Exeter, NH (December 27, 2006)—Phillips Exeter Academy will host Dr. Theophus “Thee” Smith ’69, an associate professor of religion at Emory University, as the eighth Harkness Fellow to visit the campus in the year-long celebration of the 75th anniversary of Harkness teaching. Dr. Smith will preach on the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Sunday, January 14, at 12 p.m, in Phillips Church. The church is located on the corner of Tan Lane and Front Street. The event is free and open to the public.

The following morning, Dr. Smith will address the student assembly on the meaning and legacy of the life of King. He will also visit with students and faculty in religion, history and English classes. Currently, Smith teaches in both of Emory’s undergraduate and graduate religion departments. He is the author of Conjuring Culture: Biblical Formations of Black America (Oxford, 1994) and co-editor with Mark Wallace of Curing Violence: Essays on Rene Girard, (Polebridge, 1994). His academic and teaching specialties include African American religious studies, and religion and violence.

Dr. Smith is a member of the Colloquium on Violence and Religion, an international scholarly society dedicated to exploring the relationship between religion and violence in the generation and maintenance of culture; and a member of the Law & Human Rights Program, Emory University Law School, and works with the reconciliation project of South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Harkness teaching and learning began 75 years ago with an educational experiment that placed 12 students and one teacher around an oval table, and remains the hallmark of Exeter’s educational philosophy to this day. Philanthropist Edward Harkness, Principal Lewis Perry and a group of senior faculty together transformed almost every aspect of school life and influenced secondary school education throughout the country. The Harkness plan offers a generous opportunity for dialogue and the ability to hear the voice of each student. The Harkness table places students at the center of the learning process and encourages them to learn from one another.

For the rest of the school year, lectures, exhibitions and visits from a distinguished group of Harkness Fellows will be a part of the celebration for this historic Harkness milestone. Many of the featured guests are alumni/ae, who will each spend several days on campus attending classes, meeting with students and faculty, and giving talks.

For more information, please call Rick Schubart at (603) 777-3589. For directions to Phillips Exeter Academy, call (603) 777-4330. For more information on other events, contact the Phillips Exeter Academy public events line at (603) 777-4309, or visit the Academy website at www.exeter.edu.

Phillips Exeter Academy is a coeducational, independent preparatory school that was founded in 1781 and originated the system of instruction known as Harkness teaching in 1931. In the spirit of its charter to foster both goodness and knowledge, students come from a wide variety of geographic, economic, racial and religious backgrounds. The diverse student body comes from approximately 45 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and 26 foreign countries.



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To learn more about upcoming events at Exeter, please check the News & Events section of the website. Or, for a recorded voice line listing upcoming events, dial: (603) 777-4309.