On Oct. 6, political science professor Bill Curtis and history professors Brian Els and Brad Franco will lead a Q&A titled “Where is the U.S. Headed?” from 5:15-6:15 p.m. in Shiley Hall Room 319.
The event is for students, faculty and staff to learn how history impacts the present political moment. The conversation will be led by audience questions.
Anne Santiago, political science professor and Dundon-Berchtold faculty fellow for constructive dialogue, will host the event in partnership with the departments of history and political science.
For Els, political science and history have different ways of viewing current events. But the approach of both fields overlaps enough that there can be fruitful collaborative projects like this event.
“History doesn’t repeat itself, but it can be instructive if we think about what came before and how it might or might not inform our current decisions as citizens,” Els said in an email to The Beacon.
Santiago says that professors Els’ and Franco’s expertise in early 20th-century politics, authoritarianism, fascism and medieval history will draw parallels between historical and modern-day societies.
Curtis, a lawyer and political theorist, will be able to answer constitutional questions, according to Santiago.
Ultimately, the Q&A is an opportunity for students to follow their curiosity, Santiago says.
“In my mind, more knowledge gives people more power in countering things that they may not agree with in the current political moment,” Santiago said. “It's good to throw around ideas and share knowledge in a way that will help us all be better informed as participants in this political world that we're living in.”
Kalena O’Connell is the Living Section Editor for The Beacon. She can be reached at oconnell27@up.edu.
