Tuesday with a Scholar

January 24: What Should We Do about the Electoral College?
Even though those who understand foreigners find it incomprehensible, and even those who understand the American electoral system have difficulty explaining how it is possible for a U.S. presidential candidate to win the popular vote but lose the election. It has happened twice already in the 21st century. Is the Electoral College system in need of reform or should it be abolished altogether? Join Mark Bohnhorst for a penetrating look at an increasingly problematic American institution. 

Bohnhorst is retired Associate General Counsel of the University of Minnesota.

January 31: Battling Minnesota's Anti-Semites in the Hitler Years
In 1938, Nazism was at the apex of its political power in Germany; and even in distant Minnesota, there were dark appeals to anti-Semitism in public life. Join Jon Butler for the story of how the Jewish Community Relations Council of Minnesota took on the forces of prejudice in one of the lesser known chapters in our State’s history.

Butler is Howard R. Lamar Professor Emeritus of American Studies, History, and Religious Studies at Yale University. He is currently an adjunct research professor at the University of MN, where he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees. This event is funded with money from Minnesota's Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

February 7: Gun Control: Why Is It So Hard?
The United States is unique among industrialized nations for its high rates of gun-related injuries and deaths. And the problem has only increased since the start of the Covid pandemic. Meanwhile, meaningful gun control legislation remains elusive. Join John Roman as he offers his ideas on past obstacles and future avenues to a solution to the problem that continues to tear at the fiber of our society. 

Roman is a senior fellow in the Economics, Justice and Society Group at NORC at the University of Chicago. His research focuses on the economics of crime in juvenile and adult justice systems.

February 14: The Languages We Speak and What Happened to Them
Languages are often connected with each other, but how exactly? How can we say with a clear conscience that English and Latin and Russian are all part of one linguistic family? What happened to them? Did they choose to be different? Can we still recognize words in one language as the cousins of words in another language? Join Ari Hoptman as he answers questions like these, and explores how linguists view the world.
Hoptman is a senior lecturer in German at the University of Minnesota. 

Presented in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute of the University of Minnesota and funded with money from Ramsey County Library Friends, unless otherwise noted.

This is an online class offered remotely using Zoom communication software. Register online or by phone: 651-724-6001 (press #2).

You must provide a valid email address to participate. After registration, participants will receive an email from the library prior to class with additional instructions including a link (or URL) that will be used as an invitation to enter the online class.