Alumni & Friends
LAS Alumni Information
Alumni Network
History
Oprah Makes History
Oprah Winfrey, the queen of talk-show hosts, was back in school this spring. Not as a student or teacher but as the subject of a new history course in LAS.
This past semester, 15 students examined how Winfrey built her multimedia empire in "History 298: "Oprah Winfrey, the Tycoon." Professor Juliet E.K. Walker, who specializes in black business history, places the course in the context of the black enterprise in America in the post-Civil Rights era. In addition to examining how Winfrey built her multimedia empire and became a cultural icon, the class explored the opposite phenomenon: why few African-Americans have attained wealth. They also investigated how celebrities can be as influential to the global economy as other ideological, social, and political institutions.
The course, which is considered the first of its kind, met with some initial opposition because, Walker says, "people thought we'd spend our time watching TV and reading O magazine." In fact, the readings for the course were scholarly publications. Students were required to write 20-page research papers. Walker met Winfrey in 1986, when Winfrey first came to Chicago. However, Winfrey was not invited to visit the class. Walker is writing a book about Winfrey and wants to maintain her objectivity.
Winter 2001