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Newman gives President's Lecture, April 10
Posted April 6, 2006; 03:44 p.m.
Katherine Newman, the Malcolm Stevenson Forbes, Class of 1941,
Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs, will present the final talk
in this year's President's Lecture Series on Monday, April 10.
The talk, titled "School Shootings: Why Terrible Things Happen in
'Perfect' Places," will begin at 4:30 p.m. in 101 Friend Center.
Newman joined the Princeton faculty in 2004 after eight years at
Harvard. Her research focuses on work and mobility, class cultures,
urban poverty and violence. She is the author of seven books, including
"Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings" (2004), which she wrote
with four doctoral students. The book examines the rash of school
shootings in the 1990s and draws on original fieldwork in two
communities -- Jonesboro, Ark., and Paducah, Ky. -- three years after
they suffered from some of the worst episodes of rampage shootings. The
book explores the roots of school violence and the repercussions for
the communities years later.
"The media tends to depict school shooters as loners who react
spontaneously to bullying with extreme violence," said Newman. "The
truth is much more complicated. Communities and schools are often blind
to the warning signals that a tragedy is on the way, and kids who know
about the shooters' intentions do not come forward. Sociological
perspectives help us understand why."
The lecture series was initiated by President Tilghman in 2001 to bring
together faculty members from different disciplines. Newman's talk will
be Webcast; for viewing information, visit WebMedia Event Streaming.