Professor Leads Scholarly Discussion at the Huntington

February 15, 2016 | Written By APU Life

Mark Eaton, PhD, professor in the Department of English and director of the Center for Research on Ethics and Values, taught a course at the Huntington from October 7-November 11, 2015. Titled Frontiers of American Fiction: Rediscovering 19^th century American Novels, Eaton led participants in discussions of selected readings that represent a global perspective on the American frontier, touching on important historical events such as the revolution in Santo Domingo (now Haiti), the California Gold Rush, the Civil War, and the slave trade.

The course served as part of the Huntington U continuing education series held at the historic venue, which includes the Huntington Library, art collections, and botanical gardens. Each fall, the Huntington invites university faculty to present college-level seminars once a week for six weeks to adult learners. For the 2015 session, the Huntington’s public programs manager, Jennifer Phillips, recruited Eaton based on his reputation as an expert in literature and engaging teaching style. The Huntington touts the courses, limited to 15 participants, as lively discussions with no papers to write and no final exam. Last fall, Eaton joined Nathan Perl-Rosenthal, PhD, assistant professor of history and spatial sciences at the University of Southern California, who taught about the American Maritime World; and Heidi Brayman Hackel, PhD, associate professor of English at the University of California, Riverside, who presented Terminal Shakespeare.