ATLANTA – Clark Atlanta University (CAU) will kick off a yearlong study of the major works of scholar and writer, Dr. W.E.B. Du Bois, on Jan. 20.

A discussion will be held at noon with a panel that will include the great-grandson of Du Bois, Arthur McFarlane.

The panel discussion will be held at noon in the Thomas W. Cole Research Center for Science and Technology on campus, 223 James P. Brawley Drive, S.W.

“As a faculty member at Atlanta University for 23 years, Dr. Du Bois has left such an embossed footprint on our grounds in support of black higher education and social commentary,” CAU President Carlton E. Brown said. “We are pleased to host such an in-depth examination of his works, which are making a mark on today’s generation and generations to come.”

CAU’s yearlong program will engage scholars, journalists and leaders in religion, politics and business and is free and open to the public. It will be held in preparation for the 2013 “On the Wings of Atlanta” Commemorative Conference, celebrating Du Bois’ legacy and the 50th anniversary of his death.

Du Bois wrote his most influential works in the years he spent at Atlanta University. He impacted history, sociology, social work as a novelist, poet, autobiographer and short story writer.

“By reading Du Bois, we can begin to understand the origins of the issues of race, culture and politics and their correlations to current social ills,” said Dr. Stephanie Y. Evans, chair of the Department of History at CAU and the conference convener. “For CAU, as a research institution, and for the community at large, this review is socially and historically critical.”

The January event will explore the “Soul of DuBois: A CAU Perspective” and examine his works, “The Souls of Black Folk” (1903), and “The Gift of Black Folk” (1924). The panelists are:

CAU President Carlton E. Brown

CAU Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Joseph H. Silver Sr.

Dean of the School of Arts and Sciences Shirley Williams-Kirksey

Student representatives Jaime Carter and Candy Tate

Special guest Arthur McFarlane, the great-grandson of W.E.B. Du Bois

The yearlong study is sponsored by the Department of History, the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost and the School of Arts and Sciences.

For a complete schedule of the monthly seminars and information about the Commemorative Conference, visit www.cau.edu or call 404-880-8239.