Benson Center Newsletter - November events from the Benson Center and the Center of the American West

Bruce D. Benson Center for the
Study of Western Civilization

Cancellation and Its Discontents

TODAY Nov. 12, 2020, 6 p.m. Virtual Event

Joshua T. Katz is Cotsen Professor in the Humanities and Professor of Classics at Princeton University. 

Professor Katz leads the Benson Center's "The Canceled" lecture series with the story of his near-cancellation and the tidal wave of illiberalism that is threatening to undermine America’s institutions, educational and otherwise. Read Professor Katz's  Wall Street Journal Op-Ed  and Quillette essay.  

Part of the Benson Center's 2020-21 "The Canceled" lecture series.

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Center of the American West

The Party of Practicality: An Innovative and Pragmatic Conversation on Immigration, Part II

Nov. 13, 2020, 12 p.m., Virtual Event

A post-election follow up conversation with Penn State University Professor, Mary Mendoza, and Stanford University Sociology Professor, Tomás Jiménez.

The Center of the American West has teamed up with the CU Latinx Law Students to orchestrate a virtual event, bringing two noted scholars of immigration into a consequential conversation. The goal is ambitious: to lay out terms that will position these knowledgeable scholars as allies and teammates of a dedicated public servant who is committed to finding solutions and resolutions to one of the nation’s most challenging issues. 

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Bruce D. Benson Center for the
Study of Western Civilization

From Shadows on the Wall to the Sun: Liberal Education and the Ascent from the Cave

Nov. 17, 2020, 6 p.m. Virtual Event

No registration necessary. Join the event on YouTube livestream. 

Elizabeth Eastman is the Benson Center's 2020-21 Senior Scholar in Residence.

The idea of liberal education as an ascent to the light is from Plato’s Republic. The rising and setting of the sun in the natural world, which brings light and darkness, happens with a degree of regularity and uniformity. As human beings we share this common, daily experience. Plato’s description of emerging from the darkness to the light as a metaphor for liberal education suggests that we detach ourselves from the familiar and engage in questioning to achieve the ends of education. By considering these concepts alongside the Benson Center’s theme of Community or Disunity, this talk will pose questions about what role liberal education plays in building communities and whether questioning disrupts or strengthens our communities.

Part of the Benson Center’s 2020-21 “Community or Disunity?” series.

  Join us on YouTube

Bruce D. Benson Center for the
Study of Western Civilization

Free Speech and Cancel Culture

Nov. 19, 2020, 6 p.m. Virtual Event

Join former New York Times opinion writer and editor Bari Weiss and Benson Center Director Daniel Jacobson in a presentation and discussion about free speech and today's cancel culture.

A presentation on the implications of the new cancel culture, the norms it imposes on thought and expression, and the conformism it attempts to compel.

Ms. Weiss recently resigned from the New York Times editorial board. She is the winner of the Reason Foundation’s 2018 Bastiat Prize, which honors writing that “best demonstrates the importance of freedom with originality, wit, and eloquence, and was recently honored by United Nations Watch for her moral courage and eloquence in defending the principles of democracy and in combating anti-Semitism.

Part of the Benson Center's 2020-21 "The Canceled" lecture series.

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Center of the American West

What It Means to Disagree, Admit a Degree of Uncertainty, and Maintain a Robust Friendship: A Dialogue

Nov. 20, 2020, 12 p.m., Virtual Event

Co-sponsored by the Center of the American West and the Center for Humanities & the Arts

Join Patty Limerick, director of the Center of the American West, and Jennifer Ho, director of the Center for Humanities & the Arts, as they talk about what it means to disagree. The partisan politics and extreme divisiveness of our current society have made many of us wary about entering into provocative subjects. How do we maintain unity when we confront divided opinions? How can we respect one another while vehemently debating topics we feel passionate about? Is it possible to separate the person from the provocation?

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