Scholars will tackle that topic and others in five talks the University of Louisville’s McConnell Center has scheduled through April in Ekstrom Library’s Chao Auditorium. The free, public talks – all offering a fresh look at U.S. government – will follow a “Debating America” theme the center began last fall.

Topics, speakers, dates and times are:

  • “Would Two Presidents Be Better Than One?: The Case for a Bipartisan Executive Branch,” David Orentlicher, law and medicine professor, Indiana University, Jan. 26, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
  • “Governing by Lottery: May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor,” Alexander Guerrero, philosophy professor, University of Pennsylvania, Feb. 25, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
  • “The Coming Global Disorder: What Will America’s Role Be in the 21st Century?,” Peter Ziehan, geopolitical strategist, March 23, 6 p.m.-7 p.m.
  • “Freedom’s Daughters: The Unsung Heroines of the Civil Rights Movement,” Lynne Olson, historian and former journalist, April 8, 2 p.m.-3:30 p.m.
  • “Those Angry Days: Roosevelt, Lindbergh and America’s Fight Over World War II,” a second talk by Olson, April 8, 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m.

“We hope these talks encourage people to consider overlooked debates, ideas and people in American history,” said center director Gary Gregg.

The non-partisan McConnell Center, created in 1991, prepares Kentucky’s top college students to become leaders and offers civic education for teachers, students and the public.

For more details, contact GlyptusAnn Grider Jones at 502-852-4579 or see www.mcconnellcenter.org