William Deresiewicz to Speak at Masters

9/14/2018

The Masters School is delighted to announce that award-winning author, speaker and critic William Deresiewicz will visit the School on October 3 and 4.

Deresiewicz will meet with Upper School students, faculty and parents to discuss the topic of Higher Education: Crisis and Purpose.

In conversations with parents and faculty, Deresiewicz will discuss the ideas he presents in his book Excellent Sheep, The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life, which takes a critical look at liberal arts education, the forces impacting students and institutions, and what is lost when college is understood in exclusively practical terms. With students, he will discuss the content of his article “On Political Correctness,” published in The American Scholar in 2017.

“It is truly an honor and a privilege for our community to have an opportunity to meet and engage with William Deresiewicz. William’s thought-provoking insights on education and leadership will certainly enrich our views on these matters,” said Head of School Laura Danforth.

The sessions with Deresiewicz will include a presentation, followed by an opportunity for the audience to ask questions and engage in dynamic conversations. William Deresiewicz is an award-winning essayist and critic, a frequent speaker at colleges and other venues, and the best-selling author of Excellent Sheep: The Miseducation of the American Elite and the Way to a Meaningful Life.

He taught English at Yale and Columbia before becoming a full-time writer in 2008. Deresiewicz has published over 250 essays and reviews. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Harper's, TheNation, The New Republic, The American Scholar, and many other publications. He has won the Hiett Prize in the Humanities, the Balakian Citation for Excellence in Reviewing, and a Sydney Award; he is also a three-time National Magazine Award nominee. His work has been translated into 17 languages and anthologized in more than 30 college readers. Deresiewicz’ previous book is A Jane Austen Education. He is working on a book about how artists are making a living in the new economy.