In cooperation with the Cazenovia Public Library and The Manlius Library, Cazenovia College is pleased to announce the fourteenth season of its Faculty Library Lecture Series: “Great Minds / Great Ideas.”The 2017-2018 series features noted faculty members from Cazenovia College whose topics cover the breadth and depth of the liberal arts—from the photography of the world’s animal species to the psychology of insights to the impact of The McGuffey Reader on American education.
Dr. Tiffany Coyle’s lecture examines the work of William Holmes McGuffey who is known for his elementary school reading books titled The McGuffey Reader. These readers, which sold more than 122 million copies between 1836 and 1925, taught more Americans how to read than any other textbook. This lecture will cover how these readers helped standardize American English, and create a curriculum that reflected prevailing American moral and religious values; the current uses of these texts—their modern iterations and influences; and common complaints regarding these texts. William Holmes McGuffey’s success with these readers is made more notable by his lack of formal education before his start as a teacher at the age of 14.
All lectures begin at 7 p.m. with ample time for questions and conversation following each lecture.
The Great Minds/Great Ideas Library Lecture Series is made possible through the generous support of Pat Stacy Healey, class of 1962, and Helen Stacy.