OSU American Studies program to host lecture about Dillinger

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

American studies expert Elliott Gorn will discuss the “The Wild Ride of John Dillinger” on Oct. 6 at Oklahoma State University. The lecture is from 5 to 6:30 p.m. in Room 35 of Murray Hall and is free and open to the public.

“Dr. Gorn is one of the nation’s preeminent American studies scholars. His fascinating body of work encompasses everything from backcountry fighting in the South to radical organizer Mother Jones to the gangster John Dillinger,” said professor Laura Belmonte, American studies program director. “His interactions with our students and his public lecture promise to be intellectually stimulating and highly entertaining.”

The lecture will provide details of the 1933-1934 bank robberies and shootouts leading up to Dillinger’s death in 1934.

Gorn, a history professor at Brown University, specializes in the social and cultural history of the United States during the 19th and 20th centuries. Working-class life, masculinity and the history of violence are themes in his research.

To learn more, visit http://amst.okstate.edu or phone (918) 906-2134. The OSU American Studies Program is offered by the OSU College of Arts and Sciences.