ONE BOOK 2017 - 2018

One Book Update

August 22, 2017- Geraldo Cadava

 As fall quarter approaches, Nancy Cunniff and I are hard at work on this year’s calendar of events. If things shape up as we think they will, there’s good reason to be excited. Not only will all first-year students see Hamilton on October 4 or October 11. Not only will author Danielle Allen be on campus on October 19 for talks on our Chicago and Evanston campuses. We’re also co-sponsoring events with Native American and Indigenous Studies, the Center for Legal Studies, the History Department, the Spanish & Portuguese Department, the Program in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, the School for Professional Studies, and so much more. Moreover, we’re beyond excited to partner with Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism, Media, and Integrated Marketing Communications to produce a series of podcasts on the topic of equality and inequality at Northwestern and beyond.

 The wide range of events we’ve got planned is a testament to the richness of Allen’s book. What do the words of the Declaration of Independence mean to us today? What have they meant over the 240 year period since they were written? Do we still “hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”? Is this still a bedrock truth? How did the participants at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 riff on this famous line when they asserted, that “all men and women are created equal”? How did Abraham Lincoln elevate the significance of the Declaration of Independence as a foundational document when he began his famous Gettysburg Address with the sentence, “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.” And after the U.S. Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, more than 100 nations issued their own declarations of independence. How were these other declarations—from Venezuela to Vietnam—influenced by the U.S. Declaration? This year we’ll answer these questions and more … Stay tuned!! Keep visiting our website to learn more about what we’re planning. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

Cents and Sensibility

May 25, 2017 | Daniel Weiss

This Monday, President Morty Schapiro and Economics Professor Saul Morson came to Harris Hall to talk about their new book, Cents and Sensibility. Their book explores the overlap between economics and the humanities, where each thrives and struggles, and where each field can learn from the other.

Schapiro tackled the economic side. Calling himself a “proud economist” and speaking from decades of teaching experience, he noted the value of models in predictions. If an economist were to have access to the right data and know the right variables to measure, then the standard, objective approach to policy-making used by economists would be easy to justify, highly accurate, and well-received by the public. But often, there are relevant factors that are neither apparent nor easily quantifiable. It is here that the humanities should play a role. Economic models, considered without a healthy amount of moral reasoning, have the ability to cause harm to the people they are designed to help. One example cited during the discussion was a campaign by the World Health Organization against river blindness in Africa. Economic analysis opposed funding prevention efforts, since the target population did not have the potential to be productive workers. But the alternative was to let these people suffer—a policy that seemed quite immoral. Morality won, and according to Schapiro, the campaign was the WHO’s “most successful.”

From the humanities, it has become clear that the best stories often have the best narratives. Morson in particular praised Jane Austen, calling her a “pioneer” for her writing style and sense of purpose. Recognizing the importance of narratives can empower economists to reach a more receptive audience.

Economics Professor Mark Witte, who led the discussion, suggested that the authors worked to create a narrative that would be accepted by professionals in economics and the humanities. Professor Morson was quick to respond, “I don’t think people in the humanities accept it.” And Schapiro added, “I don’t think economists accept it either.” But this does not concern the authors since, even though some people in Morson’s field were “livid” when they read it, the intended audience is “smart, literate people” in any discipline. Schapiro and Morson are going on a book tour, and hope that their book will encourage people to embrace a multidisciplinary approach whenever possible.

Chris Moore dishes on all things advanced stats and baseball

May 12, 2017 | Ryan Albelda

In front of around 70 people on Tuesday night in the Segal Visitors Center, Chris Moore, the director of research and development for the Chicago Cubs,  spoke about big data and how it's used in baseball. Moore described, among other things, how for every game, his R+D team compiles a report that is given to the players as well as Joe Madden, the Cubs manager.

All MLB teams now use data to help with their decision-making, a shift in the sport that has quickly developed in the 21st century. The data has increased greatly due to features such as StatCast that displays information such as pitch speed, hit direction and other information. Different teams place a different emphasis on the data and the frequency in which it is used. Moore says that the limiting factor for having more data and information is man-hours for analysts, of which he admitted that there's simply more work to do than the Cubs could possibly complete.

New York Times' Amanda Cox talks data visualization and journalism and how they intersect

May 4, 2017 | Josh Burton

The New York Times is known as "the Gray Lady" for its iconic newspaper, but as the Times' Amanda Cox relayed to a crowd of around 100 people in Harris Hall 107 on Wednesday night, journalism is evolving past just the written word.

Cox heads the paper's The Upshot vertical, which uses data, charts, videos and other visualization methods to produce interactive news graphics for both the newspaper and website. She spoke about how data journalism is more than just a nice-looking image or assortment of data; it requires thinking about the reader and how their experience with the data might be affected by different displays.

Tom Skilling, Don Wuebbles and Karen Weigert discuss the varied implications of climate change

April 24, 2017 | Josh Burton

Human-caused climate change is undoubtedly affecting the world, but the impacts of it are on a scope that encompasses various disciplines. In a interesting panel discussion -- which followed short presentations -- last Thursday at the Jacobs Center, WGN-TV chief meteorologist Tom Skilling (weather), University of Illinois Professor Don Wuebbles (climate science) and Senior Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs Karen Weigert (policy) talked about climate change in relation to their field of expertise.

A crowd of around 75 in Leverone Auditorium listened in as each expert presented about their field and how it relates to climate change. The overarching theme: any course of action that can be taken to mitigate climate change and its effects must be undergone.