Throughout the academic year, the Center for the Study of American Democracy sponsors lectures, panel discussions and other events, frequently welcoming visiting scholars, politicians and journalists. CSAD also hosts a biennial conference.
Recent Events and Speakers
2023-24
- Bridget Brink: "Shaping the World for the Better" (May 25)
- Martin Baron: "Collision of Power: Trump, Bezos, and The Washington Post" (April 17)
- Melvin Rogers: "The Darkened Light of Faith: Race, Democracy and Freedom in African American Political Thought" (March 20)
- Lawrence Jacobs: "Democracy under Fire" (Feb. 19)
- David Leonhardt: "Ours Was the Shining Future" (Feb. 7)
- Bruce J. Caldwell: "The Life and Ideas of F.A. Hayek" (Jan. 30)
- Adam Singer '96, Adnan Jaber, Michal Greenfield: "A Conversation with Peace Activists on the Future of the Middle East" (Jan. 22)
- Peter Hahn: "Crisis, War and Tragedy: The Gaza War and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict in Historical Perspective" (Nov. 1)
- Jennifer Brick Murtazashvili: "Property Rights and the Rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan" (Oct. 30)
- Colin Woodard: "American Nations: The Rival Cultures of North America" (Oct. 17)
- Stephen Kotkin: "Ukraine: Hope and Tragedy" (Oct. 13)
- Amos Guiora '79: "Fighting to Preserve the Rule of Law in Israel Today" (Oct. 1)
- Maureen O'Connor: “The Challenges and Triumph of Democracy in Ohio … What’s Next?” (Sept. 13)
2022-23
- Yascha Mounk: "The Great Experiment: Why Diverse Democracies Fall Apart and How They Can Endure" (April 4)
- David H. Feldman: "College Cost in Inflationary Times" (March 30)
- Adam Tooze: "Inflation, Politics and Policy: How Do We Learn from History?" (March 29)
- William Easterly: "Foreign Aid to Fight Poverty: Altruism vs. Self-interest" (Feb. 9)
- James W. Ceaser '67, George Cook '99 and Sarah Longwell '02: Panel discussion (Jan. 10)
- Amos Guiora '79: "Criminalizing Bystanders and Enablers who Witness and Facilitate Sexual Abuse in the U.S." (Nov. 3)
- William Luther: "Cryptocurrency and Financial Privacy" (Nov. 2)
- Joe Klesner, Abbie Erler, Kirk Emmert and Nicole Predina: "College Students' Voting Rights: Why You Get to Vote and How You Do It in Ohio" (Sept. 13)
- Aziz Z. Huq: "The Supreme Court and the Path of American Democracy" (Oct. 20)
- Catherine Herrold: "(Re)Mobilizing the Masses: Civil Society and Social Change in the 21st Century" (Sept. 28)
2021-22
- Congresswoman Lizzie Pannill Fletcher '97 (D-TX) and Sarah Longwell '02: Panel discussion (May 28)
- Carlos Chamorro: Acceptance speech on behalf of Nicaraguan recipients of the Leopoldo López Freedom and Democracy Award (May 3)
- Leopoldo López: In conversation with Professor David Rowe (May 2)
- Ian Millhiser '00: "The Case Against the U.S Constitution" and "The Supreme Court in American Democracy" (April 28)
- Student panel: "The War Through Our Eyes: A Student Panel on the Ukraine-Russian War" (April 4)
- Jennifer Judson '04, Emily Olson '17 and Jeremy Stern '11: "The Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Continuing the Conversation" (March 23)
- Faculty panel: "The Russian Invasion of Ukraine: Understanding the Current Crisis" (March 2)
- Tom Au '08, Ron Bliss '68, Jenny Lu Mallamo '08 and Gregory Spaid '68: "Citizenship, Service and the Liberal Arts" (Nov. 11)
- Sean Wilentz: "No Property in Man: Slavery and Antislavery at the Nation's Founding" (Sept. 21)
Past Speakers and Topics
Biennial Conferences
CSAD's biennial conferences bring the Kenyon community together with national experts to analyze the pressing issues of today — no matter how controversial — through nonpartisan and civil discourse.
2023: "What's My Dollar Worth? Inflation's Causes, Consequences and Cures"
The spring 2023 conference focused on a question that Americans have been asking frequently ever since the global economy began to reopen in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, sending inflation soaring to levels not seen in decades.
2017: "Free Speech, Civil Discourse"
The fall 2017 conference focused on issues relating to free speech and civil discourse. The imperatives of free society and polite society are sometimes in considerable tension; how to balance these tensions was one of many questions addressed in the two day conference.
2016: "The Expectation of Privacy"
The spring 2016 conference focused on the expectation of privacy and encryption, surveillance and big data. The opening address was given by James B. Comey P'16, director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation at the time.
2014: "The Politics of Economic Inequality"
The spring 2014 conference focused on the politics of economic inequality. The opening address was given by Douglas Holtz-Eakin, former director of the Congressional Budget Office and chief economic advisor to the McCain presidential campaign.
2012: "Should America Promote Democracy Abroad?"
The spring 2012 conference asked the question, "Should America promote democracy abroad?" Panels looked at the political, economic and social aspects of democracy and how the promotion of democracy coheres with U.S. principles and values. The keynote was given by Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations.
2010: "The Future of Political Parties"
CSAD hosted its inaugural conference in spring 2010. Entitled "The Future of Political Parties," the conference included a joint keynote given by E.J. Dionne of the Brookings Institute and the Washington Post and William Kristol, political analyst and editor of the Weekly Standard.