1. How to Be a Public Intellectual
Johnson Center Thursday lunch
August 24, 2017

2. What is a public intellectual?
“An intellectual who expresses views (especially on popular topics) accessible to a general audience” (OED).
“Public intellectuals communicate their research in ways that are accessible to the public and translatable to the needs of communities.”
Public intellectuals “apply their disciplinary knowledge and expertise to the service of the public good.”
Source: “The Case for Academics as Public Intellectuals,” Academe

3. Gramsci: “organic” Intellectual
“Traditional” intellectuals replicate elite class structure and hegemony of academia.
“Organic” intellectuals are academics who come from and work on behalf of the people.
For our purposes: An academic whose intellectual, personal, and political goals are authentically aligned.
Blurs boundary between the “sacred” ivy tower and the “profane” general public.

4. Famous Public Intellectuals
Carl Sagan—astrophysicist and PBS celebrity
Stanley Fish—cultural critic
Michael M. Crow—higher education advocacy
Susan Faludi—feminist author and journalist
Deborah Tannen—gender, language, and interpersonal relationships
Ta-Nehisi Coates—journalist, author, social justice advocate

5. Types of Public Intellectual Activities
Presentations to community groups
Writing for a general audience
Activism
Pedagogy and teaching
#charlestonsyllabus
#PostTrumpSyllabus (Jeremy Posadas)

6. Reasons for “public Intellectual” Work
Survey:
To improve public understanding of their areas of expertise.
To enhance the reputation of their institutions.
To enjoy talking with people who have an interest in their work.
Source: “Scholar as Public Intellectual,” Inside Higher Ed.
Regaining public trust of institutions and academia

7. Some Questions What motivates your work as a public intellectual?
How has this work shaped or changed your career?

8. Follow Up
Johnson Center lunch with Lynn Womble on writing letters to the editor, opinion articles, and op-eds and interacting with the media.

9. Resources
Behm, Nicholas, Sherry Rankins-Robertson, and Duane Roen. “The Case for Academics as Public Intellectuals.” Academe, January-February 2016.
Dicken, Paul. “You want to write for a popular audience? Really?” The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 9, 2015.
Mark, Jonathan. “We don’t need no stinking thought leaders.” Inside Higher Ed, July 11, 2017.
Mishra, Pankaj and Alice Gregory. “Is it still possible to a public intellectual?” New York Times, November 24, 2015.
Tyson, William. “Scholar as Public Intellectual.” Inside Higher Ed, January 21,