Colleges take advantage of Francis' visit to teach

How much does a pope matter?

Melissa Wilde can tell you in about 60 seconds.

And that's what the University of Pennsylvania associate professor of sociology did Wednesday, just before lunch hour, standing behind a lectern on leafy Locust Walk, in the heart of the Ivy League campus.

Her brief lecture, which drew an audience of about 100, is part of an ongoing series of outdoor one-minute lectures by professors in the College of Arts and Sciences - and in this case, just one example of how the area's colleges and universities are framing lessons around Pope Francis' visit to Philadelphia this weekend.

At Immaculata University, Elizabeth Faunce, an associate professor of economics and finance, is asking students to look into the visit's economic benefits and costs to the city and local businesses.

In a class on Christianity and media at St. Joseph's University, students will examine news coverage for "accuracy, stereotyping, and sensationalism."

And students in Bob Brzenchek's introduction to criminal justice class at Peirce College have created a crisis action plan for the papal visit, looking at how to handle a terrorist attack and other emergencies.

Some projects will last all semester. Students in Daniel Bramer's world religions class at Holy Family University will explore a series of questions, such as, "What long-term effects do you foresee this visit producing?"

Other explorations are briefer, but none so brief as Wilde's lecture, which started at 11:55 a.m. and lasted maybe 70 seconds.

A pope, she told her audience - some who showed up deliberately, others who stumbled upon it - can "change the tone and tenor of the church through his statements."

He also can "speak infallibly" - meaning what he says is irrefutable - or "call a council" to make even greater lasting change, something the church has not done in about 50 years.

The last church council of dignitaries and theological experts, the Second Vatican Council, known popularly as Vatican II, led the Catholic Church to "modernize," she said, or, as Pope John XXIII said, "open the window."

"Today, it seems that Pope Francis once again is trying to open the windows," said Wilde, author of a book on Vatican II and an expert in how religious institutions react to cultural change.

"The question is, will Francis call a council and get some help? Or will he continue to try and open all of the windows by himself? The answer to that question will determine how much he matters to history."

The talk was just enough to whet Claire Reardon's appetite for more information, "which is good," she said.

"You can't do much more than that in 60 seconds," said the 18-year-old freshman from Chicago, who was on her way to lunch when she happened on Wilde's lecture.

Since Penn started the lectures in 2003, professors have opined on everything from the relationship between video games and Shakespeare to the heart rate of criminals. Audiences usually number about 50.

Why 60 seconds?

"You hear the word lecture and think, I don't have time for that," said Dennis DeTurck, a mathematician and dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "So, 60-second lectures . . . we get people who will stop and listen."

Amanda Damon, 18, a freshman from Long Island who is used to 50-minute lectures, was impressed by how much was said in a minute.

"It's a good way to keep students interested," she said, "because people get bored after a while."

For Wilde, who has been at Penn since 2006, the concise talk was a worthwhile challenge.

"We are forced to take the knowledge we have and the skills we have," she said, "and say it in words that are understandable by the public" in a "bare-bones snippet."

ssnyder@phillynews.com 215-854-4693 @ssnyderinq www.inquirer.com/campusinq