Previous Events

The Keller Center prides itself on bringing distinguished speakers to campus and sponsoring conferences on various aspects of the First Amendment. Please explore some of our previous events:

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September 25, 2009 – Professor Jeffrey Rosen on The Future of the First Amendment
Old Main Chapel, 12:00 p.m., followed by a reception at the Heritage Center

Jeffrey Rosen is a professor of law at The George Washington University and the legal affairs editor of The New Republic.

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Late February, 2009 – Public Lecture, Douglas Laycock

Douglas Laycock, Alice McKean Young Regents Chair Emeritus at the University of Texas, is one of the nation's leading authorities on the law of religious liberty. He is author of many articles in Harvard Law Review, Columbia Law Review, and elsewhere, and an elected fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

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November 20, 2008, Wolf Law Building Colloquium Room, 2 - 3:45 – Sanford Levinson, "Our Malleable and Rigid Constitutions (or Why the First Amendment may well be less important than the Inauguration Day Clause)"

Sanford V Levinson is Prof. of Government and W. St. John Garwood and W. St. John Garwood, Jr. Centennial Chair, University of Texas. He is the author of over 250 articles and four books, including most recently Our Undemocratic Constitution: Where the Constitution Goes Wrong and How We the People Can Correct It (2006).

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October 2-3, 2008 – Professor Robert Tuttle,
"Law and the Faith-Based Initiative: What Could Be Wrong With Doing Good?"

Professor Tuttle joined the George Washington Law School faculty in 1994. He is the author or co-author of numerous articles and reports in the fields of legal ethics and church-state law. He serves as legal counsel to the bishop of the Washington, DC, Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and has served as board member of and consultant to the Division for Church in Society of the (ELCA).

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February 5th, 2009 – Public Lecture, Geoffrey Stone, "Government Secrecy v The First Amendment," 4:30 -6:00, Atlas 229

Geoffrey Stone, Edward H. Levi Distinguished Service Professor, University of Chicago Law School, has been a member of the law faculty since 1973. From 1987 to 1993, Mr. Stone served as dean of the Law School, and from 1993 to 2002 he served as Provost of the University of Chicago.Mr. Stone’s Perilous Times: Free Speech in Wartime from the Sedition Act of 1798 to the War on Terrorism (2004) received the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award for 2005, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for 2004 as the best book in the field of history, the American Political Science Association's Kammerer Award for 2005 for the best book in Political Science, the Hefner Award for the best book on the First Amendment, and Harvard University's 2005 Goldsmith Award for the best book in the field of Public Affairs.

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Friday, March 14, 2008 – Prof. Donald Downs, "Free Speech and Inquiry on Campus"

Donald Downs is a Professor of Political Science, Law, and Journalism at the University of Wisconsin. His primary interests are constitutional law and civil liberty; criminal law and justice; law and society broadly defined; political theory and jurisprudence; and legal, normative, and political issues in higher education. Downs has taught a wide variety of courses related to law and politics. He has published four books, two of which have won national awards: Nazis in Skokie: Freedom, Community and the First Amendment; The New Politics of Pornography; More than Victims: Battered Women, the Syndrome Society, and the Law; and Cornell `69: Liberalism and the Crisis of the American University. He is currently finishing a book on the politics and law of civil liberty struggles on campus, an area in which he has also been active.

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Nov. 8, 2007 – Prof. Kent Greenawalt, public lecture and faculty workshop
"Equality and the Religion Clauses"

Kent Greenawalt, University Professor, Columbia University School of Law will give a public lecture on "Equality and the Religion Clauses," November 8, 2007, 5:30 pm, Old Main Chapel. His lecture will be followed by a chance to ask him questions. Prof. Greenawalt will also be giving a faculty colloquium, November 9th 2007, at the CU Law School, on topics in Religion and the Constitution, Vol. 1: Free Exercise and Fairness (2006).

Before joining the Columbia faculty, Prof. Greenawalt served as law clerk to US Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan. He has worked in a variety of academic and nonacademic positions, including as attorney for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in Jackson, Mississippi; Member of the Due Process Committee for the ACLU; Deputy US Solicitor General; Editor-in-Chief, Columbia Law Review; and as Fellow at various times at Cambridge, Oxford, the ACLS, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His main interests are in constitutional law and jurisprudence, with special emphasis on church and state, freedom of speech, civil disobedience and criminal responsibility. His publications include Conflicts of Law and Morality (1987); Religious Convictions and Political Choice (1988); Speech, Crime and the Uses of Language (1989); Law and Objectivity (1992); Fighting Words (1995); Private Consciences and Public Reasons (1995); Statutory Interpretation: Twenty Questions (1999); Does God Belong in the Public Schools? (2005); Religion and the Constitutions, Vol. 1: Free Exercise and Fairness (2006); Religion and the Constitution, Vol. 2: Establishment and Fairness (2007).

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Feb. 3-4, 2006 – 13th Rothgerber Conference
"Horowitz, Churchill, Columbia: What Next for Academic Freedom?"

At the Thirteenth Ira C. Rothgerber, Jr. Conference, distinguished speakers such as Lawrence Alexander and Peter Byrne discuss the ancient idea of academic freedom in a modern context.

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2006 – Elizabeth Theiss-Morse
"National Identity and Freedom of Expression"

Elizabeth Theiss-Morse is Professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. She is the co-author, with John Hibbing, of Stealth Democracy (Cambridge University Press, 2002) and Congress as Public Enemy (CUP, 1995), which won the Fenno Prize for the best book on legislative politics. She is also co-author, with George Marcus, John Sullivan and Sandra Wood, of With Malice Toward Some (CUP, 1995), which won the best book in Political Psychology Award.

She is currently working on a major study of American national identity using a specially commissioned national survey, focus groups, and a serious of experiments. She and Jeff Spinner-Halev published an article in Perspectives on Politics (Sept. 2003), drawing on research in social psychology to address political theorists' claims about the relationship between national identity and self-esteem.

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2006 – Public Lecture, Cristina Beltrán

Cristina Beltrán is Associate Professor of Political Science at Haverford College. She received her B.A. in Politics from the University of California at Santa Cruz and her Ph.D. in Political Science from Rutgers University. She teaches courses on modern and contemporary political theory, Latino politics, democratic theory, feminist political theory, and American political thought.

Professor Beltrán's research interests center on questions of membership, identity, inequality, and the way in which these forces shape deliberation and participation in the public sphere. She is currently writing a book, tentatively entitled Performing Unity: Latino Politics and the Pursuit of Visibility, and editing a volume of essays entitled Political Theory/Latino Politics: Innovation and Appropriation. She has written on Gloria Anzaldua, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and the relationship between Latino politics and communitarian political thought.

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Nov. 28, 2005 – Daniel Jacobson
"John Stuart Mill and a New Interpretation of the Principle of Liberty"
"Utilitarianism without Consequences: The Case of John Stuart Mill."

Dan Jacobson is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Bowling Green University. He received his BA from Yale in Mathematics and in Philosophy and his PhD from Michigan in Philosophy. He is the author of Rational Sentimentalism (OUP), as well as numerous articles in ethical theory, moral psychology, freedom of expression and the philosophy of John Stuart Mill. While visiting at CU, Prof Jacobson gave two talks on John Stuart Mill jointly sponsored by the Keller Center and the CU Philosophy Department.

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Apr. 1-3, 2005 – Keller Center and School of Journalism Conference
"A Rights Revolution? Communication Rights and Global Justice"

Cees J. Hamelink (The Netherlands) is Professor of International Communication at the University of Amsterdam, and Professor of Media, Religion and Culture at the Free University in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He is the editor-in-chief of the International Journal for Communication Studies: Gazette.

He is also Honorary President of the International Association for Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), founder of the People's Communication Charter and Board Member of the International Communication Association and the international news agency Inter Press Service (IPS). Among the sixteen books he has authored are Cultural Autonomy in Global Communications (1983), Finance and Information (1983), The Technology Gamble (1988), The Politics of World Communication (1994), World Communication (1995), and The Ethics of Cyberspace (2000).

Keynote on Friday, April 1 at 4:00 PM by Cees Hamelink. Roundtable, open discussion, and themed lectures throughout Saturday, April 2. Closing roundtable Sunday morning, 9:00-11:00 AM.

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Apr. 22, 2005 – Roundtable Discussion
"Contemporary Issues in Academic Freedom"

Round table discussion featuring Alan Chen, DU Law School; Martin Katz, DU Law School; Richard Collins, CU Law School; and David Mapel, CU Political Science Dept.

Co-sponsored by the DU Faculty Development Committee and The DU Law Review.

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Jan. 28, 2005 – 12th Rothgerber Conference
"Conscience and the Free Exercise of Religion"

The Constitution enshrines freedom of religion but says nothing about conscience. Yet the framers made many references to conscience in describing their aspirations for constitutional liberty, and religious duties are often articulated in terms of conscience. The Twelfth Rothgerber Conference brings together prominent scholars to probe this enduring enigma and to explore other issues about religious freedom.

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March 12, 2005 – Prof. James W. Nickel
"Freedom of Assembly: A Neglected First Amendment Freedom?"

Jim Nickel is Professor of Law at Arizona State University. He is an affiliate professor in the Department of Philosophy and in the School of Global Studies. During 2008-09 Nickel will be a Visiting Professor at Georgetown Law Center. Nickel teaches and writes in jurisprudence, constitutional law, political philosophy, and human rights law and theory. From 1982-2003 Nickel was Professor of Philosophy at the University of Colorado where he served as Director of the Center for Values and Social Policy (1982-88) and as Chair of the Philosophy Department (1992-1996). He is best known for Making Sense of Human Rights (Blackwell, second edition 2006). Other recent articles include: "Who Needs Freedom of Religion?";"Are Human Rights Mainly Implemented by Intervention?";"Rethinking Indivisibility: Towards a Theory of Supporting Relations between Human Rights," (forthcoming in Human Rights Quarterly).

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April 13, 2004 – Prof. Robert Audi
"Moral Foundations of Democracy and Liberal Neutrality Toward the Good"

Address by Robert Audi, is the author of ten books on various topics in moral and political philosophy, as well as numerous articles. He is especially well known for two books on religious liberty: Religion in the Public Square: The Place of Religious Conviction sin Political Debate (Roman and Littlefield, 1997); and Religious Commitment and Secular Reason (Cambridge University Press, 2000).

Prof. Audi has taught at the University of London, Oxford, Lake Forest University, Santa Clara University, Dartmouth College. He is also editor-in-chief of the Cambridge Dictionary of Philosophy and the Journal of Philosophical Research.

Prof. Audi's talk with take place April 13, 11:30 - 1:00, Ketchum Hall 116. Lunch will be served.

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November 12, 2004 – Prof. James Weinstein
"Free Speech Theory - A Practical Application"

Prof. Weinstein will give a talk in the Political Science Department, November 12, 2005, followed by a discussion. The talk and discussion will take place 11:30 - 1:00, Room 116, Ketchum Hall. Lunch will be provided.

Prof. Weinstein clerked with the chief justice of the 9th circuit court of appeals, was in private practice for six years, and has been at Arizona State Law School since 1986. He is the author of numerous articles and book chapters on various legal and constitutional issues, including hate speech legislation, language rights, judicial jurisdiction, abortion access, campaign financing law, nude dancing and database protection. He is also the author of Hate Speech, Pornography and the Radical Attack on Free Speech Doctrine, published with Westview in 1999.

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2003 – Prof. Kent Greenawalt, public lecture and faculty colloquium
"Religion in the Public Schools"

Kent Greenawalt, University Profesor, Columiba Univesity School of Law will give a public lecture on "Religion in the Public Schools," Sept. 25th, 5:30 pm, Old main Chapel. His lecture will be followedby a change to ask him questions. Prof. Greenawalt will also be giving a fauclty colloquium, Sept. 26th, at the CU Law School, on the topic of evolutionism, creationism, and intelligent design.

Before joining the Columbia faculty, Prof. Greenawalt served as law clerk to US Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan. He has worked in a variety of academic and nonacademic positions, including as attorney for the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights in Jackson, Mississippi,; Member of the Due Process Committee for the ACLU; Deputy US Solicitor General; Editor-in-Chief, Columbia Law Review; and as Fellow at vairous times at Cambridge, Oxford, the ACLS, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. His main interests are in constitutional law and jurisprudence, with special emphasis on church and state, freedom of speech, civil disobedience and criminal responsibility. His publications include Conflicts of Law and Morality (1987); Religious Convictions and Political Choice (1988); Speech, Crime and the Uses of Language (1989); Law and Objectivity (1992); Fighting Words (1995); Private Consciences and Public Reasons (1995); Statutory Interpretation: Twenty Questions (1999); Does God Belong in the Public Schools? (2005); Religion and the Constitutions, Vol. 1: Free Exercise and Fairness (2006); Religion and the Constitution, Vol. 2: Establishment and Fairness (2007).

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Apr. 23, 2003 – Civil Liberties, CU & You

A panel discussion on CU's response to current civil liberties issues.

Panel members:

Bobby Schnabel
Assoc. Vice Chancellor for Academic and Campus Technology

Profs. Larry Bell
Director, International Student and Scholar Services, Office of International Education

Susan Anthes
Assoc. Director for Public Services, CU-Boulder Libraries

Brice Austin
Head of Circulation Services, CU-Boulder Libraries

Douglas Vaughan, Jr.
President of Vaughan Agency, Private Investigator

Steven A. Burton
President of Fenix Enterprises, Private Investigator

Sponsored by Faculty and Staff Against the War and the Keller Center.

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Sep. 11-12, 2003 – Balancing Liberty and Security after 9/11

On the second anniversary of 9/11, distinguished scholars will examine clashes between the war on terrorism and traditional civil liberties. All events are free and open to the public.

See the details of this event...

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The LeRoy Keller Center 333 UCB  |  Boulder, CO 80309-0333  |  Phone: 303-492-6662 Email: mapel@colorado.edu