Humanities & Society

Charred grains of barley, millet and wheat deposited nearly 5,000 years ago at campsites in the high plains of Kazakhstan show that nomadic sheepherders played a surprisingly important role in the early spread of domesticated crops throughout a mountainous east-west corridor along the historic Silk Road, suggests new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Don’t miss this beautiful classical concert in the Cathedral Basilica, featuring St. Louis’ world-renowned orchestra and choir. With an 8-second sound delay in the hall, the music of Bruckner, Vaughan Williams and Messiaen literally will be bouncing off the walls, immersing you in sound.

Jonathan Bate, PhD, one of the world’s leading scholars of Shakespeare, will discuss “Shakespeare at 450 Years” at 2:30 p.m. Monday, April 7, in Hurst Lounge, Duncker Hall, at Washington University in St. Louis. Bate, who is well known as a biographer, critic, broadcaster and scholar, is provost of Worcester College and professor of English literature at the University of Oxford.

Ranked among the nation’s top Relay for Life fundraisers, WUSTL’s event also is one of the most fun. Highlights include a tug-of-war, performances from campus acts and a midnight “silent rave.”

Is the American Dream slipping away? Maybe, says Mark R. Rank, PhD, one of the country’s foremost experts on inequality and social justice. “More than at any time in our past,” Rank says, “there are serious questions regarding the American Dream and its applicability to everyday people.” Rank’s new book, “Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes” (Oxford University Press 2014) is out.

WUSTL students are riding a teeter-totter this week to raise money for the Campus Y Strong Community Campaign.

Why are we driven to love, and how do we choose whom to love? Biological anthropologist Helen Fisher, PhD, has been asking such questions for decades. She will discuss love for the Assembly Series at 5 p.m. Friday, April 4, in Louderman Hall.

For some, spring break is all about relaxing. But some WUSTL students instead traveled across the globe treating patients, planting trees and digging trenches.

Five friends and WUSTL students document their studies and travels abroad — on five continents — through stories and photographs.

Video producer Thomas J. Malkowicz recommends the Banff Mountain Film Fesitval World Tour. He says St. Louis is lucky to be a stop on the globetrotting tour, which showcases heart-stopping short films about adventure, travel and the environment.