Renowned Anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson to Address Holy Cross Students

WORCESTER, Mass. – Mary Catherine Bateson, noted anthropologist, linguist and best selling author, will give a lecture to second-year students at the College of the Holy Cross on Wednesday, Sept. 22 from 7:30 – 9 p.m. in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom. Her talk, “Continuity and Change: Visions for the Holy Cross Class of 2007,” is part three of a new orientation program designed specifically for sophomores. After Bateson’s talk, she will sign copies of her books, including Peripheral Visions – a collection of essays which sophomores read over the summer.

In addition to Peripheral Visions, Bateson has published several other well known books, including With a Daughter’s Eye, a memoir of her parents Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson; Composing a Life, a collection of biographies on Bateson and her close friends; and a new book, Willing to Learn.

Peripheral Visions, described by the Los Angeles Times as “A way to suck the most of out of life, to broaden one’s vision and experience, to raise children better equipped to live in a changing world,” was chosen because of its connection to the mission of the Second Year Orientation (2YO) program.

2YO encourages students to look beyond the gates of Holy Cross and reflect carefully on the path of their academic careers so that they can make the most of their time at the College. Many opportunities to participate in programs that complement and supplement major areas of studies become available to students in their junior and senior year, such as Study Abroad, semester away, summer internships, community service, prestigious fellowship opportunities, graduate studies and career planning. 2YO challenges students to give thoughtful consideration to designing an integrated, purposeful program of study.

A believer in the power of lifelong learning, Bateson will speak on Sept. 22 about the relationships between continuity and change. She will look in particular at the dual role of continuity and change in evolution and the way in which learning must rely on both.

Bateson is scholar in residence at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies and president of the Institute for Intercultural Studies in New York City. Until recently, she had been the Clarence J. Robinson Professor in Anthropology and English at George Mason University, and is now Professor Emerita. She lectures frequently throughout the United States and internationally.

This event is funded by a generous grant from Lilly Endowment, Inc.