Professor Steele is the author of over 50 research papers and scientific studies regarding educational and workplace implications of psychological self-identity, especially concerning group-imposed stereotypes of minorities and women. Questioning how certain people cope with threats to their self-image, Professor Steele's research has recently received national attention. Arguing that derogatory stereotypes of stigmatized minority groups undermine their performance in the academy, his work has led to the development of a controversial, yet ground-breaking, theory of the stereotype of vulnerability. This theory holds that group-imposed stereotypes hinder the intellectual performance and academic identities of women and minorities, both collectively and individually.
A graduate of Hiram College, Professor Steele received his doctorate in psychology from Ohio State A graduate University in 1971. Formerly president of the Western Psychological Association, Claude Steele is currently a Fellow of both the American Psychological Society and the American Psychological Association, and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The recipient of numerous prizes and fellowships, including the 1995 Stanford University Dean's Teaching Award, Professor Steele is chair of the Psychology Department at Stanford University.
The lecture is sponsored by the Arthur Levitt Public Affairs Center and the Department of Psychology. A reception will be held in the Dwight Lounge of the Bristol Campus Center following the event.
Hamilton College is a highly selective residential college offering a rigorous liberal arts curriculum. Students are challenged to think, write and speak critically, creatively and analytically, so that upon graduation they may distinguish themselves in both their professions and their communities.
