Posted on Friday, March 4, 2005
Dr. Phyllis Kitzerow, professor of sociology, and Dr. Shannon Smithey, assistant professor of sociology, will present What "What They Say About Us' Says About Them at Westminster College Faculty Forum Wednesday, March 16, at 11:45 a.m. in the Sebastian Mueller Theater located in the McKelvey Campus Center.
"The writers of obituaries declare their values by what they say about those they choose to commemorate," Kitzerow said. "Obituaries from the 1950s to the 1990s in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tell us what was valued in each of those decade years. We find clues in the categories mentioned, the order in which they're given, and the extent or length of what is included. Markers of status and the inclusion or non-inclusion of women and the working class can be seen as indicators of what is valued at each point."
Faculty forum, established in 1990, serves as a venue for the exchange of ideas and information among Westminster College faculty. Speakers present their research, teaching ideas, lectures, performances, special programs, and uses of technology to keep faculty informed about the work of colleagues from many disciplines.
Kitzerow, who has been with Westminster College since 1978, earned her undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin and her master's and Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh.
Smithey, who has been with Westminster College since 2003, is an assistant professor of sociology. She earned her undergraduate degree from Southern Methodist University and her master's and Ph.D. from Ohio State University.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Kitzerow at (724) 946-7252 or e-mail kitzerpg@westminster.edu.
