Featuring Jelani Cobb, Ira A. Lipman Professor of Journalism, Columbia Journalism School
Moderated by Amy Hungerford, Executive Vice President for Arts and Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences; Ruth Fulton Benedict Professor of English and Comparative Literature, Columbia University; and Fredrick C. Harris, Professor of Political Science; Dean of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Columbia University
The late legal scholar Derrick Bell is considered to be one of the founding scholars of Critical Race Theory. Columbia University Professor of Journalism Jelani Cobb, a staff writer at The New Yorker magazine, recently published a profile of Professor Bell, examining Professor Bell's work and legacy in the context of heightened public discourse on CRT. Professor Cobb will speak about his own work, writing on race, politics, history, and culture, and he will discuss his approach to conveying academic ideas – like Critical Race Theory – while writing for a public audience.
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About the Columbia Public Writing Series
Distinguished writers discuss the craft and strategy of writing to change minds—and the world.
In each session, renowned writers join academic leaders from across the university in spirited conversation to examine the art of writing for public audiences. From sentence-level analyses of craft, to wider discussions of how a specific piece of writing addresses critical issues of the day, such as incarceration, climate change, and refugee crises, the sessions share tactics and tools to produce compelling and persuasive storytelling. As a result, participants learn to think like professional writers—and to build specific skills necessary for their work to reach national and international audiences.
All members of the Columbia community are welcome; Columbia email required for registration. To benefit most from each event, read the featured article in advance, linked on the website, or available upon request.
This event will be held online. For questions, please contact [email protected].
