Sherman, Texas – Dr. Angel Parham will present the annual A.J. Carlson Lecture on the Liberal Arts, titled “A Liberal Education for Life, Liberty, and Happiness: Black Intellectuals and Founding Ideals.” The lecture will take place on Wednesday, October 7, in Wright Campus Center, Mabee Hall. A reception will be held at 4:30 p.m. and the lecture will begin at 5:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
Parham is Associate Professor of Sociology and Senior Fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. She received her bachelor’s degree from Yale University and completed her doctoral work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Parham’s research is in the area of historical sociology of race. She is the author of American Routes: Racial Palimpsests and the Transformation of Race (Oxford, 2017) which was co-winner of the Social Science History Association’s Allan Sharlin Memorial book award (2018) and co-winner of the American Sociological Association’s Barrington Moore book award in comparative-historical sociology (2018).
Parham also does research and writing at the intersection of the Black intellectual tradition and the classics. As part of this work, she authored The Black Intellectual Tradition: Reading Freedom in Classical Literature (Classical Academic Press, 2022, co-authored with Anika Prather), and founded Nyansa Classical Community, a nonprofit which creates classical curricula and programming designed to connect with students from diverse backgrounds. Parham has been a member of the School of Social Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, as well as the recipient of a Fulbright grant.
The A.J. Carlson Lecture on the Liberal Arts honors the late Dr. A.J. “Jack” Carlson, who joined the Austin College history faculty in 1962. Carlson arrived at Austin College as a scholar of early modern European history and grew professionally under the influence of President John D. Moseley to become not only the Dean of Humanities but also one of the College’s leading voices in support of liberal arts education. Jack’s courageous defense of liberal arts education never weakened despite the many financial pressures confronting the College; on the contrary, the consistency of his voice remained a major influence at the College throughout his long and productive career.
Austin College, a private national liberal arts college located north of Dallas in Sherman, Texas, has earned a reputation for excellence in academic preparation, pre-professional foundations, committed faculty, and hands-on, adventurous learning opportunities. One of 44 schools profiled in Loren Pope’s influential book Colleges That Change Lives, Austin College boasts a welcoming community that embraces diversity and individuality, with more than 50 percent of students identifying as persons of color. The residential student body of approximately 1,300 students and an expert faculty of more than 100 educators allow an 11:1 student-faculty ratio and personalized attention. Related by covenant to the Presbyterian Church (USA), Austin College cultivates an inclusive atmosphere that supports students’ faith journeys regardless of religious tradition. The College, founded in 1849, is the oldest institution of higher education in Texas operating under original name and charter.
