Join Weird Fictions Research Group for the fourth lecture in the Weird Medicine series!

Dominik Kędzierawski

A New Life: Memory, Identity, and Ethics of Mind Manipulation in To The Moon 

Tuesday, January 23, 2024
 4:45 PM

You can get 3 OZN points for participating in this event.

Where?

Dobra 55, room  01.060
(the building features some mobility accommodations: ramp and lift)

What?

“Memories warm you up from the inside. But they also tear you apart.” – Haruki Murakami

Lying on his deathbed, Johnny Wyles has one final wish – to go to the moon. A quaint procedure led by doctors Neil Watts and Eva Rosalene, can help him achieve that. In order to make his dream come true, however, doctors have to relive his whole life and discover his painful experiences. Will they be able to fulfill Johnny’s wish?

An indie classic, To The Moon is more than a poignant story. It also offers a perspective on how memories shape our identities. What if these memories are erased? How can we interfere with them? Will the progress of medicine result in humanity living through artificial memories? During the meeting, we will take a closer look at the game, which – hopefully – will provide a starting point for a discussion about memory, ethics, and the future of psychology.

Who?

Dominik Kędzierawski is a sophomore in ASC’s MA program and a BA graduate. Current academic interests revolve around game studies and moral philosophy, with MA research focusing on the procedural rhetoric of American colonialism in video games.

 

Year 2025/2026

Oct 24: “Ukorzenianie/wykorzenianie: spacer etnobotaniczny i warsztat kolażowy

October 16, 2025

We’re cordially inviting you to the second event in the “Wiedze u-korzenione” series co-organized by the Weird Fictions Research Group and Centrum Humanistyki Środowiskowej UW.

News

Call for Participants: 24th Transatlantic Symposium 2025 on “Disability and Care”

October 16, 2025

Dr. Natalia Pamuła and Prof. Tomasz Basiuk are calling a meeting of ASC MA students interested in participating in the upcoming edition of the Transatlantic Symposium, an international graduate student conference held annually and preceded by a series of informal preparatory seminars.

American Studies Colloquium Series

October 30: “Emily Dickinson Mediated: How Archives and Editions ‘Slant’ Presentation of their Authors”

October 13, 2025

We are pleased to invite you to the first lecture of the American Studies Colloquium Series in the 2025 Fall semester!

News

Call for Papers: International Conference on Anti-Gender Campaigns and the Politics of Knowledge Production, 11-12 December

October 6, 2025

Call for Papers: International Conference on Anti-Gender Campaigns and the Politics of Knowledge Production The American Studies Center at the University of Warsaw invites submissions for the international conference Anti-gender campaigns and the politics of knowledge production, to be held on 11–12 December 2025 in Warsaw, Poland.

News

Extension of the Electronic Student ID cards

October 6, 2025

Dear Students, Extending the ELS (electronic student ID) validity will take place on: October 20 – 23, 2025 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. In order to conduct the extensions smoothly please (if possible) submit your IDs collectively.