A lecture taught by West Virginia University Honors College instructor Kevin Gooding will be featured on C-SPAN3’s American History TV Jan. 2 at 8 p.m. EST.

American History TV features a weekly series called “Lectures in History,” with full-length lectures from various instructors at universities across the United States.

As part of this series, Gooding and his class will discuss the Puritans and the congested nature of religious freedom in one part of colonial America between 1630 and 1660. The group will examine the paths of Roger Williams and Mary Dyer, two 17th-century individuals who expressed religious ideas and sentiments that ran counter to the dominant beliefs held by the Puritans.

Like others who spoke against the laws of the Puritan church, Williams and Dyer faced much adversity.

Williams’ ideas were found to be so threatening that he fled the colony before he could be deported. He settled safely in what is now Rhode Island. Dyer, a Quaker, earned herself multiple banishments and two death sentences before she was finally hanged.

“I feel rather honored that I have been asked to do this,” Gooding said.

“It’s just a great opportunity to show what’s going on at the University. We know that great teaching is happening here, now other people can see that too.”

This is the third time in less than two years that a WVU professor has been selected to be featured on the program.

“Lectures in History” airs on C-SPAN3 at 8 p.m. and 12 a.m. EST Saturdays and at 1 p.m. EST Sundays.

C-SPAN began C-SPAN3 operations in January 2001 as a digital service. C-SPAN3 is currently available in 43 million digital cable TV households and is streamed live online at C-SPAN.org.

-WVU-

as/09/09/2015

CONTACT: Devon Copeland, Director of Marketing and Communication, Eberly College of Arts and Sciences, West Virginia University, 304-293-6867, Devon.Copeland@mail.wvu.edu

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