KNOXVILLE—The Communication Studies Honor Society, Lambda Pi Eta, will bring National Public Radio reporter Frank Browning to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, campus to speak on Tuesday, October 4.
The event, which is free and open to the public, begins at 7:00 p.m. in the Toyota Auditorium at the Howard H. Baker Jr. Center for Public Policy.
During his talk, Temples, Taxes, and Toilets, he will speak on international communication issues relating to understanding religion, fiscal policy, and public health in a transatlantic context.
He was invited to UT by Kenneth Levine, associate professor of communication studies, who has a long-standing working relationship and friendship with Browning.
“Frank Browning is a truly interesting man,” Levine said. “He grew up on an apple farm in Kentucky, so he relates to our Appalachian culture, and he understands how to communicate with people throughout the world.”
Frank Browning is currently based in Paris and reports for NPR. He provides news coverage of France and the European Union, as well as cultural reporting and essays. Throughout his career, Browning has traveled the world working in radio, television, and print journalism.
As an NPR reporter, Browning has covered everything from neo-Nazis in the Midwest to ancient apple forests in Kazakhstan, from the dilemmas facing small tobacco farmers in Kentucky to the cultural contradictions facing African musicians in France.
He also has worked as an independent journalist for publications including The Washington Post, National Geographic, Playboy, Health, California, and Gourmet.
Browning earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from the University of Michigan. He was a Knight Fellow at the University of Michigan in 1985 and 1986. Browning moved to France in 2001, and is the author of seven books, including The American Way of Crime, The Culture of Desire, and Apples: Story of the Fruit of Temptation.
While at UT, Browning will speak to undergraduate classes about intercultural communication issues and will have question-and-answer times with students.
In addition to Lambda Pi Eta, Browning’s visit is sponsored by UT’s Ready for the World Initiative, WUOT, the Baker Center, and the School of Communication Studies.
C O N T A C T :
Stephanie Dixon (865-974-2125, sdixon7@utk.edu)
Amy Blakely (865-974-5034, ablakely@utk.edu)