Dr. Ralph Young, author and professor, to offer Honors Lecture of the Year Oct. 12

October 4, 2010 -- Professor and author Dr. Ralph Young will present the third annual Honors Lecture of the Year, and the fifth event of Arkansas State University’s 2010-2011 Lecture-Concert Series, on Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 7 p.m. in ASU’s Reng Student Services Center/Student Union Auditorium, 101 N. Caraway Road, Jonesboro. The Honors Lecture of the Year is sponsored by the Honors College at ASU.

Dr. Ralph Young is associate professor of History at Temple University in Philadelphia, Penn. He is the author of “Dissent in America: The Voices That Shaped a Nation” and the founder of weekly campus-wide Dissent in America teach-ins at Temple. Dr. Young’s writings have appeared in such publications as USA Today Magazine and the History News Network, and he has been quoted countless times by news organizations including the Philadelphia Inquirer and WHYY/National Public Radio.

Dr. Young’s teach-ins are designed to stimulate debate on different points of view. “The ultimate goal of the teach-ins is that we deepen our understanding of the historical background of recent events and that we achieve a balanced view of conflicting viewpoints,” says Young. “It is only from such intellectual strivings that we can have informed opinions.”

This creativity earned Young a 2009 Provost’s Award for Innovative Teaching in General Education at Temple, and Young developed the “Dissent in America” course, which examines dissent as a central theme of American history. He compiled songs, speeches, articles, testimonies, letters, and more from dissenters to create “Dissent in America” as the textbook for his course. Dissent and protest have been at the heart of the American story from the first days of settlement to the present day.

“Dissent in America” traces the theme of dissent as it weaves its way through the fabric of American history. Dr. Young’s collection of primary historical documents (songs, speeches, articles, testimonies, letters, and more) interspersed with his own explanatory essays, is arranged chronologically in ten parts, from Pre-Revolutionary Roots (1607-1760) through Contemporary Dissent (1975-present). Noteworthy dissenters like Samuel Adams, Frederick Douglas, Susan B. Anthony, and Bob Dylan keep company with lesser-known dissenters like Cherokee Chief John Ross and Sarah Grimké. Each document is introduced by placing it in its historical context, and thought-provoking questions are provided to help students focus as they read the text.

Visit ASU’s online Lecture-Concert Series Schedule online. All Lecture-Concert Series events are free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr.Tim Crist, chair, Lecture-Concert committee and professor of music, (870) 972-2094, or Rebecca Oliver, director, the Honors College, at (870) 972-2308.
 
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