Coastal Carolina University's "American Icons from Advertising, Politics and Popular Culture" is the subject of an upcoming American Studies lecture series, scheduled for Saturday, April 15, at 10 a.m. at the Myrtle Beach Education Center. The event is free and open to the public.

Carol Osborne, director of American Studies and Community Outreach at CCU, will speak about the history and evolution of familiar icons in American culture such as Uncle Sam, Rosie the Riveter, Mickey Mouse and Superman, and how these images and characters have become symbols of our national identity.

Osborne earned a bachelor's degree in education from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where she also earned a master's degree in teaching. She earned a second master's in English language and literature and a Ph.D. in English language and literature from the University of Virginia. Osborne's teaching areas include contemporary literature, media and cultural studies, popular fiction and popular culture, adolescent literature, American studies and English education. Her research areas include contemporary literature, teaching and learning, and popular culture.

The event is sponsored by the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts and the Department of American Studies as the final installment of the four-part American Studies Lecture Series: Images and Icons of America. The lecture series is accompanied by an optional online course in American studies.

A coffee social will precede the lecture at 9:30 a.m. The event will be held in Room 108 of the Myrtle Beach Education Center, located at 900 79th Ave. N.

For more information on the event, contact Osborne at 843-349-2658 or osborne@coastal.edu.