Susan J. Douglas is the Catherine Neafie Kellogg Professor of Communication Studies and Department Chair at the University of Michigan, and an In These Times columnist. Her latest book is Enlightened Sexism: The Seductive Message That Feminism's Work is Done (2010).Senior Editor Susan Douglas’ column “Back Talk” appears in each issue of In These Times. She writes frequently on gender issues, media criticism and national politics. Douglas is the Catherine Neafie Kellogg Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Michigan and is also chair of the department. She is author of The Mommy Myth: The Idealization of Motherhood and How it Undermines Women (with Meredith Michaels, The Free Press, 2004); Listening In: Radio and the American Imagination (Times Books, 1999), which won the Hacker Prize in 2000 for the best popular book about technology and culture; Where The Girls Are: Growing Up Female with the Mass Media (Times Books, 1994; Penguin, 1995) and Inventing American Broadcasting, 1899-1922 (Johns Hopkins, 1987).

Where the Girls Are was widely praised, and was chosen as one of the top ten books of 1994 by National Public Radio, Entertainment Weekly and The McLaughlin Group. Douglas lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan with her husband and daughter. She received her B.A. from Elmira College (Phi Beta Kappa) and her M.A. and Ph.D. from Brown University. She has lectured at colleges and universities around the country, and written for The Nation, The Village Voice, Ms., the Washington Post and TV Guide, and was the media critic for The Progressive from 1992-1998.

Douglas has appeared on the “Today Show,” the “Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Working Woman,” CNBC’s “Equal Time,” NPR’s “Fresh Air,” “Weekend Edition,” “The Diane Rehm Show,” “Talk of the Nation,” and various radio talk shows around the country.

Susan was the featured Phi Beta Kappa Speaker at Elmira College in February 2011. She received the Distinguished Achievement Award in 2012 and received an honorary degree in June of 2013.

This event is free and open to the public. Media partners are invited to attend.

About the Presidential Lecture Series

The Presidential Lecture Series focuses on distinguished speakers and topics relevant to the Elmira College mission as well as the global society in the fields of science, health care, religion, education, media, technology, politics, business, culture, and the arts. The series aims to cultivate academic discourse outside of the classroom and foster a sense of community dedicated to academic excellence and social responsibility.

21^st Annual Julia Reinstein Symposium at Elmira College

Elmira College Women’s Gender Studies Club and Women’s and Gender Studies Program hosts the 21st Annual Julia Reinstein Symposium from February 2nd through February 5th. This year’s theme will be “Fostering a Feminist Media Presence”. Events planned around Susan Douglas's visit to Elmira College:

The WECW radio show “Stepping Up to the Mic: A Feminist Power Hour” takes place on Monday, February 2nd from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. The event features Elmira College students will be broadcast on 107.7 FM and be streaming live at www.live365.com/stations/wecw.

A Feminist Media Panel Discussion will take place on Wednesday, February 4th at 10:20 a.m. in Peterson Chapel located in Cowles Hall. Dr. Susan Douglas ’72 will moderate the discussion and Elmira College students will participate.

A film screening of Vessel will be held on Thursday, February 5th at 7:00 p.m. in the Tripp Lecture Hall located in the Gannett-Tripp Library.

All events on campus are free and open to the public. The Presidential Lecture Series is sponsored by the Office of the President at Elmira College. The Julia Reinstein Symposium symposium is sponsored by the Women’s and Gender Studies Club and by the Women’s and Gender Studies Program at Elmira College.