Coastal Carolina University English professor Steve Hamelman will give a talk on contemporary culture in his presentation "From Plato to Presley: Culture High, Low and Mostly In-Between" on Wednesday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at Coastal's Waccamaw Higher Education Center in Litchfield. The event is free and open to the public.

This discussion is part of the dialogue series "Unheard, Unseen, Unsolved," sponsored by the Board of Visitors of Coastal's Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts.

Hamelman will focus on how the "culture wars" have forced educators to take sides in a debate that pits high, elite culture against low, popular culture. Drawing examples from film, music and other media, he will discuss whether high and low culture can be combined effectively in the classroom and in educational materials.

Hamelman, who joined the faculty in 2001, teaches courses in American literature, literary theory, composition and media literacy. He is the author of "But is it Garbage? On Rock and Trash," which explores the relationship between rock music and consumer culture.

His scholarly work is reflected in many publications and conference papers on the early American novel, theory and popular music. He has served on many humanities and university committees. Hamelman earned his bachelor's degree at Colgate University, master's degree at the University of Maine at Orono, and his Ph.D. at Brandeis University.