The 2021-22 season of the Great Falls Forum is set to continue at noon Thursday, Feb. 17, with a talk by Bates College Professor Stephanie Kelley-Romano.

“Conspiracy Theories: Why, How, and What To Do,” a free, public program, will take place virtually via Zoom and streamed to the Lewiston Public Library Facebook page, according to a news release from the library.

Kelley-Romano will describe what a conspiracy theory is, and draw out the differences between misinformation, disinformation and conspiracy. She also will talk about the psychological and sociological conditions that may promote conspiracy thinking, and will describe the common rhetorical characteristics of conspiracy theories. She will do so with an eye to helping people recognize conspiracy theories, faulty evidence, and errors in reasoning.

Finally, Kelley-Romano will offer several suggestions in terms of how people should try to counter conspiracy theories.

Kelley-Romano is an associate professor in the rhetoric, film and screen studies department at Bates, where she has taught since 1999. She earned her undergraduate and Master of Art degrees at Emerson College in Boston. She earned her doctorate in communication studies at The University of Kansas.

Her research and teaching interests include gender and media, myth and narrative, conspiracy, political rhetoric, and substance (mis)use disorder/addiction. Her scholarship has appeared in such journals as The Journal of Hate Studies, Communication Quarterly, Journalism Studies, and The Journal of UFO Studies. She is often sought after for podcasts on political or paranormal topics, and her public scholarship has appeared in Newsweek.com and The Conversation.

Kelley-Romano received the Kroepsch Teaching Award at Bates College for excellence in teaching in 2019.

The Great Falls Forum speaker series is co-sponsored by Bates College, Lewiston Public Library, and the Sun Journal.

Admission is free to all forum events. The Zoom link will be posted to the library website and Facebook prior to the event.

For more information, contact the library at 207-513-3135 or lplreference@lewistonmaine.gov.

 

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