UA’s ‘Last Lecture’ Winner to Talk about Apologizing

Dr. Utz McKnight, assistant professor of political science at The University of Alabama, has won the 2009 Last Lecture Series Award from UA’s Graduate School.

McKnight will present his “last lecture,” titled “Why Apologize for What We Do,” at 6:30 p.m. Monday, April 27, in 30 Alston Hall. Students, alumni, faculty, staff and community members are invited to attend the lecture and reception honoring McKnight.

McKnight was born and raised in Berkeley, Calif. He attended Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania and received his doctorate from Lund University in Sweden. While an assistant professor in political science at Lund, McKnight worked on issues of immigration and political theory.

Before coming to Alabama, he was a visiting professor in African American Studies at U.C. Berkeley. He lectures on problems in social theory and politics. His publications include “Political Liberalism and the Politics of Race” and a forthcoming book titled “Ambiguous Privilege” with Routledge Press.

Students nominate and select the Last Lecture recipient. More than 150 students nominated a professor whom they most would like to hear lecture on the topic, “If this were your last time to address a group of students, what would you say?”

A student selection committee, comprised of graduate and undergraduate student representatives, chose 14 finalists based on nomination letters and the potential appeal to a diverse audience. The committee gathered additional information on each of the finalists. Information included finalist interviews, classroom observations and examination of vitas, home pages and publications.

The political science department is part of UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, the University’s largest division and the largest liberal arts college in the state. Students from the College have won numerous national awards including Rhodes Scholarships, Goldwater Scholarships and memberships on the USA Today Academic All American Teams.