The Columbian College of Arts and Sciences held a special reception Friday evening honoring 57 faculty members who authored books over the past year.
The books’ topics ranged from archeology, to Chinese Shakespeare, to Judaism and the Supreme Court.
George Washington University President Steven Knapp congratulated the authors on their accomplishments and for “keeping books alive.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever been to an event before where there were the authors of this many books in a single room. It’s kind of astounding,” said Dr. Knapp, who co-authored The Predicament of Belief: Science, Philosophy and Faith, which was also honored Friday.
Dr. Knapp said things like hyperlinks and optimized search engines promote discontinuous reading.
“I think we are in danger of losing the kind of long-term thinking and the kind of careful analysis that these books stand for. It’s something we have to fight for a little bit,” said Dr. Knapp.
This year’s Columbian College of Arts and Sciences Celebration of Scholars honored five more authors than last year’s event.
“That’s more than a book a week coming out of the Columbian College of Arts and Sciences,” said Columbian College Dean Peg Barratt. “We appreciate this incredible amount of productivity.”
The combination of teaching and personal scholarship can be difficult to balance, but professors’ passion for their field can help them produce original work while still making a difference in the classroom.
“You have to love your subject for the right reasons and that will keep you motivated,” said Clay Warren, the Chauncey M. Depew Professor of Communication.
Dr. Warren was honored Friday for his book The School for Life: N.F.S. Grundtvig on the Education for the People, a collection of writings by a well-known Danish scholar.
Elaine Pena, an assistant professor in American studies, was also recognized Friday for her book Performing Piety: Making Space Sacred with the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Dr. Pena spent two years in Chicago and more than a year in Mexico City conducting field work for her book, which examines the practices of devotees of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Other Columbian College authors honored were Bernard Wood for his book Human Evolution, Kym Rice for her book World of a Slave, Alexander Huang for his book Chinese Shakespeare: Two Centuries of Cultural Exchange and Ivy Ken for her book Digesting Race, Class and Gender: Sugar as a Metaphor.
Dr. Barratt said GW students really benefit when they get the opportunity to learn from faculty who have been “literally writing their books.”
“Thank you so much for what you do for your profession, your students and GW,” she said.