Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series

John H. McWhorter, PhD

Dr. John McWhorter is associate professor of Slavic languages and teaches linguistics, core curriculum (philosophy and music history) and American Studies at Columbia University. He specializes in language change and language contact, and is the author of “The Missing Spanish Creoles, Language Simplicity and Complexity,” and “The Creole Debate”. He has written extensively on issues related to linguistics, race, and other topics for Time, The New York Times, CNN, the Wall Street Journal, The New Republic and elsewhere, and has been a contributing editor at The Atlantic. For the general public he is the author of “The Power of Babel, Our Magnificent Bastard Tongue”, “The Language Hoax, Words on the Move, Talking Back, Talking Black”, and other books, including “Nine Nasty Words” and “Woke Racism”, both of which were New York Times bestsellers. He hosts the Lexicon Valley language podcast, has authored six audiovisual sets on language for the Great Courses company, and has written weekly for The New York Times since 2021.

Dr. McWhorter received his BA from Rutgers University, his MA from New York University and his PhD from Stanford University. 

2023–24  Samuel K. Roberts

2021–22  Carol Backer

2020–21  Farah Jasmine Griffin

2018–19  Randi Hutter Epstein

2017–18  Kellie Jones

2016–17  Rita Charon

2015–16  Amale Andraos

2014–15  Brian Greene

2013–14  Pamela H. Smith

2012–13  Mark C. Taylor

2011–12  Sylvia Nasar

2007–08  David Freedberg

2005–06  Andrew Delbanco

2003–04  Jonathan Cole

2002–03  Jeffrey Sachs

2001–02  Eric Foner

2000–01  Edward W. Said

1999–2000  Robert E. Pollack

1998–99  Kenneth Jackson

1997–98  Jack Greenberg

1996–97  George Rupp

1995–96  David N. Cannadine

1994–95  Simon A. Schama

1993–94  James H. Beck

1992–93  Osborn Elliott

1991–92  Henry F. Graf

1990–91  Fred Friendly

1989–90  Howard Shanet

1988–89  Zbigniew Brzezinski

1987–88  Louis Henkin

1986–87  Barbara Aronstein Black

1985–86  Robert Merton

1984–85  Edith Porada

1983–84  David Rothman

1982–83  Harriet Zuckerman

1981–82  Fritz Stern

About the Dean's Distinguished Lecture Series