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Expert on masculinity and gender issues to give free lectures at Carleton and St. Olaf colleges

By Valerie Veo
April 12, 2002

NORTHFIELD, MINN. - Michael Kimmel, an internationally acclaimed speaker on men and gender issues, will give two lectures in Northfield next week, focusing on how men's and women's lives have changed during the past 30 years.

On Monday at 7:30 p.m., Kimmel will speak on "Women and Men in a New Millennium" at Carleton College in Severance Great Hall. On Tuesday at 7 p.m. he will speak on "Masculinity in America" at St. Olaf College in room 501 of Holland Hall.

Both lectures, which are free and open to the public, will focus on work, intimacy, family and friendship in the lives of men and women today.

A well-known educator and social commentator, Kimmel teaches sociology at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He instructs campus groups about date rape and acquaintance rape, sexual assault, pornography and the changing relationships between women and men. He also runs workshops on campuses and in workplaces about preventing sexual harassment and implementing gender equity.

Kimmel's innovative course "The Sociology of Masculinity" examines men's lives from a pro-feminist perspective. His approach of promoting men's issues while also supporting the rights of women has inspired articles in the Wall Street Journal, the Boston Globe, Newsweek and People, as well as appearances on numerous television shows, from Donahue to Crossfire.

His own writings have appeared in numerous magazines, newspapers and scholarly journals, including the New York Times Book Review, the Harvard Business Review, The Nation and Psychology Today, where Kimmel was a columnist on male-female relationships.

Kimmel's books include Changing Men: New Directions in Research on Men and Masculinity (Sage, 1987), Men Confront Pornography (Crown, 1990) and, most recently, Manhood in America: A Cultural History (Free Press, 1996). He also chairs the national spokesperson committee for the National Organization for Men Against Sexism (NOMAS).

Eleven campus groups are sponsoring Kimmel's visit to St. Olaf, including the Office of Community Life and Diversity and the Women's Studies department. His visit to Carleton is being sponsored by the college's Gender and Sexuality Center.

Contact David Gonnerman at 507-786-3315 or gonnermd@stolaf.edu.