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Tegtmeyer Pak to deliver spring Mellby Lecture

By Kari VanDerVeen
February 28, 2011

Associate Professor of Political Science and Asian Studies Katherine Tegtmeyer Pak will deliver the spring Mellby Lecture, “Making Citizens: Lessons from Japan,” Thursday. The lecture will be streamed live and archived online.

An active scholar, Tegtmeyer Pak earned a Fulbright award that enabled her to spend the 2009–10 academic year in Japan studying how higher education there shapes civil society. She examined the extent to which Japanese universities help create engaged citizens — people who volunteer, vote, and cooperate with others to voice their political and social concerns. Her research expanded upon work she's done at St. Olaf incorporating civic engagement into her teaching.

Tegtmeyer Pak’s sabbatical research is part of the broader work she’s done examining local citizenship in Japan. Her previous research has shed light on the little-known immigrant population in Japan. Although these immigrants are generally denied citizenship, Tegtmeyer Pak's research demonstrates that they are increasingly becoming accepted members of local communities.

The annual Mellby lectures are named in remembrance of St. Olaf faculty member Carl A. Mellby and were established in 1983 to give professors the opportunity to share their research with the public.

Contact Kari VanDerVeen at 507-786-3970 or vanderve@stolaf.edu.