Olivia DrakeStephen Angle, professor of philosophy, professor of East Asian studies, tutor in the College of Social Studies, participated in a one-day Book Symposium on his book, Sagehood: The Contemporary Significance of Neo-Confucian Philosophy (Oxford, 2009), at the Institute for Chinese Philosophy and Culture, Academia Sinica, in Taipei, Taiwan, in early June. Altogether, nine papers were delivered by Taiwan-based philosophers, roughly half in English and half in Chinese. Angle had an opportunity to respond and participated in a general discussion. The symposium was timed to coincide with an intensive, two-week class that he's been teaching at Taipei's Soochow University, also on the…
A study by Wesleyan's Department of Psychology is mentioned in a May 23 Business Wire article. Mattel, Inc. announced it will fund four university research projects focused on the impact of play in children’s early development through Mattel’s Philanthropy Programs. Anna Shusterman, assistant professor of psychology; Hilary Barth, assistant professor of psychology, assistant professor of neuroscience and behavior; and Emily Slusser, a postdoctoral fellow in psychology, received one of the grants worth $25,000. Their study is titled "Understanding the Power of Play: Study will focus on assessing the cognitive benefits of independent, self-directed play with toys." More information on the…
The Department of Film Studies received a $7,500 grant from the Academy Foundation of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to support the AMPAS Speaker Series in 2011-12. The grant was awarded on May 1. Lea Carlson, associate director of film studies, is the grant's P.I. This is the third year Wesleyan received support from the Academy to fund the speaker series. Film Studies will welcome about four speakers to campus in the second half of the fall semester.
Peter Gottschalk, chair and professor of religion, is the editor of the book, Engaging South Asian Religions: Boundaries, Appropriations, and Resistances, published by the State University of New York Press in May 2011. The book looks at Western understandings of South Asian religions and indigenous responses from precolonial to contemporary times. Focusing on boundaries, appropriations, and resistances involved in Western engagements with South Asian religions, this volume considers both the pre- and postcolonial period in India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. It pays particular attention to contemporary controversies surrounding the study of South Asian religions, including several scholars' reflections on the contentious reaction…
Charles Sanislow, assistant professor of psychology, so-authored a study in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry in May that compares the abilities of clinician-practioners and clinical researchers with expertise in personality to make DSM-IV personality disorder diagnoses based on trait models. This work is one facet of Sanislow’s effort to inform the revision process for DSM-5 and help shape psychiatric nosology. The study is online here.
Steven Horst, professor of philosophy, is the author of Laws, Mind and Free Will, published by MIT Press in March 2011. This is his third book. In Laws, Mind, and Free Will, Horst addresses the apparent dissonance between the picture of the natural world that arises from the sciences and our understanding of ourselves as agents who think and act. If the mind and the world are entirely governed by natural laws, there seems to be no room left for free will to operate. Moreover, although the laws of physical science are clear and verifiable, the sciences of the mind seem to…
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Wesleyan faculty and staff are growing a community. This summer, up to 50 employees have the opportunity to maintain their own plot in a Wesleyan Community Garden at Long Lane Farm. "We hope that the community garden will promote local growing and give people the space to grow their own produce," says Bill Nelligan, director of environmental health, safety and sustainability. "We will be planting alongside the student garden which will facilitate a growing atmosphere." Each plot measures 10 by 15 feet. Plot fees are $50 and include fence upkeep, annual soil amendments and community tools. Each gardener is responsible for…
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