Whittier College News Release

Whittier College
Office of Public Relations
13406 Philadelphia St.
P.O. Box 634
Whittier, CA 90608-0634

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: 562.907.4974 or mediarelations@whittier.edu

FEINBERG LECTURER GREENSPOON INVESTIGATES TIES BETWEEN

“RELIGION AND POPULAR CULTURE”

WHITTIER, CA (February 8, 2005)—Leonard Greenspoon, Klutznick Professor of Jewish Civilization at Creighton University and selected as this year’s Feinberg Lecturer at Whittier College, will discuss “Religion and Popular Culture” on Tuesday, February 15, at 8:00p.m. in the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts, located on the Whittier College campus. This event is free and open to the public; for more information or for directions, please call the Shannon Center Box Office at 562.907.4203.

Internationally recognized as an expert on the history of Jewish Bible translations, Leonard Greenspoon holds the Philip M. and Ethel Klutznick Chair in Jewish Civilization and is a professor of classical and Near Eastern studies and of theology for Creighton University in Nebraska. A popular speaker to both general and academic audiences, Greenspoon has made presentations at conferences and events throughout the United States as well as in Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain, Romania, the Czech Republic, Norway, Finland, and Israel. A prolific writer who can also read a dozen languages, he has been involved as editor or consultant in two Bible translation projects, edited or authored a dozen books, written more than a hundred articles and book chapters, and penned almost 500 book reviews primarily covering various translations of the Bible.

While translation has been a prime focus of Greenspoon's scholarly work, he has a wide array of other interests including exploring the ties between religion and popular culture. He has published articles on the Bible in comic strips and the often-humorous use of the Bible in the daily press, and his presentation on the topic similarly examines comic strips, newspaper stories, and columns to help the layman connect modern life to the Bible and ancient cultures.

Greenspoon earned his Ph.D. in Near Eastern languages and civilizations from Harvard University and a master’s and bachelor’s in classical studies from the University of Richmond. He has received numerous awards and grants for study throughout his professional career, including a 1967 Fulbright Fellowship to pursue classical studies at the University of Rome.

Established by former Whittier College Trustee Sheldon Feinberg and his wife, Betty, the Feinberg Lecture Series was created to invite major scholars to the college to discuss the broad historic, religious and political issues encompassed by Judaism and its role in a changing world.

Previous Feinberg Lecturers include radio talk show host and author Dennis Prager; John Loftus, prosecutor of Nazi criminals; Seymour Martin Lipset, Hazel Professor of Public Policy at the Institute of Public Policy at George Mason University; David Myers, professor of history at UCLA; KGO talk show host John Rothmann, Whittier College; William Helmreich, professor of sociology and Judaic studies at City University Graduate Center and City College of New York; and Rodger Kamenetz, author of the national bestseller The Jew in the Lotus.

Founded by Quakers in 1887, Whittier College is an independent, four-year college offering a traditional liberal arts program integrated with both professional and pre-professional courses of study. With an emphasis on diversity, community, and curricular innovation, the College’s primary mission is to endow students with the education, skills, and values appropriate for global leadership and service.

Whittier Law School, which is accredited by the American Bar Association and is a member of the Association of American Law Schools, is located on a separate campus in Orange County.