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Henry Giroux, a world-renowned educator, lecturer and writer on cultural studies, youth, democratic theory, public education and politics of higher education, has been appointed a distinguished visiting scholar with the Faculty of Arts’ Department of Sociology. His appointment is for a two-year term.

Giroux, a professor of English and Cultural Studies and the Global Television Network Chair in Communication at McMaster University, was named by the Toronto Star in 2012 as one of 12 Canadian public intellectuals changing the way the world thinks.  In 2002, he was named as one of the top 50 educational thinkers of the modern period in Fifty Modern Thinkers on Education: From Piaget to the Present as part of Routledge’s Key Guides Publication Series. A prolific writer, he has authored over 55 books, including the recent Youth in Revolt: Reclaiming a Democratic Future, contributed over 200 book chapters and published over 400 journal articles. Giroux, who received his PhD from Carnegie Mellon University, has taught at many prestigious institutions including Boston University, Tufts, Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Northeastern University, and was the Waterbury Chair in Secondary Education at Penn State University.

“Ryerson University welcomes Henry Giroux to its academic community as a distinguished visiting scholar,” said Mohamed Lachemi, provost and vice president academic. “His deep insight into public discourse on education, youth and democracy, and cultural studies has engaged communities around the world and has made a significant contribution to public intellectual life and the media. His interactions with students and faculty will contribute to the unique learning experience Ryerson provides.”

As a distinguished visiting scholar, Giroux will provide mentorship to students from the Department of Sociology. He will advise students on advocacy work, give presentations, workshops and an annual lecture, and may teach a senior-level sociology course. Giroux will work with faculty members on a variety of research projects and further advance the research trajectory of the department.

“We look forward to Professor Giroux’s contributions to the intellectual and research life of the faculty as well as to student engagement,” said Jean-Paul Boudreau, dean, Faculty of Arts. “Henry Giroux is a scholar with a tremendous international reach, who brings a truly exciting synergistic approach to fostering multi-disciplinary research collaborations and networks with the wider community.”

“In my estimation, Ryerson is one of those rare universities that aligns research with the challenges of public life in a rigorous, imaginative and ethical fashion. I am honoured to work with a number of brilliant and dedicated faculty who have made Ryerson a university that is at the forefront of engaged scholarship, teaching and community service,” said Giroux. “I am delighted to be part of this great university to learn from and with its students, faculty and staff for the next two years.”

Giroux joins a growing number of distinguished visiting fellows, professors and scholars appointed to Ryerson University since 2009. The distinguished visiting appointments provide Ryerson faculties with the unique opportunity to connect students, faculty and staff with highly regarded leaders in various fields. From a Canadian ambassador to an icon of business journalism, learn more about Ryerson’s distinguished visiting appointments at www.ryerson.ca/provost/appointments/index.html

Ryerson University is Canada's leader in innovative, career-oriented education and a university clearly on the move. With a mission to serve societal need, and a long-standing commitment to engaging its community, Ryerson offers more than 100 undergraduate and graduate programs. Distinctly urban, culturally diverse and inclusive, the university is home to more than 38,000 students, including 2,300 master's and PhD students, nearly 2,700 faculty and staff, and more than 140,000 alumni worldwide. Research at Ryerson is on a trajectory of success and growth: externally funded research has doubled in the past four years. The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education is Canada's leading provider of university-based adult education. For more information, visit www.ryerson.ca

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