Shawnee State University welcomes Jeffrey Reaser, PhD, as part of the Distinguished Lecture Series

Shawnee State University will welcome Jeffrey Reaser, PhD, Author and Professor of Linguistics at North Carolina State University as part of the 2021-2022 Jane M.G. Foster Distinguished Lecture series starting at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 29 in the Flohr Lecture Hall of the Clark Memorial Library.

Dr. Reaser’s lecture “Appalachian Dialects at School: Deficit? Difference? Asset?” will focus on language and standard and non-standard dialects. The lecture will dive in to widespread beliefs that persist about the academic abilities of people who speak what are often called “non-mainstream dialects,” including Appalachian English. The talk will include discussing research of how those beliefs impact education and social contexts, as well as how linguists have worked to integrate scientific information about language into teacher education programs, professional development, and in classroom interventions. This talk will examine some of the historical and current initiatives aimed at bringing linguistic information and educational interventions into Appalachian contexts.

Dr. Reaser is a professor of English linguistics at North Carolina State University, where he directs the English teacher education and linguistics programs, and co-directs the Language and Life Project. He has written four books including Dialects at School and Critical Language Pedagogy, and more than twenty research articles. He has been recognized for his outstanding research, teaching, advising, and mentoring, including the 2014 North Carolina Book Award, NC State’s Lifetime Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award, and the 2020 National Council of Teachers of English Award for outstanding research. He has also worked on numerous documentary projects, including the Emmy-winning program, Talking Black in America.

The Jane M.G. Foster Distinguished Lecture Series brings world-renowned authors, leaders, and experts in a variety of academic fields to campus each year. This series is made possible through a fund established by Jane M.G. Foster in the SSU Development Foundation. The community is invited to attend this lecture, which is free of charge. To learn more about upcoming lectures at Shawnee State University, visit shawnee.edu/lecture-series.