PORT ANGELES — In a free lecture, Peninsula College professor Janet Lucas will discuss something she’s long studied: empathy and compassion.
“The Art and Science of Empathy: Its Role in the Classroom and in Our Lives,” Lucas’ multimedia presentation, is open to the public at 12:30 p.m. Thursday in the Little Theater at Peninsula College, 1502 E. Lauridsen Blvd.
An English professor who believes in poet Rainer Maria Rilke’s philosophy of “living the questions,” Lucas plans on delving into:
■ What is empathy?
■ Why do we sometimes not empathize with one another?
■ How does empathy affect our lives?
Lucas, who earned her doctoral degree in 2011, wrote her dissertation about empathy and last October gave her “Art and Science of Empathy” talk as the keynote speech at the meeting of the Washington Community College Humanities Association.
The subject is as timely as ever, Lucas believes, as popular culture and media spread stories of struggle around the world.
“Empathy is so important,” she said, “in today’s world of political controversy and xenophobia,” the fear of people and things that seem foreign or strange.
In Thursday’s lecture, Lucas will also discuss how scholars, from economists to neuroscientists, are exploring our brains on compassion and empathy. We’re thinking about these feelings in new ways, she said.
Lucas’ talk is part of the free, public Studium Generale series at Peninsula College.
For information about this Thursday’s lecture and future presentations, see www.pencol.edu, and to reach Lucas, email jlucas@pencol.edu or phone 360-417-6221.
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Features Editor Diane Urbani de la Paz can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5062, or at diane.urbani@peninsuladailynews.com.
