3-17-99

Contacts:
Pat Miller, Lectures, (515) 294-9934
Steve Sullivan, News Service, (515) 294-3720

LITERACY AND CULTURE EXPERT TO SPEAK AT ISU

AMES, Iowa -- A scientist who has linked the rise of a patriarchal society to the development of literacy will speak at Iowa State University on Tuesday, March 30.

Leonard Shlain, chief of laproscopic surgery at California Pacific Medical Center and associate professor of surgery at the University of California-San Francisco Medical School, will speak at 8 p.m. the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. His talk is free and open to the public.

Shlain is the author of "The Alphabet versus the Goddess: The Conflict Between Word and Image." The book argues that when a culture develops literacy, it shifts away from the significance of images. This diminishes the power of women and feminine values, giving rise to a patriarchal society. However, the rise of computer technology has reinvigorated the power of the image, which may lead to a more egalitarian culture, argues Shlain.

In addition to his public lecture, Shlain will discuss "The Relationship of Art and Science" at 1 p.m. in room 411 of the Design Building and his writing career at 3:30 p.m. in room 203 of Ross Hall. Both events are open to the public.

Shlain's lecture is the first Benson Memorial Lecture at ISU. The lecture series was created in honor of Donald R. Benson, a member of the ISU English at faculty from 1958 until his retirement in 1993. In both his scholarship and teaching, Benson investigated the parallel relationships among science, literature, and the visual arts.

For more information, contact the ISU Lectures program, (515) 294- 9934.

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Revised 03/17/99