 10 at the Old Stone House in Slippery Rock.
We hope to see you there!

Save the date! The Macoskey Center will be hosting a Community Café on Wednesday, December 6 from 6-8PM. Join the creative conversation to help determine the future direction of sustainability in Slippery Rock. RSVPs are encouraged.

It’s not just another Thursday at Aliquippa High School. That’s because the CPH’s Humanities Ladder program offered another new experience for program participants—Afro Colombian dancing.

SRU's Afro -Colombian Dance Company (headed by Dr. Melissa Teodoro) gave a presentation and dance demonstration to the students at Aliquippa so that they could observe some of the cultural concepts they studied during their Music and Dance Module. 

During the Music and Dance module, students discussed how music and dance are cultural products that tell or communicate information about the historical background of the peoples that created such cultural products. 

In the case of the Hispanic cultures, the presence of the historical links to European, Indigenous, and African cultures can be found in the music and the dances of different regions. For instance, students spent time discussing how the predominance of certain instruments in music and movements in the dances tell us a story of what cultures have had more impact in the region. Particularly, students discussed drums and call-and-response as elements that communicate strong African influence and how we find these elements as predominant in the cultures of the countries with Caribbean coasts. 

When the dancers from SRU spoke to the Aliquippa students, they mentioned the predominance of the drums and the call and response in the dances that they perform, which illustrated and reinforced the concepts they had explored in the classroom.

Check out the Aliquippa High School students dancing alongside the SRU students!

Slippery Rock University's historic Old Stone House will host a "Spooky Stories" event from 5:30-8:30 p.m. on October. 28.

The event will offer interactive story telling by Mary Morgan Smith, an acclaimed storyteller and producer of Pittsburgh's annual Three Rivers Storytelling Festival. In addition, there will be a performance by the Miracle Elixir Side Show, a Victorian-themed entertainment troupe that performs magic and interactive amusements.

SRU theater students will perform a dramatic reading of works by Edgar Allan Poe, and the Jennings Environmental Center will provide an exhibit about bats, exploring the myths and facts about the creatures.

"Storytelling is probably the original form of entertainment, something our early ancestors invented to pass the time," said Aaron Cowan, associate professor of history and curator of the Old Stone House. "This event continues that tradition, and provides lots of fun and engaging activities for the whole family."

The event will also feature free face painting, an apple cider press demonstration, candle dipping and sugar cookie decorating.

Admission is $8 per person, children 4 and under are free.

The Old Stone House, which is owned and operated by SRU, is located at the intersection of routes 8, 258 and 173, just south of Slippery Rock. For more information, call 724.738.4964.

Thanks to everyone who participated in our Socrates Café last night, where students and community members explored the big question: What is happiness?

What's happiness? Attend the Socrates Cafe at North Country Brewing Company tonight at 7PM to find out. All are welcome to participate. 😀

Learn more here.

Shout Out for the Humanities has been cancelled on October 26, as we didn’t receive enough submissions. This is the second time we’ve cancelled this event due to low participation, so we will no longer be offering it. The CPH has implemented several new events this semester that have been successful, such as our Impressions in Red Art Exhibition at the Old Stone House. We will continue to solicit feedback from students and the community to hold events that draw excitement and participation.

Questions and comments can be directed here.

Stoic philosophy, developed by the ancient Greeks, ponders questions about life and how people should treat others, while ridding oneself of emotions in order to prevent suffering. This year's theme is "Stoicism at Work." As part of the event students, faculty, staff and members of the community read and work through Stoic texts in thinking about how to better overcome the personal and professional obstacles that may arise in the work and educational environments.

If you want to participate, there's still time! Contact Andrew Winters at andrew.winters@sru.edu.