Kristine Hansen, professor of English at Brigham Young University, will present the 2005-2006 James L. Barker Lecture in Language and Linguistics titled “What is Writing Worth? A Dollars-and-Sense Analysis” Thursday, Nov. 17, at 11 a.m. in B092 Joseph F. Smith Building.
“I’m going to be looking at the worth of writing in an economic sense as well as in a personal, intellectual and cultural sense,” Hansen said. “In our society today, many people take a purely economic view of education and often shortchange themselves as a result, thinking that they have an education when they’ve acquired a certain number of credit hours.”
After earning a doctorate from the University of Texas, Hansen joined the BYU faculty and directed the English composition program. She served as associate dean of Undergraduate Education, working with faculty to strengthen student writing in all departments. Hansen is a member of the Council of Writing Program Administrators, the National Council of Teachers of English and the Conference on College Composition and Communication. Her publications include articles in various professional journals and chapters in several volumes, as well as three books.
The lectureship is named in honor of James L. Barker, an internationally known scholar in phonetics and former chair of BYU’s Language Department. Barker, who also taught at Weber Academy, the University of Utah and the University of Chicago, studied at the University of Neuchatel, the College de France and the Sorbonne. He was honored for his work in phonetics by a decoration from the French government. His family instituted this lectureship as a way to honor him and his achievements.
For more information about this lecture, please contact Ron Woods at (801) 422-4622.
Writer: Angela Fischer
