Humanities & Society

Preserving a treasured culture.Nearly every federal policy directed toward Native Americans since the time of America’s discovery has been a policy of either annihilation or assimilation. For this reason, Native Americans have not been fully recognized as vibrant, valued and productive, says Dana Klar, J.D., founding and interim director of the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies at Washington University in St. Louis. “Our government has sent the message, ‘We’ve been able to assimilate you. Why separate you?'” This paradox, says Klar, helps to explain why Native American Indian Heritage month, which began Nov. 1, often comes and goes with very little fanfare. More…

The WUSTL School of Law’s Clinical Education Program and Center for Interdisciplinary Studies will host the sixth annual Access to Equal Justice conference Nov. 17 in the Bryan Cave Moot Courtroom of Anheuser-Busch Hall. The conference will focus on “Examining the Risks of Wrongful Executions and the Role of Prosecutors, Defense Attorneys, Academia and the Press.” Panelists will examine four criminal cases that many critics believe ended in the executions of innocent defendants.

Vagelos will explore these examples in detail for his talk on “The Social Responsibility of Business” to be held at 4 p.m. Monday, November 13, in Graham Chapel. The program will also feature a panel discussion featuring Washington University-associated business experts. It is the final installment of the Danforth Lecture Series.

Journalist and author David Rieff will give a talk for the Holocaust Memorial Lecture as part of the Washington University Assembly Series at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, November 8, in Graham Chapel on the Danforth Campus. The lecture is free and open to the public.

bell hooks, the ground-breaking feminist author, teacher, social activist and cultural critic, will give the Black Arts & Sciences Lecture for the Assembly Series at 11 a.m., Wednesday, November 1 in Graham Chapel. The lecture, “Self-Determination: Where Do We Begin?” is free and open to the public.

The Law School’s Public Interest Law and Policy Speakers Series, in conjunction with the Federalist Society and the Assembly Series, will present Richard Epstein at 3 p.m. Tuesday, October 31, in the Anheuser Busch Moot Courtroom (Room 310). The lecture is free and open to the public. The well-known libertarian and influential legal scholar will discuss the question, “Has Modern Complex Litigation Outgrown the Federal Rules of Civil Procedures? The Case of Antitrust.”

Richard Epstein and bell hooks will speak Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, respectively.

Scientists have identified a naturally occurring enzyme that can break down a key component of the brain plaques characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. The finding may provide researchers with new opportunities to understand what goes wrong in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients and could one day help them seek new therapies.

The School of Medicine, a research leader in Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and schizophrenia, will be among the first recipients of a major new National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant to facilitate study of nervous system disorders. The NIH Blueprint for the Neurosciences Grant will provide $8 million to the University over five years.

The fourth week of October will feature an actor, a graphic novelist, and a mathematician.