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Renowned professor, author to give Oct. 4 Whitworth lecture on multicultural education

October 2, 2012

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Geneva Gay, a professor of education at the University of Washington who is internationally known for her scholarship in multiculturalism, will present a lecture, “Choosing Course Content for an Inclusive Mind and Heart Education,” on Oct. 4 at Whitworth University. Gay is the recipient of several scholastic awards, including the first Multicultural Educator Award presented by the National Association of Multicultural Education. Her lecture will take place at Whitworth’s Robinson Teaching Theatre in Weyerhaeuser Hall at 7 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call (509) 777-3203.

At Whitworth, “an institution that is committed to ‘equipping its graduates to honor God, follow Christ, and serve humanity,’ it is imperative for faculty to develop the capacity to deliver the curriculum in a manner that is culturally responsive pedagogically,” says Lawrence Burnley, Whitworth’s assistant vice president of diversity and intercultural relations and an assistant professor of history. “Such competency includes making sure required reading and other course content are inclusive of voices and perspectives that have often been marginalized and/or omitted in curricula at every level of public and private education in the U.S.”

Burnley continues, “Dr. Gay is nationally and internationally known for her scholarship in multicultural education, particularly as it relates to curriculum design; staff development; classroom instruction; and intersections of culture, race, ethnicity, teaching, and learning. We are blessed to have Dr. Gay share her expertise with the Whitworth community and educators from throughout the Spokane region.”

Gay is a professor of education at the University of Washington-Seattle, where she teaches multicultural education and general curriculum theory. In 2004, she received the W.E.B. Du Bois Distinguished Lecturer Award presented by the Special Interest Group on Research Focus on Black Education of the American Educational Research Association.

Gay is the author of numerous articles and book chapters, and she has written two books, Culturally Responsive Teaching: Theory, Research, and Practice (Teachers College Press 2000) and At the Essence of Learning: Multicultural Education (Kappa Delta Pi Publications 1994). International consultations on multicultural education have taken her to Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, Finland, Japan, Scotland and Taiwan.

The Whitworth Speakers & Artists Series presents a broad range of voices, perspectives and ideas that enrich the intellectual and spiritual life of the campus and the larger community. Since 1890, Whitworth has held fast to its founding mission to provide its students with an education of mind and heart. Whitworth faculty and staff are confident that Christian worldviews and Christian thinkers are sharpened by rigorous and open intellectual inquiry and by engagement with the broadest spectrum of ideas. This confidence motivates Whitworth to invite to campus speakers and artists who can help our community engage in critical and careful thinking, as well as in civil discourse and effective action to honor God, follow Christ and serve humanity.

Located in Spokane, Wash., Whitworth is a private liberal arts university affiliated with the Presbyterian Church (USA). The university, which has an enrollment of nearly 3,000 students, offers 60 undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

Contacts: 

Jackye Peacock, program coordinator for academic affairs and sponsored programs, (509) 777-3203 or jpeacock@whitworth.edu.

Andrea Idso, interim public information officer, Whitworth University, (509) 777-4703 or aidso@whitworth.edu.