Essential to Human Being      

This academic year at The University of Findlay is devoted to celebrating the Power of Play: Essential to Human Being.  Spearheading this project is Dr. Matt Stolick, associate professor of philosophy and Richard E.Wilkin COLA Faculty Chair.

Stolick believes that “Unstructured play is important to our quality of life but it is being eliminated from our structured lives.” The mission of the year is to inspire more play and playfulness in people’s lives.

A biweekly reading group on the book “Homo Ludens” (“Man the Player,” Johan Huizinga, 1938) is discussing the meanings and importance of play with discussions led by a UF faculty member. Speakers on different elements of culture and their relationship to play are listed below with month, date and the speaker.

Element of Culture	Speaker	Venue	Month & Day
The Power of Play	Matt Stolick	AMU MPR Room North, 6-7.30	Sept. 1
Play and animals	Gwynne Rife	AMU Endly Room	Sept. 22
Play and language	Hiro Kawamura	AMU Endly Room	Oct. 6
Play and contest	COB Panel	WTS 254	Oct. 20
Play and law	Mark Polelle	AMU Endly Room	Nov. 3
Play and war	Mike Homsher	AMU Endly Room	Nov. 17
Playing and Knowing	Louis Stulman	AMU Endly Room	Dec. 1
Play and Poetry	Marianna Hofer		Jan. 19
Play and Myth	Gary Johnson	AMU Endly Room	Feb. 2
Play forms in Philosophy	Rich Smith	WTS 254	Feb. 16
The power of Coaching	Ron Niekamp	WTS 254	Feb. 22
Play forms in Art	Jack Taylor	WTS 254	March 1
Play and Western Civilization	COB Panel	AMU Endly Room	March 15
Play and Contemporary Civilization	Don Stansloski	AMU Endly Room	March 29

 

Stolick aims to increase awareness in campus and community members that play is learning; encouraging unorganized play for children; inspiring a sense of playfulness in the work environment; and inspiring people to commit to living playful lives and careers through this year long project.

In additional to the readings above, additional events are planned, the first being a presentation by Dr. Jaco J. Hamman, author of “A Play-Full Life: Slowing Down & Seeking Peace” (Cleveland: The Pilgrim Press, 2011) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, in Ritz Auditorium in Old Main. Hamman is professor of pastoral care and counseling at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Mich. He will discuss, among other things, ways to live a more play-full life and how to empower play-full families and congregations.

A focus on encouraging play in children is found in the Funday Sunday presentations at the Mazza Museum of International Art from Picture Books, held the first Sunday of the month from 1:30 to 3.30 p.m.

Alligator to Zebra – Oct. 2

Waiting for Wings – Nov. 6

Crazy Creatures – Jan. 8

Frontier Findlay – Feb. 5

Community READS – March 4

Under the sea – April 1

The exploratory study concludes on April 12 with thoughts from “Homo Ludens” on play, culture and the 21^st century. Dr. Stolick will summarize “What We Have Learned from the Power of Play” on April 19 in Ritz Auditorium in Old Main.

For more information, contact Dr. Stolick at stolick@findlay.edu or 419-434-6998.

The Richard E. Wilkin Chair for the College of Liberal Arts allows a professor to devote a full year of study to the interdisciplinary exploration of a single topic.