EOI Symposium on Consumption from the Evolutionary Perspective

The EOI Seminar this year is sponsoring several events not in its usual lunchtime seminar format.  The upcoming one is a symposium running from 11 am (following a Department meeting breaking around 10:30) through 4 pm on Friday, March 19th (i.e. the first Friday after we return from vacation).  The subject of this symposium will be Consumption from the Evolutionary Perspective.  The Speakers will be Dick Nelson of Columbia University, Barry Schwartz of the Swarthmore College Department of Psychology, and Ulrich Witt of the Max Planck Institute Jena.  Sid Winter will offer discussant’s comments to open the afternoon discussion (for which we have set aside plenty of time).
 
We have several objectives in organizing this event.  One is to find common ground between the core interests and programming of the EOI seminar and the core interests of other research and discussion groups within the Department.  We very much hope for broad attendance and active participation from across the Department.  We are particularly interested in having a broad spectrum of graduates students attend.  There should be food for thought in the proceedings for a very wide variety of individuals.  (On the more ordinary sort of food, see below.)
 
A secondary objective concerns a running sub-theme of EOI programming this year.  Ours is a notably eclectic Department, and many of us feel some pride—intellectual stimulus entirely aside—from working in and in whatever sense participating in such a serious and methodologically diverse community.  EOI programming this year has involved a conscious attempt to give food for thought on the variety of modes of learning and argument available to researchers interested in the sort of phenomena people in the Department study.  We intend this event, viewed from a certain angle, to contribute further to that ongoing discussion.
 
We are not above the principle of “Free Beer”.  Inasmuch as the event is scheduled for working hours, however, a nice lunch seems more appropriate.  If you are seriously contemplating attending, please write  Rabia (address on the cc line above) so that we can be sure there will be enough food.
 
I will send out another announcement or two before the day to confirm such details as the room.  (We have tentatively reserved SHDH 116 but may want to revisit this when we have a clearer idea of numbers.)
 
Contrary to the seminar’s usual practice, presenters will actually present and no prior preparation on the part of the audience will be presumed.  The intent of this is to lower possible barriers to attendance and participation.  (I will precirculate some reading matter for anyone curious in a day or so.  But the decision whether or not to read, or even skim, it will be an entirely private matter.) 
 
Thanks for your attention.  Please do consider coming.  It should both provocative and a lot of fun.
 

For more information, please contact: Rabia AbdusShaheed - abdusshr@wharton.upenn.edu