Humanities Program Spotlight:

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Addresses Religion and Ohio's Gubernatorial Election

A standing-room-only audience gathered in October to hear Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Frances Fitzgerald speak on the effect of religious orientation on Ohio's gubernatorial race, in particular the impact of the Christian right. The lecture, "The Christian Right and the Ohio Gubernatorial Election," was sponsored by the College's Program in the Study of Religions and Department of Comparative Studies. Tanya Erzen, assistant professor of comparative studies, coordinated the event.

Long viewed as a key swing state, Ohio's gubernatorial election this month will determine whether the religious right will take command of the Ohio Republican Party, and, ultimately, make a difference in the outcome of the next Presidential election. Fitzgerald is probably best known to Ohioans as the author of the recent New Yorker piece, "Holy Toledo" which examined the relationship between Christian conservative J. Kenneth Blackwell, Ohio's secretary of state and the Republican nominee for governor, televangelist Rod Parsley, and the effect of religious affiliation on voter choices. Professor Sarah Iles Johnston, director of the new Program for the Study of Religions, said, "I am very pleased that such an outstanding observer and critic of contemporary religion, politics, and society agreed to speak to us. Fitzgerald's lecture serves as a stimulating launching point for our new program, which aims to generate informed and reflective discourse on religion, both inside and outside of the university."

Fitzgerald is the author of many books including: Fire in the Lake: the Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam; Cities on a Hill: A Journey Through Contemporary American Cultures; and Way Out There in the Blue: Reagan, Star Wars and the End of the Cold War. In addition to the Pulitzer Prize, she has received the National Book Award, the Bancroft Prize for History, and the National Academy of Arts and Sciences Award for her writing. In addition to The New Yorker, she has written for numerous other publications including The New York Review of Books, The New York Times Sunday Magazine, Architectural Digest, Islands, and Rolling Stone.