ISSUED: 14 March 2023
MEDIA CONTACT: Dana Costa
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — The psychology behind why people choose the hobbies they do, helping students develop intercultural competence, and a deep dive into the Dune novels are the topics for this semester’s series of Shepherd University Faculty Research Forums. All the presentations will take place in the Frank Arts Center C.W. Shipley Recital Hall.
On Tuesday, March 21, at 7 p.m. Dr. Larry Daily, professor of psychology, will talk about research he’s done on why people choose scale modeling as a hobby.
Building scale models is an ancient activity, but few studies have explored the psychology of modelers. Daily will give an overview of research that he and his students and have conducted on the topic and will include preliminary results from a new study.
On Tuesday, March 28, from 3-4 p.m. Dr. Rachel Krantz, associate professor of French, will present “Developing Intercultural Competence through Perspective Taking.”
During her talk, Krantz will explore how instruction in modern languages can help students develop communicative competence that fosters global understanding and cultural respect that will help them thrive in an increasingly interconnected world.
On Monday, April 3, from noon-1 p.m. Dr. Kevin Williams will present “Hermeneutics and Euretics in Frank Herbert’s Dune.”
Williams wrote the book Wisdom of the Sand: Philosophy and Frank Herbert’s Dune. The purpose of Williams’ book is to unpack Herbert’s ideas, and to find a place for them in our lives, learning, knowledge, and wisdom. During the lecture he will talk about his relationship with the Dune novels, and about the Bene Gesserit, an all-woman order of philosophers in Dune.
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