David Brooks to speak on campus as part of Institute’s fall lecture series
New York Times columnist, best-selling author, and frequent political commentator David Brooks will present a keynote address at St. Olaf College on September 24 to launch the Institute for Freedom & Community’s fall lecture series on Patriotism, Nationalism, and the Idea of America.
The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in Boe Memorial Chapel and is free and open to the public. It will also be streamed and archived online.
Brooks is a bi-weekly columnist for the New York Times and a regular political analyst on PBS NewsHour and National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. His most recent books include The Road to Character and The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement.
“Widely regarded as one of the most engaging and insightful political commentators of our time, David Brooks often reflects on the meaning of America. He advocates what might be called a chastened nationalism, one that celebrates the virtues of America but also worries about new forms of American tribalism both domestic and international,” says Morrison Family Director of the Institute for Freedom and Community Edmund Santurri. “He commends an American patriotism that prizes national unity but appreciates diversity both within the nation and in the larger world.”
Brooks earned his degree in history at University of Chicago in 1983 and has since held a variety of senior positions at major news outlets, including The Weekly Standard, Newsweek, the Atlantic Monthly, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2010, he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He currently teaches at Yale University and was recently appointed as an Executive Director of the Aspen Institute.
“Few are as well-positioned as David Brooks to keynote the Institute’s fall program on ‘Patriotism, Nationalism and the Idea of America.’” — Edmund Santurri
Established at St. Olaf in 2014, the Institute for Freedom and Community encourages free inquiry and meaningful debate of important political and social issues. Through its range of programming for students, faculty, and the general public, the Institute offers a distinctive opportunity to cultivate civil discourse within the context of the liberal arts.
The Institute’s fall series will explore the meaning of America in 2018 from a variety of different perspectives. What kind of role should America be playing on the world stage? What kinds of values and experiences can unite Americans from all different backgrounds? What do American citizens owe to themselves, to their families, and to other Americans? Answers to these questions are neither simple nor easy, but they form the foundation on which we build our shared political life.
According to Santurri, “Few are as well-positioned as David Brooks to keynote the Institute’s fall program on Patriotism, Nationalism and the Idea of America.“
Please visit the Institute’s website for the full list of fall speakers, and sign up for the quarterly newsletter to receive regular updates and information about Institute programming.