THE COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
RURIC AND MARY ROARK DISTINGUISHED LECTURE
("THE ROARK LECTURE")
The Roark Lecture is an annual recognition and presentation that showcases excellence in scholarship by a faculty member in the College of Arts & Sciences at Eastern Kentucky University. As such, the Lecture offers both support and reward for distinguished work.
The Roark Lecture, established through the generosity of an anonymous donor, honors a significant contribution, whether in the scholarship of discovery (including creative works), integration, application, or teaching. In addition, The Lecture provides an opportunity each spring for a faculty member to present that scholarship to the University community in a self-selected format.
The award consists of $1000 to support both the presentation and continued scholarly/creative endeavor by the recipient. No portion of the award may be applied to salary.
The Roark Lecture is named after the University's first president (1906-1909) and his wife, who later served as Acting President (1909-1910).
Congratulations to the 2009 recipient of the Roark Lecture Series,
Dr. Todd Hartch,
Department of History
The Lecture, entitled:
will be presented on:
Walnut Hall, Keen Johnson Building
Lecture begins at 7:15 p.m. followed by a question and answer session
Abstract
Ivan Illich (1926-2002) argued that modern Western institutions are deadly. He believed that the modern West faces an almost irresistible temptation to create institutions whenever it faces important moral issues. These institutions inevitably degenerate into bureaucratic monstrosities that eventually work against their original goals. Although Illich initially attacked the institutionalization of the Catholic Church, in the 1960s he broadened his critique to include public education, modern medicine, urban transportation, and economic development. He recognized, for instance, the humanitarian impulse behind public education but concluded that the result was a new sort of ignorance: “The pupil is ‘schooled’ to confuse teaching with learning, grade advancement with education, a diploma with competence, and fluency with the ability to say something new.” Similarly, he believed that the “radical monopoly” of the automobile in the field of transportation ultimately led to gridlock and despair rather than to quicker travel. This lecture will examine the development and impact of Illich’s anti-institutional philosophy during his years in New York City (1951-55), Puerto Rico (1956-59), and Mexico (1960-76).
