Spring 2013

In Dan Ariely’s first two books, both New York Times bestsellers, Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality, the behavioural economist shows how, despite best intentions, we often fail to act in our own best interests.With his third book, The (Honest) Truth about Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone – Especially Ourselves, Ariely has turned his attention to studying dishonesty in American culture. He has some surprising findings to share at an Assembly Series presentation at 2 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, in Graham Chapel. The event is free and open to the public.

British archaeologist Mike Parker Pearson and his research team had unprecedented access to Stonehenge and its surroundings, and his research findings are replacing centuries of speculation with facts. He will share them at an Assembly Series program at 4 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in Steinberg Hall Auditorium.

Daniel Libeskind, one of the most celebrated architects working today, will discuss “The Future of Cities” as part of the Assembly Series at Washington University in St. Louis. His presentation, sponsored by the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts and the Architecture Student Council, will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 2, in Graham Chapel.

“The anthropological concept of culture is extremely important and often misunderstood because many of the things that are assumed to be biologically determined, like criminality or homosexuality or IQ, are really behaviorally and societally defined.” This quote from Robert W. Sussman, PhD, professor of physical anthropology in Arts & Sciences at Washington University, forms the basis for his Phi Beta Kappa/Sigma Xi Lecture. “The Importance of the Concept of Culture to Science and Society,” part of the university’s Assembly Series, will be held at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 9, in Steinberg Hall Auditorium.

At 4 p.m. Thursday, April 11, Kathleen Coleman will give an Assembly Series talk that paints a real picture of the Roman arena spectacle, explaining Roman penal theory and practice regarding Christian martyrdom in the context of the expectations and attitudes of both the Roman authorities and audiences. Coleman’s talk, the annual John and Penelope Biggs Lecture in the Classics, will be held in Steinberg Hall Auditorium on Washington University’s Danforth Campus; it is free and open to the public.

Anyone with aspirations for climbing the corporate ladder knows that the best advice comes from insiders at the top, and Cynthia Brinkley has occupied the top rungs at some of the largest and most-established companies for more than a quarter-century. At 11 a.m. Wednesday, April 17, in Graham Chapel, Brinkley will share her experiences at AT&T and most recently, General Motors.

The Bosnian genocide, carried out between 1992 and 1995, displaced nearly a quarter of Bosnia’s pre-war population, with refugees scattered throughout the world. This year’s annual Holocaust Memorial Lecture will feature anthropologist Sarah Wagner discussing “Srebrenica’s Legacies of Loss and Remembrance,” at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Umrath Hall Lounge.

On February 18, 2013 at 5p.m. in Simon Hall, alumna Susannah Cahalan talked about her book “Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness.” The book chronicles her ordeal with a rare medical condition.