The Denison University Beck Lecture Series presents historian Thomas Frank to discuss "X-treme Capitalism and the Democracy Bubble." This convocation, set for 8 p.m. on Tuesday (Feb. 17) in Burton Morgan Lecture Hall, is free and open to the public. Frank will lecture on the massive concentration of wealth in the United States and the rise of corporations as powerful social actors during the 1990s, pertaining especially to the stock market and management theory. Following the convocation there will be a book signing and reception in the Welsh Hills Room of Burton Morgan Center.

Thomas Frank

Frank earned a doctorate at the University of Chicago and is the founding editor ofThe Baffler, a journal of cultural studies. He is the author of the national bestsellersThe Conquest of CoolandOne Market Under God, and frequently contributes to numerous publications including Harpers, The Nation and The Washington Post.

"(Frank) is a cultural critic who is deeply skeptical of cultural criticism as it is practiced by universities," says Denison Associate Professor of English Jim Davis. "He brings to the field of cultural studies a healthy mix of history and economics, a deeply ironical, yet optimistic perspective on our nation's decisions to turn all aspects of our culture and government over to for-profit private corporations."

The Beck Lecture Series was endowed in memory of Harriet Ewens Beck to bring outstanding writers to the Denison campus. The series has hosted such writers as Eudora Welty, Alice Walker, Tom Stoppard and W. S. Merwin. Under the sponsorship of the fund, 10 to 12 writers read from their works and participate in master classes each year.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

For press inquiries:

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Barbara Stambaugh

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Director, Media Relations

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stambaughb@denison.edu

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(740) 587-8575