Notre Dame’s David E. Campbell delivers Hesburgh lecture April 18

Notre Dame Professor of American Democracy and Chair of the Department of Political Science David E. Campbell will speak on the campus of Furman University Tuesday, April 18 at 7 p.m. in Daniel Memorial Chapel. A reception with Campbell follows in the Bryan Garden Room of the Chapel.

His talk, “Does Religion Do More to Divide or Unite Americans?” is free and open to the public, and is this year’s Hesburgh Lecture presented by the Furman Office of the Chaplains in partnership with the Notre Dame Club of the Western Carolinas, and Furman University’s Catholic Campus Ministry. The event is also part of Furman’s Cultural Life Program.

Campbell has written extensively on religion and civic engagement in America. Co-authored by Campbell and Robert Putnam, the book American Grace: How Religion Divides and Unites Us (2010), has been described by The New York Times as intellectually powerful, by America as an instant classic, and by the San Francisco Chronicle as the most successfully argued sociological study of American religion in more than half a century. The book also received both the 2011 Woodrow Wilson Award from the American Political Science Association for the best book on government, politics, or international affairs, and the Wilbur Award from the Religious Communicators Council for the best nonfiction book of 2010.

His other books include Seeking the Promised Land: Mormons and American Politics (with John Green and Quin Monson), and Why We Vote: How Schools and Communities Shape our Civic Life.

Campbell is editor of A Matter of Faith: Religion in the 2004 Presidential Election, and a co-editor of Making Civics Count: Citizenship Education for a New Generation. As an expert on religion, politics, and civic engagement, he has often been featured in the national media, including The New York Times, The Economist, USA Today, Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Time, NBC News, CNN, NPR, Fox News and C-SPAN.

Notre Dame’s Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy, Campbell holds a Ph.D. and a master’s in political science from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s in political science from Brigham Young University.

Established in 1986, the Hesburgh Lecture Series aims to encourage intellectual dialogue between alumni, community members, and the distinguished faculty of Furman’s sister university, Notre Dame. Each year, Notre Dame faculty members deliver more than 200 presentations around the world. The series is named for Rev. Theodore Hesburgh, C.S.C., President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame.

For more information, contact Susan Bennett, Furman University Office of the Chaplains, at 864-294-2133 or susan.bennett@furman.edu. Or contact the News and Media Relations office at 864-294-3107.