Michelle Janning to deliver keynote address

Michelle Janning, assistant dean of faculty and associate professor of sociology, will deliver the keynote address at the Children’s Home Society of Washington’s SweetHearts fundraising luncheon Wednesday, Feb. 27 at the Marcus Whitman Hotel. Her speech is titled “Childhood is the Happiest Country on Earth and the Friendliest City in the U.S.”; it refers to both Denmark’s recent status as the “happiest country on earth” and Walla Walla’s as the “friendliest city.”

Janning, who spent the fall semester teaching and researching in Copenhagen, will discuss how childhood is constructed differently in Denmark than it is in the U.S.  Highlighting the great work of local organizations to build social trust in our community and meet the needs of families and children, she will explore what we might be able to learn from Denmark, but also the challenges of doing cross-national comparison on social issues, especially given the U.S. is far larger and more economically and ethnically diverse than Denmark.