Jack Levin, professor and director of the Brudnick Center on Conflict and Violence at Northeastern University, lectures on “Turning Killers into Celebrities,” Thursday, April 6, 6:30-8 p.m. in the F.W. Olin Center Auditorium.
“Violence has always been part of the human condition. In our symposium, we have the opportunity to learn from scholars and theater artists regarding their experience in Latin America. We invite everyone to come join the discussion.”
The Irving and Betty Brudnick Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Levin teaches courses in hate and violence. He has authored or co-authored dozens of books, including “Mass Murder: America' s Growing Menace,” “Why We Hate,” “The Functions of Prejudice,” “Hate Crimes Revisited,” “The Will to Kill: Making Sense of Senseless Murder,” “Extreme Killing: Understanding Serial and Mass Murder,” and “The Violence of Hate.”
He's published extensively in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Dallas Morning News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Christian Science Monitor, Chicago Tribune, USA Today and other newspapers.
The Brudnick Center at Northeastern involves faculty from a range of disciplines who are seeking solutions to problems of hostility and hatred based on group differences.
Levin posits that the same Americans who are alarmed by the quantity of violence in popular culture may have overlooked what he sees as an even more insidious trend: the growing presence of rapists, murderers and other violent criminals “in places where we formerly honored our virtuous citizens for their accomplishments.”
In his presentation at Union, he will give numerous visual examples from popular culture in which the nation's worst criminals have achieved the stature of national celebrities. He emphasizes that the message has not been lost on youngsters around the country who are bullied, rejected or ignored by their peers.
In addition to his published works, Levin appears frequently on all television network newscasts and such programs as 48 Hours, 20/20, Dateline NBC, The Today Show, Good Morning America, Oprah, The O'Reilly Factor and Larry King Live.
He has been honored as “Professor of the Year” by the Massachusetts Council for Advancement and Support of Education and has spoken to numerous community, academic and professional groups, including the White House Conference on Hate Crimes, the Department of Justice and the Department of Education.
Earlier in the day a luncheon and panel symposium will be held in Hale House, where scholars from several institutions will discuss violence in Latin America, with a focus on Colombia, Guatemala and Argentina. Panel members include Victoria Sanford, assistant professor of anthropology at Lehman College-CUNY; Jennifer Burrell, assistant professor of anthropology at the University at Albany; and Graciela Monteagudo of the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Both events are part of “Ruminations on Violence” (ANT 229), taught by Derek Pardue, visiting assistant professor of anthropology.
For more, visit www.violencecenter.com.