Lecture to examine role of humanities in science and technology

Lecture
to examine role of humanities in science and technology

…………………………………………………………………

BY ELLEN CHANG
Rice News Staff

Renowned professor
Eberhard Lämmert, a former university president, will
discuss the reassessment of the role of the humanities in
providing direction to the fields of science and technology
at a lecture Nov. 20 at Rice University.

Lämmert
is the founding director of the Research Center for European
Enlightenment in Potsdam, Germany. His lecture, “The
Tradition of the Humanities and Their Role for the Future
of the University,” will begin at 5 p.m. in the Humanities
Building, Room 117.

“Among
the many reasons to welcome Professor Lämmert is the
opportunity to define and develop the future cooperation
between the center in Potsdam and Rice’s Goethe Center
for Central European Studies,” said Klaus Weissenberger,
director of the Goethe Center.

The partnership
offers a wide range of intellectual exchange and collaboration,
including conferences, individual research, visits and lectures,
which benefit the humanities school at Rice.

Lämmert
is the author of “Bauformen des Erzählens,”
eighth edition, one of the definitive books on narrative
theory, and nine other books on German literature from the
late Middle Ages to the present. He also is the editor of
23 anthologies and numerous articles.

He is a leader
in the critical reflection of German studies, especially
in connection with its role during the Nazi period.

Lämmert
has worked on the policies of higher education and has served
on many important research and university boards in Germany.
He was president of the Free University of Berlin from 1976
to 1983.

“As an outstanding
representative in his field, he is a tireless mediator between
the continents,” Weissenberger said. “His efforts
have gained him the trust of his colleagues in East and
West Germany and have grounded his international reputation.”