Wayne Fields to deliver Assembly Series talk on rhetoric

April 4, 2006 -- Distinguished professor and writer Wayne Fields will present the Interdisciplinary Project in the Humanities/Phi Beta Kappa/Sigma Xi Lecture for the Assembly Series at 11 a.m. April 12 in Graham Chapel. The talk, on "Love and Seduction: Our Anxiety About Rhetoric," is free and open to the public.

Wayne Fields

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Fields, Ph.D., is the Lynne Cooper Harvey Distinguished Professor of English and director of the American Culture Studies Program, both in Arts & Sciences. His areas of scholarly focus include American literature, non-fiction prose, rhetoric, and American political argument.

During times of national political debate, he is frequently called on by the national media to provide expert commentary regarding the use of rhetoric as a political or social tool. One of his books, Union of Words: A History of Presidential Eloquence (1996) examines the use of rhetoric in presidential speeches, from declarations of candidacy to nomination acceptances, inaugural addresses, state-of-the-union speeches, declarations of war, executive farewells and other special addresses.

Fields' books include James Fenimore Cooper: A Collection of Critical Essays (1979); What the River Knows: An Angler in Midstream (1990), a highly acclaimed memoir; and The Past Leads a Life of Its Own (1992), a collection of stories that capture a simpler life of growing up in the American heartland.

Fields joined Washington University's department of English in 1968. Throughout his career, he has served the University in a number of administrative ways, most notably as chair of the Department of English. He also has served as University College's dean and as director of its Master of Liberal Arts Program. In 1996, he helped establish the American Culture Studies Program and became its first director.

A popular teacher, Fields has received numerous teaching accolades, including the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and the Interfraternity Council's Excellence in Teaching Award. In addition, he has been awarded fellowships from the Woodrow Wilson Institute, the Ford Foundation, and the National Humanities Institute.

He has served as a commentator for National Public Radio, Radio Free Europe and various television and radio network programs; for five years wrote a regular column, "Close to Home," for St. Louis Magazine.

He received a bachelor's degree in English and philosophy from Augustana College, and master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Chicago.

Graham Chapel is located north of Mallinckrodt Center on the Washington University Hilltop campus. For more information, call 314-935-4620 or visit the Assembly Series Web page (http://assemblyseries.wustl.edu).