Immigration and deportation have been political flashpoints for centuries, but these issues have been defined in very different ways by different groups. In this talke, 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..

Courage in the Face of Hate: Hoosiers Who Stood Against the Klan

James H. Madison

Professor Emeritus of History, Indiana University

Some have said that Indiana in the 1920s was a Ku Klux Klan state. That is not true, because

there were always Hoosiers who resisted the Klan. Join us for a thought-provoking evening

exploring this resistance. James H. Madison, Indiana University History Professor and author of

The Ku Klux Klan in the Heartland, will helps us think about those who stood up to Klan bigotry

directed toward Catholics, Jews, African Americans, and immigrants. Courageous lawyers,

journalists, clergy, politicians, and ordinary citizens spoke out and acted.

In this two-part series, Tim Londergan and Steve Vigdor, Professors Emeritus of Physics, will present the basic science behind global warming and climate change . The presentation will emphasize empirical data rather than complex climate models. They will discuss short-term impacts of climate change that are already being felt, and long-term concerns about potential irreversible changes to Earth systems. They will then outline steps that could be taken to mitigate the most severe impacts of climate change, if the civic will to do so can be mustered.  Questions and comments from the audience are welcome!

The first lecture will focus on the following questions:

A.      How do we know that global climate change is real, and that humans are responsible for global warming?

B.      What are the short-term impacts of climate change?

Almost since its inception, PBS has been a political football. Even so it continues to be one of the most trusted institutions in America. But even many of PBS' champions do not know where PBS came from, how it is structured or how it is funded. Steve Krahnke, former Senior Lecturer at the Indiana University Media School, a 30 year veteran of PBS stations and program production, and executive producer of the award-winning Cuba: The Forgotten Revolution, provides some clarity.

A brief reception will follow the lecture.

In this two-part series, Tim Londergan, Professor Emeritus of Physics, and Steve Vigdor, will present the basic science behind global warming and climate change . The presentation will emphasize empirical data rather than complex climate models. They will discuss short-term impacts of climate change that are already being felt, and long-term concerns about potential irreversible changes to Earth systems. They will then outline steps that could be taken to mitigate the most severe impacts of climate change, if the civic will to do so can be mustered.  Questions and comments from the audience are welcome!

This second lecture will focus on the following questions:

Climate tipping points: what may change irreversibly

How can humans mitigate climate change impacts?