Laura Kipnis will lecture on “Scandalous Americans” at 8:45 p.m. today at the Holmes Student Center’s Heritage Room.

Kipnis, who teaches filmmaking at Northwestern University, is the author of “Bound and Gagged,” which has been voted one of the top 10 academic books of the 1990s.

Paul Booth of the Graduates of Communication Committee organized the event.

“It’s a colloquium lecture about four scandalous American political figures from the 1990s,” Booth said. “Although the focus may be on ‘political’ figures, the talk is given by a communication/film scholar, so it’s going to be focused on the communication aspects of the scandals.”

Booth said he thinks it’s important for people to attend this event because it is both informative and illuminating.

“From a campus-wide standpoint, a significant turnout of students at this talk not only will indicate the interest NIU shows in its guests, but also the power of the student body to determine its own interests,” Booth said. “Since the speaker was chosen and invited by students, and the lecture is being run by students, it shows the student body as a powerful entity.”

“I think it should be very interesting to college students, especially at this point in the political landscape,” Booth said. “When students on campus will attend any number of protests, it shows a demonstrated interest in contemporary politics and, as an election is coming up, the time is perfect to learn new aspects about old leaders.”