Democracy in Action: A Lecture Series on American Pluralism
Featuring diverse viewpoints and bridging divides, a series exploring how place, geography, economics, demographics, faith, religion, race and culture are shaping the nature and experience of democracy in the United States. This series is presented by the Office of the Provost with the generous support of Gordon Clemons '65.
Patrick J. Deneen
Dr. Deneen is Professor of Political Science at the University of Notre Dame, where he has taught since 2012. He is the author or editor of eight books and dozens of articles on a wide range of subjects. His bestselling 2018 book Why Liberalism Failed has been translated into over 20 languages, and was recommended by former President Barack Obama. He taught previously at Princeton University and Georgetown University, and served as Special Assistant and Speechwriter for the Director of the United States Information Agency from 2005-2007.
We are All Postliberals Now
5:30 p.m. | Tuesday, 13 May | PRAx, Detrick Concert Hall
Both the political left and political right accuses the opposite camp of an embrace of "illiberalism," whether the progressive embrace of "Woke" or the conservative shift to populist nationalism. Professor Patrick Deneen will argue that these two developments are distinct outgrowths of liberalism itself, and hence less a departure than an intensification of liberalism. For this reason, the oft unstated desire to "return" to an older, acceptable liberalism in both camps is not likely or even viable. The question we face is not whether we are living in a postliberal age, but what kind of postliberalism will succeed.
The lecture will be streamed with closed captioning. For accommodations please contact [email protected].
Previous Speakers
Featuring Reza Aslan and Aaron Hahn Tapper
The second installment of the Democracy in Action Lecture Series occurred on Tuesday, March 18 in PRAx. A recording of the event will be available soon.
LECTURE RECORDING
Allies and Obstacles: Muslim and Jewish Americans in the Age of “MAGA”
Professors Reza Aslan and Aaron Hahn Tapper visited OSU on Tuesday, March 18 for a conversation on the evolving relationship between Muslim and Jewish Americans in an era of rising political polarization. As editors of Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities, they will explore the intersections of faith, identity, and democracy in the United States today. The event featured an opening by Provost Edward Feser, followed by a discussion moderated by OSU Associate Professor of Political Science David Bernell.
Reza Aslan
Aslan is a renowned writer, commentator, professor, Emmy- and Peabody-nominated producer, and scholar of religions. A recipient of the prestigious James Joyce award, Aslan is the author of numerous internationally best-selling books, including the #1 New York Times Bestseller, Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth. His biography of Howard Baskerville, An American Martyr in Persia, was nominated for the PEN/Jacqueline Beograd Weld Award. His producing credits include the acclaimed HBO series The Leftovers and the hit CBS comedy United States of AL. He is the host and Executive Producer of CNN’s Believer and Rough Draft with Reza Aslan, as well as co-host along with Rainn Wilson of the podcast Metaphysical Milkshake. His most recent book is titled A Kids Book About Israel & Palestine.
Aaron Hahn Tapper
Hahn Tapper is the Mae and Benjamin Swig Professor of Jewish Studies and the founding director of the Swig Program in Jewish Studies and Social Justice at the University of San Francisco. An educator for 25 years, he focuses on the nexus of identity formation, marginalized groups, and social injustice. The co-editor of two volumes, Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities and Social Justice in Israel/Palestine: Foundational and Contemporary Debates, and the author of the award-winning Judaisms: A Twenty-First-Century Introduction to Jews and Jewish Identities, he is currently writing a book titled We Are Sorry for Stealing Your Children and Killing Your People: Apologizing for the Genocide of Indigenous Peoples in Australia and the United States.
The Rural Voter: Separating Myth from Reality
Nicholas Jacobs and Daniel Shea
The first installment of the Democracy in Action Lecture Series occurred on Friday, October 18 in PRAx. A recording of the event is available below.
Hailing from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, Nicholas Jacobs, Assistant Professor of Government, and Daniel Shea, Professor of Government, authored The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America in 2023. Their lecture "The Rural Voter: Separating Myth from Reality" and book are based on over one hundred years of data and results from three large voter surveys, they have attempted to better understand the decisions of rural voters and have explored where the urban-rural divide is a real thing. Pinpointing forces behind the rise of the so-called rural voter, Jacobs and Shea discuss in the book how this critical group of voters emerged and how they have impacted American politics. The first intallment of Democracy in Action included a lecture by Jacobs and Shea and a moderated conversation with Associate Professor and Knudson Endowed Chair in Family Policy David Rothwell and Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer Scott Vignos.
OSU's Free Speech and Expression website.
Nicholas Jacobs
Jacobs is an Assistant Professor of Government at Colby College. He has published dozens of peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on topics ranging from school segregation to tax reform. He is one of the country’s leading experts on the rural-urban divide, federalism, and developments in the American party system.
Dan Shea
Shea is a Professor of Government and the Chair of the Department of Government at Colby College. He has written or edited more than 20 books on American Politics. His most recent volume is Why Vote? Essential Questions about the Future of Elections in America. His areas of expertise are in American Politics, parties and elections U.S. Congress, politics of the media, youth political engagement and civility in politics.