Distinguished Lecture

A major university and community event, the annual Distinguished Lecture program brings to campus a prominent humanities scholar whose work highlights the importance of humanities research.

While on campus, speakers discuss humanities trends and participate in informal sessions, allowing ASU colleagues and students to share related research interests.

2026 Distinguished Lecture

Image
D. Graham Burnett

Attensity Now! The Revolution Rises Against Human Fracking with D. Graham Burnett

February 26 | 5 p.m.6 p.m. (MST)

Do you feel like your attention span is depleting? Don't miss this conversation around what D. Graham Burnett and friends describe as the commodification of human attention, or "human fracking," and discover the tools we need to reclaim our attention spans — and humanity. Expand your mind to reframe how you utilize attention to connect with curiosity, care and play in your own life.

A co-founder and faculty member in the Strother School of Radical Attention, Burnett will also discuss his forthcoming book, "Attensity! A Manifesto of the Attention Liberation Movement," which was produced in collaboration with The Friends of Attention, including editors and long-standing “Friends,” Alyssa Loh and Peter Schmidt.

Burnett is an American historian of science and a writer. He is a professor at Princeton University and an editor at Cabinet, based in Brooklyn, New York. 
 

Register

Past Distinguished Lecturers