KINGSTON, R.I. – October 18, 2010 – Leo Chavez, professor of anthropology at the University of California, Irvine and director of the Center for Research on Latinos in a Global Society, will speak at the University of Rhode Island Tuesday, Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. His lecture, “Why Immigration Reform is so Difficult: Latinos as Threat in the Media,” will be delivered in Edwards Auditorium, 64 Upper College Road, Kingston. The talk, free and open to the public, is part of URI’s ongoing Honors Colloquium on race. Those unable to attend the lecture can watch it live online URI Live!

The cultural anthropologist’s research has focused on the migration of Latin American immigrants and how the media frames American understandings of Latino immigration. His most recent book, The Latino Threat: Constructing Immigrants, Citizens, and the Nation, examines the role the media plays in shaping Latinos as a threat to the nation and how such media representations undermine Latinos’ inclusion in American cultural citizenship.

Chosen to speak at the colloquium for his sophisticated analysis of the media’s influence on public opinion, Chavez will specifically address how media representation of Latinos shape many Americans’ stance on the issue of undocumented workers. (Americans who may not have much knowledge or experience of Latinos or the complex history of Latin immigration)

For a complete, up-to-date schedule of the colloquium, visit www.uri.edu/hc. For further information, contact Deborah Gardiner at 401.874.2303 or deg@uri.edu. For information about ways to support the Honors Colloquium, contact Tom Zorabedian at 401.874.2853 or sman@foundation.uri.edu.

Major Sponsors:

Honors program, Office of the Provost, College of Arts and Sciences, Richard and Jean Harrington and the Harrington School of Communication and Media, Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies, College of Engineering, College of the Environment and Life Sciences, College of Human Science and Services, Office of the President.

Sustaining Sponsors:

The Mark and Donna Ross Honors Colloquium Humanities Endowment, the Thomas Silva and Shannon Chandley Honors Colloquium Endowment.

Sponsors:

Division of University Advancement, College of Business Administration, College of Pharmacy, Department of Communication Studies, Center for Students Leadership Development, Office of the Dean of Students, Women’s Studies Program, Athletics, Multicultural Center, Office of the Vice President of Administration and Finance, Office of the Vice President of Student Affairs, University College – Phi Eta Sigma, Department of Kinesiology.