Hutton Honors College
— Overexposure? The Ethics of Biography and Autobiography
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Overexposure? The Ethics of Biography and Autobiography—Discussion breakfast with John Barbour, the Marty Chair in Religion and the Academy at St. Olaf College.
This is a small-group program and requires participants to sign up in advance. Participants must be IU undergraduates and must sign up using the established procedures. For complete sign-up procedures, click here.We seem to be living in "a pervasive culture of confession" sustained by the Internet, talk shows, and the biographies and autobiographies appearing in bookstores and movie theaters. No detail is too intimate to tell, no tragedy too personal, no flaw too embarrassing. What harm can so much exposure do? What benefits can it bring? What are the ethics of such story telling, whether about oneself or others? The responsibilities to family members and friends? John Barbour received his doctorate in religion and literature from the University of Chicago and has published extensively on religion, literature, and ethics. He teaches courses on Religious Autobiographies by Multicultural Americans, God and Faith in Autobiography, and Religion in Literature. His books include The Conscience of the Autobiographer: Ethical and Religious Dimensions of Autobiography; and Tragedy as a Critique of Virtue: The Novel and Ethical Reflection. The breakfast is co-sponsored by the Wells Scholars Program and the Hutton Honors College. Professor Barbour will deliver a Poynter Center Fellows lecture entitled "Biography, Autobiography, and Family Dynamics" on Thursday, March 31, at 4 p.m., Main Library 033. The lecture is free and open to the public.
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