Political Science

A talk by noted Vermont native writer and commentator Garrett M. Graff.  Graff is a distinguished magazine journalist, bestselling historian, and regular TV commentator has spent more than a dozen years covering politics, technology, and national security—helping to explain where we’ve been and where we’re headed. His presentation is set in the context of the J-term course “American Power: Hard, Soft and Smart” and will address questions related to the impact of Donald Trump’s presidency on the future of America’s democracy and its role in the world. 

Curious about the state of global environmental governance? Join Associate Professor of Political Science Kemi Fuentes-George’s Fall 2018 International Environmental Politics class for a set of video screenings. Students will present extensively-researched and engaging videos illustrating the drivers of some contemporary environmental problems, the institutions in place to manage them, and point out ways in which this governance can and should be improved. After the videos, there will be a Q&A for audience members.

A public lecture (4:30 to 5:30 pm) and exhibit opening (5:30 to 7 pm with beverages and hors d’oeuvres) by Cecilia Araneda, educator and textile artist, who will share the work of her group Arpilleras, Sitios Y Memoria. This group began in 2016 with the wish to reflect on human rights violations inflicted against Chilean citizens by the military dictatorship in Chile’s Valparaiso Region. Through textile art depicting the locations of such crimes, survivor-participants invite Chileans to reclaim their public spaces and resist forgetfulness and impunity.

David Palumbo-Liu teaches comparative literature at Stanford University. He will discuss the relationship between scholarship and activism and address ongoing debates about the role of freedom of expression in higher education.

Arguing NO: Oren Cass, Senior Fellow at the Manhattan Institute. Mr. Cass’s work addresses issues ranging from the labor market to environmental regulation to trade and immigration to education and organized labor. He also writes extensively on the nature and implications of climate change and on the process of formulating and evaluating public policy. Cass has written for publications including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and Foreign Affairs, and he regularly speaks at universities and testifies before Congress.

Join a small group lunch discussion about freedom and respect in our intellectual community. RSVP form available at go/elp.

A lecture by Ross Douthat (New York Times) with Q & A

Moderated by Governor James H. Douglas

Commencement reception for Polical Science Seniors and their families.

A talk by Greg Lukianoff (FIRE), with Q & A

Something has been going wrong on many college campuses in the last few years. Speakers are shouted down. Students and professors say they are walking on eggshells and are afraid to speak honestly. Rates of anxiety, depression, and suicide are rising—on campus as well as nationally. How did this happen?

A Lecture by Bill Kristol of The Weekly Standard and ABC News

Bill Kristol is founder and editor at large of The Weekly Standard, an influential journal of politics and ideas located in Washington, D.C. He is a regular on ABC’s This Week with George Stephanopoulos and has appeared frequently on other leading political commentary shows such as Fox News Sunday.

During the 2016 elections, Mr. Kristol emerged as a prominent Republican critic of then-candidate Donald J. Trump. He remains a vocal critic of the President.