Humanities & Society

Have African-American intellectuals abandoned the Civil Rights Movement? Do black academics need to reengage the larger community, and if so, how? What is the relationship between contemporary politics and popular culture? Some of the nation’s most prominent African-American writers and thinkers will address these questions and more during the 2009 Callaloo Conference, which takes place March 25-28 at Washington University in St. Louis.

An American Indian Pow Wow, a traditional food tasting and a panel discussion on health in Indian Country are among the highlights of American Indian Awareness Week March 23-28. All events are free and open to the public. The annual awareness week and Pow Wow, hosted by the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, allow American Indian students to share their unique cultures with the campus and the St. Louis community. The theme of this year’s events is “Celebrating Community Health and Wellness.”

Tutors over 55 who help young students on a regular basis experience positive physical and mental health outcomes, according to studies released by researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. The tutors studied were members of Experience Corps, an award-winning organization that trains thousands of people over 55 to tutor children in urban public schools across the country. Researchers at Washington University’s Center for Social Development assessed the impact of the Experience Corps program on the lives of its members and found that, compared with adults of similar age, demographics and volunteer history, Experience Corps tutors reported improvements in mental health and physical functioning (including mobility, stamina and flexibility) and maintained overall health longer. Video Available

Researchers at the School of Medicine have linked a potential indicator of Alzheimer’s disease to brain damage in humans with no signs of mental impairment. Although their cognitive and neurological assessments were normal, study participants with lower levels of a substance known as amyloid beta 42 (A-beta 42) in their cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) had reduced whole brain volumes, suggesting that Alzheimer’s changes might already be damaging their brains.

Patent and copyright law are stifling innovation and threatening the global economy according to two economists at Washington University in St. Louis in a new book, Against Intellectual Monopoly. Professors Michele Boldrin and David K. Levine call for abolishing the current patent and copyright system in order to unleash innovations necessary to reverse the current recession and rescue the economy. The professors discuss their stand against intellectual property protections in a video and news release linked here.

Washington University School of Law and the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies will bring together leading experts for “Federal Budget and Tax Policy for a Sound Fiscal Future,” beginning at 8:45 a.m. March 20 and 21 in Anheuser-Busch Hall.

Numerous prominent researchers will gather at WUSTL March 12-14 to discuss the nature of human sociality. The conference, titled “Man the Hunted: The Origin and Nature of Human Sociality, Altruism and Well-Being,” is the first of its kind to focus on the evolution of cooperation, altruism and sociality in primates and humans.

NorthCommunity-based conservation in Madagascar, property rights for the poor in Argentina and trade-offs between violence and power in societies throughout human history are among topics to be explored in a free public workshop on the social science of international development from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 24 in the Women’s Building Formal Lounge.

The annual Washington University African Film Festival will be held March 26-29. The event will feature films that emphasize movement and migration and their impact on African’s shifting identities. All screenings are free and open to the public and begin at 7 p.m. each evening in Brown Hall, Room 100. A postshow discussion and reception will follow Saturday’s films.

The Performing Arts Department and the African & African American Studies Program, both in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, will host a residency March 13-22 for a nine-member touring ensemble of internationally known Kenyan performance group Haba na Haba. Group members perform acrobatics, music, dance and drama to educate their communities on topics such as HIV/AIDS, drug abuse, reproductive health, women’s issues and violence. The residency will culminate March 20 with a performance, titled “Co-existence,” based on the recent ethnic conflicts in Kenya following disputed elections. The event, free and open to the public, takes place at 8 p.m. in the 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., in University City.