(COLUMBIA, Tenn. - Sept. 9, 2016) - - - Columbia State Community College presents its thirtieth annual "Celebrating Our American Heritage" lecture series featuring professors from the college's history and English departments. Lectures will start in October on Wednesdays from 4 - 5:15 p.m. in the Ledbetter Auditorium.

Retired Professor of English, Dr. James Senefeld, will present "The Journey to Becoming Mark Twain" on Oct. 5. Senefeld will examine the writings of Mark Twain as social history based upon his personal experiences from his birth in 1835 to his time in Virginia City, Nevada in 1862. Works that Senefeld will discuss include: "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer," "Life on the Mississippi," "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," "Puddn'head Wilson," "The Gilded Age" and his recently published three-volume "Autobiography."

On Oct. 19, Dr. Kristi Johnson, Columbia State associate professor of history, will present "Cold War, Cold Breakfast: Cereal Advertising and the Protection of American Democracy during the Cold War." Join Johnson as she examines how images and advertising copy focused on both selling a product and protecting American democracy. In the process, Johnson will show how cereal became a political tool in the midst of anxiety and fear during the Cold War.

On Oct. 26, Dr. William Xavier Andrews, retired professor of history, will present "We Didn't Cross the Border: The Irony of the Mexican Immigration Issue in the 2016 Election." This presentation will explore Mexican Immigration in the historical context of war, economic realities, assimilation concerns and Federal immigration policies from both American and Mexican perspectives.

On Nov. 2, Dr. Thomas Flagel, Columbia State associate professor of history, will present "When Venus Challenged Mars: The Women's Rights Revolution in 1890s America." Flagel will discuss the progression of women's rights in contrast with the class, region, religion and race barriers they faced on the eve of the twentieth century.

Inaugurated in 1987, "Celebrating Our American Heritage" is an annual series of presentations sponsored by the Columbia State Department of History designed to illuminate the past and enhance understanding of the present.

The American Heritage series lectures are free and open to the public. The Ledbetter Auditorium is located in the Clement Building on the Columbia Campus at 1665 Hampshire Pike.

Columbia State is a two-year college, serving a nine-county area in southern Middle Tennessee with locations in Columbia, Franklin, Lawrenceburg, Lewisburg and Clifton. As Tennessee's first community college, Columbia State is committed to increasing access and enhancing diversity at all five campuses. Columbia State is a member of the Tennessee Board of Regents, one of the largest higher education systems in the nation. For more information, please visit www.ColumbiaState.edu.

Tennessee's Community Colleges is a system of 13 colleges offering a high-quality, affordable, convenient and personal education to prepare students to achieve their educational and career goals in two years or less. We offer associate degree and certificate programs, workforce development programs and transfer pathways to four-year degrees. For more information, please visit us online at tncommunitycolleges.org.

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