Dr. Sam Richards is an award-winning sociologist, speaker, and Teaching Professor at Penn State University and a Distinguished Professor at Konkuk University in Seoul, Korea. With 800 students each semester and a 33 year legacy, his SOC 119 course is the largest race, ethnicity and cultural relations course in the world and was the subject of an Emmy Award winning television broadcast called, “You Can’t Say That.” Every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon (EST), his class is live streamed to 370,000 subscribers from 210 countries at the class YouTube channel. Sam’s videos have generated over 400 million views, making SOC 119 “the most widely recognized classroom in the world,” according to one commentator. His willingness to challenge orthodox thinking led him to be named one of the “101 Most Dangerous Professors in America” and one of the “parents of radical empathy.” He obtained his Ph.D. from Rutgers University with a focus on socioeconomic development of Latin America and Africa but considers himself an academic generalist who thinks about a wide range of global issues. Arguing that empathy is the core of sociology, his "Radical Experiment in Empathy" is one of the most widely viewed TEDx talks online. As the Co-founder at the World in Conversation Center for Public Diplomacy, Sam co-directed an innovative research project to develop a virtual cross-cultural dialogue tool for NATO military personnel and civilians in conflict zones. He has consulted a wide range of U.S.-based and international corporations and organizations about a social and cultural issues. His work has been covered by media outlets around the world and he is currently recognized for his insights about South Korean society and culture.