Nov. 1, 2005 -- Arkansas State University in Jonesboro will host the 2nd annual Corinne Sternheimer Greenfield Lecture on Tuesday, Nov. 8, at the ASU Museum, 110 Cooley Drive, with Dr. Marcie Cohen Ferris of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Ferris’ talk, “Shalom Y’all: Exploring Jewish Life in the American South,” will be held at 7 p.m.  with a reception and book-signing to follow. 

A native of Blytheville and a third-generation Arkansan, Ferris earned her bachelor’s degree from Brown University, a master’s from the College of William and Mary, and a Ph.D. from George Washington University. 

She has worked more than 20 years in the field of museums and public history, where she focused on public programs, interpretation, and administration. Her experience includes serving sites as diverse as the Plymouth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass., and the Museum of the Southern Jewish Experience in Utica, Miss. 

Dr. Ferris is currently assistant professor of American Studies at the University of North Carolina and is the past associate director of the Carolina Center for Jewish Studies. Her teaching and research primarily revolves around the history of Jewish southerners. At the University of North Carolina, she teaches courses on the Jewish experience in the American South, the history of American Jewish women, and the meaning of food in American culture.

Her book, “Matzoh Ball Gumbo: Culinary Tales of the Jewish South,” is being published this month. She has published articles in numerous journals and anthologies and is currently co-editing “Dixie Diaspora: A New History of Jewish Life in the American South.”

Drs. Rosalee and Raymond Weiss of Teaneck, N.J., established the Corinne Sternheimer Greenfield Lecture in honor of Rosalee Weiss’ mother, who was born in Jonesboro. 

The College of Humanities and Social Sciences is coordinating the event. For more details, please contact Dr. Carol O’Connor, associate dean of the College of the Humanities and Social Sciences and professor of history at 870-972-3973.