Centenary Professor of Philosophy Awarded Senior Fellowship

SHREVEPORT, LA — Dr. Kenneth Aizawa has been awarded a senior fellowship in "Philosophy and Developmental Aspects of Social and Cultural Cognition" from Ruhr University of Bochum in Germany. Aizawa's award is one of six fellowships awarded from an international applicant pool. The fellowship carries a stipend of 7,500 euros ($9,750) that will support Dr. Aizawa's research from May 15-July 31, 2012.

Dr. Kenneth Aizawa

During the fellowship, Aizawa will explore the relationship between empathy, mirror neurons, and the role of action in perception. It is hypothesized that humans perceive others by means of empathy, which is a kind of active perception of others. Mirror neurons, originally discovered in monkeys, fire both when a monkey performs an action and when the monkey sees another perform that same action.

His research has received considerable attention around the world. In recent years, he has been invited to give lectures in Germany, Great Britain, Israel, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. In May 2011, he attended a conference at the Institute for Advanced Study at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, and gave a talk for the Philosophy department at the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. His latest book, The Bounds of Cognition, co-authored with Frederick Adams, is being translated into Chinese.

Dr. Aizawa is the Charles T. Beaird Professor of Philosophy. Aizawa's endowed chair was created by local philanthropist, businessman, philosopher Charles T. Beaird in recognition of the importance of philosophy and its centrality to the liberal arts.

The Philosophy Department brings the intellectual skills and rigor of the philosophic tradition to students through its introductory courses, history of philosophy courses, and courses specifically designed to address the philosophical dimensions of art, politics, religion, and science.

About Centenary College of Louisiana

Centenary College is a private, four-year arts and sciences college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Founded in 1825, it is the oldest chartered liberal arts college west of the Mississippi River and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. Centenary is one of 16 colleges and universities constituting the Associated Colleges of the South and has been recognized as "One of the Best 371 Colleges" by the Princeton Review and one of "America's Best Colleges" and one of "America's Best Private Colleges" by Forbes.com. In 2008 Centenary College celebrated 100 years in Shreveport and Bossier City.