Our wellbeing depends far more on the wealth we share than on our private finances and possessions. This talk by Scott Russell Sanders, Professor Emeritus of English at Indiana University and Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, will celebrate the gifts of nature and culture that support and enrich our lives. It will also show how these shared riches—atmosphere, oceans, biodiversity, parks and public schools, arts and science, laws and language, and many more—are under assault by those who wish to exploit them for personal or corporate gain. By recognizing the common wealth that sustains us, we may be moved to defend it. Questions, reactions, and insights will be welcomed.

Immigration and deportation have been political flashpoints for centuries, but these issues have been defined in very different ways by different groups. In this talk, Marjorie Hershey, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, award-winning scholar and teacher of electoral politics, will explore real facts about immigration to the US in recent decades, the widely differing ways immigration has been portrayed in American political debate, and the consequences of those differing definitions for public policy. Join her to consider some ways to deal with the genuine economic, cultural, and political issues of legal and undocumented immigration while also coping with the emotional tone of the public discussion surrounding it..

Road trip. Hitchhiking adventure. What could go wrong.

In 1972, filmmaker Ron Osgood set out on a road trip through Northern California that quickly turned into an unexpected hitchhiking adventure. For decades, he shared the story from memory, until he rediscovered an audio cassette he had recorded to preserve its details. That discovery inspired him to retrace and investigate what truly happened. I Do Remember weaves memory and evidence into a timeless question:

Where does the truth lie?

After the screening, Ron will lead a Q/A and discussion on how to research, collect evidence, and fact-check when developing a personal narrative.

I Do Remember will broadcast on PBS stations in 2026.

A great deal of misinformation has been spread – particularly by our current President and Secretary of Health and Human Services – about the reasons for the rapid rise in diagnosed cases of autism spectrum disorder over the past half-century. Steve Vigdor and Tim Londergan, Professors Emeritus of Physics at Indiana University, will review the expansion of diagnostic criteria for the neurodevelopmental condition(s) known as autism, and how these diagnostic changes have contributed to the rise. They will also show that the totality of epidemiological studies establish no link between autism and vaccines and at most a weak association (not necessarily causal) with prenatal Tylenol usage. Extensive twin studies have established a dominant role for genetics and a minor role for environmental conditions in contributing to autism. Ongoing brain imaging studies of people on the autism spectrum are revealing atypical connectivity issues that are associated with some autistic behaviors.

To honor its 250th Anniversary, John Schilb, Culbertson Chair and Professor Emeritus of English, will analyze Abraham Lincoln’s rhetoric regarding the Declaration of Independence. Many of Lincoln's opponents (e.g., Stephen Douglas and Jefferson Davis) either ridiculed the Declaration's claim that "all men are created equal" or believed that it applied just to whites. Lincoln maintained that "all" really did mean everyone. Only gradually, however, was he willing to consider Black people his social peers. Statements that he made during his debates with Douglas reflect this complex attitude. And even the Gettysburg Address does not assume that the Declaration's message has a future. Indeed, that speech called the Declaration's claim about equality a "proposition" to be tested. That is, Lincoln saw American democracy as something that might not endure. Its fate still seems in question, so his take on the Declaration remains timely.