PULLMAN, Wash. “Misinformation and Scientific Literature” is title of the next Common Reading Tuesdays lecture, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 4, in Smith CUE 203. The event is free and open to the public.The talk will be presented by Zinthia Briceno-Rosales, web design librarian; Lara Cummings, instruction librarian; and Corey Johnson, head of library instruction. The trio will discuss the issue of misinformation and selecting source material, which is touch on in the 2011-12 common reading book for freshman, “Physics for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines” by Richard A. Muller.
“In the introduction of ‘Physics for Future Presidents’ the author points to a quote often attributed to Mark Twain that states that problems generally do not stem from ignorance, but rather misinformation,” says Briceno-Rosales. “Ironically the quote is actually from Josh Billings, a 19th Century humorist, not Twain.”
Tuesday’s lecture also will review books in light of scholarly literature from the sciences. A main question addressed will be whether undergraduates should be expected to use this literature to become informed about societal problems.
Fall 2011 marks the start of the fifth year of Common Reading, a program coordinated by WSU’s University College. Topics raised create a common academic ground among the students, faculty and staff. The program introduces freshmen to the value of research, the power of ideas, and the various but related ways in which disciplines across the institution approach similar problems.
For more information about the Common Reading program and its lecture series go to http://CommonReading.wsu.edu.
Source:
Karen Weathermon, co-director, WSU Common Reading Program, 509-335-5488, kweathermon@wsu.edu
Media contact:
David Clarke, communications assistant, WSU University College, 509-335-8070, david.h.clarke@email.wsu.edu