Margee Kerr, author of SCREAM: Chilling Adventures in the Science of fear came to St. Francis College to offer the talk, Hijacking Fear: The subtle, and not so subtle ways politicians and the media use fear to motivate action on November 21, 2017.

(Learn how Politicians and the Media Manipulate Us)

Kerr is a sociologist and author. She earned her Ph.D. in 2009 from the University of Pittsburgh and currently teaches and conducts research on fear, specifically how and why people engage with "scary" material. Dr. Kerr is the co-investigator on a first-of-its-kind study which measures how the brain and body respond to "fun-scary" experiences like haunted attractions, paranormal investigations, and thrill rides. She enjoys working as a consultant for attractions and museums.

SCREAM was named a must read by The Washington Post. Her work has been featured in The New York Times, Parade, Atlantic Monthly, and NPR's Science Friday, among other places.

The talk was part of the Fall 2017 Senior Citizen Lecture Series: Perspectives on American Politics & Policies organized by St. Francis College Professors Emily Horowitz and Athena Devlin.