Museum Of Play Offers Strong Perspectives Lecture Series

Monday, May 4, 7:30 p.m. - “Beyond Sentimentality: The History and Future of Childhood” Steven Mintz, PhD, Director of the Teaching Center at the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences at Columbia University, shares the surprising history of American children from the Puritans to the Facebook generation. An authority on the history of the family and of children, Dr. Mintz is the author and editor of thirteen books, including Domestic Revolutions: A Social History of American Family Life and Huck’s Raft: A History of American Childhood.

Tuesday, May 12, 7:30 p.m. - “Not So Innocent? Images of Modern Childhood” Gary Cross, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Modern History at Pennsylvania State University, considers how the American portrayal and understanding of childhood has changed across the twentieth century as early romantic images of the child were challenged and transformed by new ideas of what children are or should be. Dr. Cross is recognized for his research in the history of modern childhood, especially in the United States.

Thursday, May 28, 7:30 p.m. - “Inventing Modern Childhood” Paula Fass, PhD, the Margaret Byrne Professor of History at University of California Berkeley, examines the impact of economic, educational, health, and family issues and concerns on modern ideals about childhood and play.

Renowned as a pioneer in the field of children's history, Dr. Fass is the author of several major publications, including The Damned and the Beautiful: American Youth in the 1920s, Outside In: Minorities and the Transformation of American Education, and Kidnapped: Child Abduction in America. -- www.strongmuseum.org