1712, 2018

Lawrie Balfour explores freedom in the novels of Toni Morrison

Brennen Neeley/ December 17, 2018/ Political Theory Workshop

Brennan Neely is a junior philosophy major. People mill about and chat with others also dressed in collared shirts, jeans and the rolled-up sleeves of early evening. The room has an air of casual but unquestioned curiosity. We were waiting for Lawrie Balfour’s Political Theory Workshop in Duke’s Gross Hall. Balfour—a professor of politics at the University of Virginia—would turn us to Toni Morrison, the Nobel Prize-winning writer whose words have inspired contemporary novelists and comforted readers like me for

1012, 2018

Patrick Deneen speaks to Focus students about the history of liberalism

Nora Hanagan/ December 10, 2018/ Lecture

Patrick Deneen spoke to Focus students about the difference between ancient and modern conceptions of freedom. His talk touched on themes from his most recent book, Why Liberalism Failed. During his trip to Duke, Professor Deneen also gave a public lecture sponsored by the Kenan Institute, and spoke to Frank Stasio, the host of WUNC’s The State of Things, about the limitations of American liberalism. Listen to the full interview here. Professor Deneen teaches Political Science at the University of

2810, 2018

Jean Yarborough gives Constitution Day Lecture

David Frisch/ October 28, 2018/ Lecture

This is the first of a series of blog posts written by Duke undergraduates. David Frish is a junior and political science major. In honor of Constitution Day, Professor Jean Yarbrough of Bowdoin College spoke to Duke University undergraduates on September 20th and 21st. But for Bowdoin’s Gary M. Pendy Sr. Professor of Social Sciences in Bowdoin’s department of Government and Legal Studies, this visit was more than a Constitution Day talk—it was also a reunion. Almost two decades ago,

3004, 2018

Citizen Activism Panel – April 17, 2018

Nora Hanagan/ April 30, 2018/ Uncategorized

We were proud to collaborate with the Center for Political, Leadership, Innovation and Service to host a panel discussion on citizen activism. All three panelists—Durham Mayor Pro Tempore Jillian Johnson, chair of the NC Libertarian Party Susan Hogarth, and former organizer with NC for Trump Mitch Myers—have years of experience with grassroots organizing. Moreover, they offered different perspectives on how citizens can be politically involved, despite not completely identifying with either of the two major political parties. Myers sought to