Professor Ronald J. Pestritto explores the progressive political beliefs of Woodrow Wilson, examining his disagreements with the Founding Fathers' political theory of natural rights as expressed in the Declaration of Independence.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session three, and select the corresponding RealAudio link to the left.

Professors Ronald J. Pestritto and Lance Robinson review the historical sources from which political progressives drew and developed their ideas, including G.W.F. Hegel (1770-1831). They also look also at how education shaped the thought of progressives.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session two, and select the corresponding RealAudio link to the left.

Professors Ronald J. Pestritto and Lance Robinson trace the development of political thought in the U.S., beginning with that suggested in the works and actions of the Founding Fathers and contrasting those views with those of later progressives.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session one, and select the corresponding RealAudio link to the left.

Professor Lucas E. Morel discusses the history of affirmative action in the U.S., looking at how it has changed from the early 1960s to the present day. He examines particularly the 2003 U.S. Supreme Court cases Grutter v. Bollinger and Gratz v. Bollinger, both on affirmative action.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session thirteen, and select either the RealAudio link or image in the gray bar to the left of the main body of text.

Dr. Carol Swain speaks about her own views on race relations and the development of race relations, particularly her view that a new "white nationalism" has replaced outright racism in the U.S. today.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to the Thursday, August 7th guest lecture; and select the corresponding RealAudio link to the left.

Dr. Raymond Wolters examines the life of W.E.B. Du Bois and his roles as both scholar and activist.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to the Tuesday, August fifth, guest lecture; and select the corresponding RealAudio link to the left.

Professor Jeffrey Sikkenga looks at the Second Amendment and its interpretation. He focuses on the 1939 U.S. Supreme Court case U.S. v. Miller, which has been interpreted as both supporting gun control and supporting the right to bear arms.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session 12, and select the corresponding RealAudio link to the left.

Professor Jeffrey Sikkenga examines freedom of speech and continues on to examine the definition and development of the rights of individuals formally accused of crime. He focuses on the 1966 Supreme Court case Miranda v. Arizona and the 2000 case Dickerson v. U.S., which established and upheld the "Miranda rights"—that is, the reading of an individual's rights to silence and representation upon arrest.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session 11, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the main body of text.

Professor Ken Masugi discusses legal definitions and development of the First Amendment's freedom of religion. He focuses on the 1992 U.S. Supreme Court case Lee v. Weisman, in which the Supreme Court decided in favor of continued limitation of prayer in public schools.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session 10, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the main body of text.

Professor Jeffrey Sikkenga discusses legal definitions and development of the First Amendment's freedom of speech. He focuses on the 1989 U.S. Supreme Court Texas v. Johnson, which declared flag-burning an act of free speech and the 2003 Supreme Court case Virginia v. Black, which declared cross-burning a free-speech act. He begins with an examination of textual interpretation of the Constitution.

To listen to this lecture, scroll to session nine, and select the RealAudio link to the left of the main body of text.