James Henderson, professor of international studies at Coastal Carolina University, will give a presentation in Spanish about contemporary Colombia on Monday, April 23 at 7 p.m. in Wall Building 317. The presentation will also include a screening of several public service announcements from Colombian television. The event is free and open to the public.

“The program’s theme will be the attempt to cultivate good citizenship in contemporary Colombia, as observed in the nation’s commercial television,” said Henderson, a leading scholar of Latin American history and culture.

Henderson recently released Modernization in Colombia: The Laureano Gómez Years, 1889-1965, a new book which traces the social and economic development of Colombia during the era of controversial political leader Laureano Gómez. The book was published by the University Press of Florida.

Henderson joined the Coastal faculty in 1986. He earned a bachelor’s degree in history from Centenary College of Louisiana, a master’s degree in history from the University of Arizona, and a Ph.D. in Latin American history from Texas Christian University. Before coming to Coastal, Henderson was a faculty member at Grambling State University in Louisiana. He has been a Fulbright Scholar and has written numerous books and scholarly articles on Latin American history and culture, including A Reference Guide to Latin American History.