RIPON, Wis. – Dr. Susan Zaeske, associate chair of the Communication Arts department at UW-Madison, will share her thoughts on ethics, oratory and Elizabeth Cady Stanton's "Solitude of Self" at the Feb. 12 Golden Hour, 11:15 a.m. in the Great Hall of Harwood Memorial Union. The presentation is part of the 2008 Ripon Forum on Ethics and Oratory.

Zaeske's scholarship focuses on rhetoric, gender and political culture. Her first book, Signatures of Citizenship: Petitioning, Antislavery, and Women's Political Identity (University of North Carolina Press, 2003) explores how American women who petitioned against slavery not only contributed to the abolitionist movement, but also renegotiated their status as citizens. In her present book project, Encountering Esther: Appropriations of the Jewish Queen, she is collecting and analyzing examples of appropriations of the Old Testament heroine Esther in order to explain why this tale possesses such enduring appeal.

As always, the Golden Hour presentation is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Dr. Jody Roy, royj@ripon.edu.

About Ripon College
Ripon College, founded in 1851, prepares students of diverse interests for lives of productive, socially responsible citizenship. Ripon’s liberal arts curriculum and residential campus create an intimate learning community in which students experience a richly personalized education. Ripon has consistently been recognized as a “best value” and “Best 366 College” by The Princeton Review, a “Best Buy in College Education” by Barron’s, a “Best Liberal-Arts College” by Washington Monthly, and is listed among the 160 best schools in the nation by Colleges of Distinction.

Susan Zaeske