As described in the course catalog, in this Helene Shapiro Memorial Lecture, Mary Catherine Bateson, Professor of Anthropology, Amherst College speaks on the following topic:

The classic myths warn us that there are unforeseen consequences when wishes are granted. To what extent does the well-being of human society depend on scarcity and limitation? What are the social and psychological dangers inherent in a world in which technology more and more makes our wishes come true?" Helene Shapiro was a Human Relations Center graduate who established this lecture series "in the belief that learning may improve our understanding of one another.