UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – A panel of leading scholars on rhetoric and queer studies will discuss the recently published book “Queering Romantic Engagement in the Postal Age: A Rhetorical Education” by Pamela VanHaitsma, Penn State assistant professor of communication arts and sciences and of women’s, gender and sexuality studies, as well as the interim director of the Center for Humanities and Information and Douglas S. and Joyce L. Sherwin Early Career Professor in the Rock Ethics Institute.

The virtual event, which is free and open to the public, will take place at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 8.

Joining VanHaitsma on the Feb. 8 panel to discuss her book will be Ames Hawkins, professor of English and creative writing at Columbia College Chicago, and Charles Morris III, professor of communication and rhetorical studies at Syracuse University. Michele Kennerly, associate professor of communication arts and sciences and of classics and ancient Mediterranean studies at Penn State, will moderate the panel. Together the panelists will explore themes raised in VanHaitsma’s book, such as how queer rhetorical practices evolved through romantic letters and the relationship between rhetorical training and civic life.

Penn State’s Department of Communication Arts and Sciences; Department of Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies; Rock Ethics Institute; Humanities Institute; and Center for Humanities and Information are sponsoring the event. Everyone is welcome to attend.

To register to watch the event online, please click here. Please contact Rock Ethics Institute assistant director Ben Jones at btj7@psu.edu if you have additional questions about the event.

The Rock Ethics Institute was established in 2001 through a $5 million gift from Doug and Julie Rock. Its mission is to promote engaged ethics research and ethical leadership from its home in Penn State’s College of the Liberal Arts.