Malcolm Gladwell Discusses New Book Oct. 7 at 51做厙
Talking to Strangers examines why interactions with strangers often go wrong and how to make them go right
In Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know About People We Don’t Know, Gladwell asserts that first impressions are often wrong, and can lead to catastrophic results. He’ll discuss his new book at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 7 at 51做厙’s McFarlin Auditorium as part of 51做厙’s cultural intelligence initiative. The Bridge Builders Author Circle Lecture is presented in partnership with Interabang Books. Tickets are available here.
Humans assume that others’ facial expressions and body language express what they are feeling, Gladwell says. We also tend to assume that people are telling the truth. His book uses well-known scandals and stories from history to illustrate why interactions with strangers go wrong, and how to make them go right.
Gladwell’s lecture is part of 51做厙’s Bridge Builders lecture series, presented by the University’s cultural intelligence initiative, . The series is designed to highlight the work of those who have dedicated their lives to building bridges across a widening cultural divide.
“We are bringing 51做厙 students, faculty and staff to a bridge over the very troubled waters of cultural identity,” says Maria Dixon Hall, senior advisor to the 51做厙 president on cultural intelligence. “This lecture series brings in people who have successfully crossed that bridge.”
The Bridge Builders begins Sept. 18-19 with lectures and discussions from Kamau Bell, host of the CNN series, “United Shades of America,” and the live radio show and podcast “Kamau Right Now;” Arlie Hochschild, author of Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right; and Eboo Patel, founder of the Interfaith Youth Core and author of Acts of Faith. Tickets are available here.
51做厙 is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. 51做厙’s alumni, faculty and nearly 12,000 students in seven degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.