Johnson Center Thursday lunch August 24 2017 What is a public intellectual An intellectual who expresses views especially on popular topics accessible to a general audience OED ID: 689876
Download Presentation The PPT/PDF document "How to Be a Public Intellectual" is the property of its rightful owner. Permission is granted to download and print the materials on this web site for personal, non-commercial use only, and to display it on your personal computer provided you do not modify the materials and that you retain all copyright notices contained in the materials. By downloading content from our website, you accept the terms of this agreement.
Slide1
How to Be a Public Intellectual
Johnson Center Thursday lunch
August 24, 2017Slide2
What is a public intellectual?
“An intellectual who expresses
views
(especially on popular topics) accessible
to a general
audience” (
OED
).
“Public
intellectuals communicate their research in ways that are
accessible
to the public and
translatable
to the needs of
communities.”
Public intellectuals “apply
their disciplinary knowledge and expertise to the service of the public good
.”
Source:
“The
Case for Academics as Public
Intellectuals,”
AcademeSlide3
Gramsci: “organic” Intellectual
“Traditional”
intellectuals
replicate elite class structure and hegemony of
academia.
“
Organic” intellectuals
are academics who come from and work on behalf of the
people.
For our purposes: An academic whose intellectual, personal, and political goals are authentically
aligned.
Blurs boundary between the “sacred” ivy tower and the “profane”
general
public.Slide4
Famous Public Intellectuals
Carl Sagan—astrophysicist and PBS celebrity
Stanley
Fish—cultural critic
Michael M.
Crow—higher education advocacy
Susan
Faludi
—feminist author and journalist
Deborah
Tannen
—gender, language, and interpersonal relationships
Ta-
Nehisi
Coates—journalist, author, social justice advocateSlide5
Types of Public
Intellectual
Activities
Presentations to community groups
Writing for a general audience
Activism
Pedagogy and teaching
#
charlestonsyllabus
#
PostTrumpSyllabus
(Jeremy Posadas)Slide6
Reasons for
“public Intellectual” Work
Survey:
To improve public understanding of their areas of expertise.
To enhance the reputation of their institutions.
To enjoy talking with people who have an interest in their work
.
Source: “
Scholar as Public Intellectual
,”
Inside Higher Ed
.
Regaining public trust of institutions and academiaSlide7
Some Questions
What motivates your work as a public intellectual?
How has this work shaped or changed your career?Slide8
Follow Up
Johnson Center lunch with Lynn Womble on writing letters to the editor, opinion articles, and op-eds and interacting with the media.Slide9
Resources
Behm
,
Nicholas, Sherry
Rankins-Robertson, and Duane
Roen
. “
The Case for Academics as Public Intellectuals
.”
Academe
, January-February 2016.
Dicken, Paul. “
You want to write for a popular audience? Really
?”
The Chronicle of Higher Education
, June 9, 2015.
Mark, Jonathan. “
We don’t need no stinking thought leaders
.”
Inside Higher Ed
, July 11, 2017.
Mishra, Pankaj
and
Alice Gregory.
“
Is it still possible to a public intellectual?”
New York Times
, November 24, 2015
.
Tyson, William. “
Scholar as Public Intellectual
.” Inside Higher Ed, January 21, 2011.