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Author and Professor Azar Nafisi to Speak at Ramapo College Opening Convocation

(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)September 7, 2005

(Mahwah) – Professor and author Azar Nafisi, who wrote the national bestseller Reading Lolita in Tehran:  A Memoir in Books, is the guest speaker at Ramapo College’s Opening Convocation on Wednesday, September 21 at 2 p.m.  The Convocation will be held in the Bill Bradley Sports and Recreation Center, located on campus.  The public is invited to attend.  Admission is free, however, reservations are requested.  RSVP via e-mail to scaruso@ramapo.edu.

Reading Lolita in Tehran electrified its readers with a compassionate and often harrowing portrait of the Islamic revolution in Iran and how it affected one university professor and her students.  The book, which spent over 70 weeks on TheNew York Times bestseller list to date, is an insightful exploration of the persuasive and transformative powers of fiction in a work of tyranny.

All incoming freshmen of Ramapo College’s Claws of 2009 have read and are discussing Reading Lolita in Tehran in their First Year Seminar Course (FYS).  The course introduces students to college work and prepares them for the subsequent courses they will take.  The book includes elements of social history, women’s issues, religion and literary criticism and is consistent with Ramapo College’s mission of international education.

Nafisi has written for The New York Times, Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal.  Here cover story, The Veiled Threat:  The Iranian Revolution’s Woman Problem,” published in The New Republic in 1999, has been translated into several languages.  She is currently working on two books.

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About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

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