Professor Amy Farrell’s New Role

Meet the new executive director of the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues

by Christine M. Dugan

Amy Farrell, professor of American studies and women's & gender studies, has been named as the next executive director of the Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues. Currently on sabbatical, Farrell will assume her new role on July 1.

“I am tremendously excited to be taking on the role of executive director of the Clarke Forum. It is such an important part of Dickinson, a center that demonstrates the vitality and importance of the liberal arts in our contemporary world,” said Farrell. “I’m very lucky that the current director, Professor [of Political Science] Harry Pohlman, has been such a good steward of the Clarke Forum for the last several years, and I am really looking forward to working with the great team of Jolie Rankin and Kim Flinchbaugh, and students, to bring engaging, interdisciplinary programming to our college and community.  

Farrell joined the college in 1991. She holds the John J. Curley '60 and Ann Conser Curley '63 Faculty Chair in the Liberal Arts and is the author of two books: Fat Shame: Stigma and the Fat Body in American Culture and Yours in Sisterhood: Ms. Magazine and the Promise of Popular Feminism. Farrell’s research focuses on the history of second-wave feminism, representations of gender and feminism in popular culture, and the history and representation of the body and fatness. Her scholarship has received national media attention, including interviews with The New Yorker, Psychology Today, NPR, CNN and two appearances on The Colbert Report. Farrell also made the leap to the big screen, helping to bring “The Tale of Timmy Two Chins,” a Showtime Showcase short film, to fruition.

Founded in 1994, the Clarke Forum connects Dickinson students, faculty and staff and members of the broader community with scholars, practicing professionals and activists through the use of lectures, seminars and conferences. By encouraging engagement, dialogue and critical reflection, the Clarke Forum helps prepare students to become knowledgeable, productive and intellectually active citizens and leaders. With programs that are free and open to the public, the Clarke Forum is a vital part of the community, continually enhancing public awareness and understanding of critical contemporary issues. The Clarke Forum is named for Dickinson Trustee Emeritus Henry D. Clarke Jr., founder and chief benefactor.

Learn More

• Clarke Forum for Contemporary Issues
• Department of American Studies
• Department of Women's & Gender Studies
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Published December 5, 2014