Westfield

Author and primate expert to speak at Westfield State

WESTFIELD – Westfield State University will host author Frans de Waal on Thursday, December 3, at 7 p.m. in the Woodward Center. De Waal’s book “The Bonobo and the Atheist: In Search of Humanism Among the Primates” was chosen as the university’s First-Year READ, a common book that all first-year students are required to read.
The First-Year READ is just one component of Connections: First Year Forward, a collaborative program designed to create a seamless transition period for first-year students from high school to college. All composition professors are required to use the First-Year READ for one major project, but some elect to use it more extensively throughout the semester.
To be considered, the book must: be accessible to first-year students who are reading the book over the summer and without any guidance; be interdisciplinary; speak to/address issues of social justice and equity; model academic inquiry/academic research; be nonfiction and have currency today. Since 2012, a committee of English composition faculty has gathered to review book suggestions for the First-Year READ. Past selections include “The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down” by Anne Fadiman and “Gang Leader for a Day” by Sudir Venkatesh.
Published in 2013, “The Bonobo and the Atheist” discusses if morality is human, a God-given gift, or if it can be found in other animals. De Waal uses studies about bonobos, a rare ape with humanlike anatomy, and a generally peaceful, matriarchal culture as part of his argument. He claims, “The enemy of science is not religion. The true enemy is the substitution of thought, reflection, and curiosity with dogma.”
Dr. Frans de Waal is a biologist and primatologist known for his work on the behavior and social intelligence of primates. His scientific work has been published in hundreds of technical articles in journals such as Science, Nature, Scientific American, and outlets specialized in animal behavior. He currently works as C.H. Candler Professor in the psychology department of Emory University and as the Director of the Living Links Center at the Yerkes National Primate Center in Atlanta, GA. In 2007, he was selected by Time as one of The Worlds’ 100 Most Influential People Today, and in 2011 by Discover as among 47 (all time) Great Minds of Science.
Jennifer DiGrazia, associate professor of English and coordinator of the Composition Committee, said one reason “The Bonobo and the Atheist” was chosen as the First-Year READ was because the book can be examined across several disciplines including neuroscience, art, and geography and regional planning.
“Our hope is that our extensive use of the book both in composition courses and in other disciplines, combined with the Film and Speakers’ Series helps to invite students into academic culture and to create a sense of community amongst students and other members of the campus and community,” DiGrazia said. “Ideally, it could allow them to see the different ways people from different disciplines approach a similar topic.”
DiGrazia said she hopes students take away a “strong sense of what academic engagement looks like” from the lecture.
“I want students to recognize the ways this event invites them into academic discourse, engages them further in discussing and hearing about issues they have been working on all semester and, from a composition perspective, I would like them to hear and have a chance to talk to an academic whose work has garnered professional, national, and international attention,” DiGrazia said.
The event is free and open to the public. There will be a question and answer session following the lecture. Dr. de Waal’s lecture is sponsored by the Westfield State Guest Lecture series. The Guest Lecture Series is supported by funding from the Academic Affairs budget to enhance student learning and service to the larger community. An advisory committee with representation by the faculty and librarians, staff, and students review proposals and recommend selection of proposals for the year. For more information on upcoming speakers in the Guest Lecture Series, please visit http://www.westfield.ma.edu/speakerseries.

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