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MPR airs conversation with Wall Street Journal columnist at St. Olaf

Wall Street Journal columnist, widely acclaimed historian, and foreign policy expert Walter Russell Mead speaks on campus October 30.

Minnesota Public Radio listeners have the opportunity to tune in to the Institute for Freedom & Community’s recent conversation with Wall Street Journal columnist, widely acclaimed historian, and foreign policy expert Walter Russell Mead.

The “MPR News Presents” program broadcast the conversation, led by Morrison Family Director of the Institute for Freedom and Community Edmund Santurri, on air November 14. Listeners can also tune in via the MPR News broadcast web page.

Mead and Santurri’s exchange, titled “Examining ‘America First’: Nationalism and Jacksonian Democracy in the 21st Century,” analyzed President Trump’s foreign and domestic goals through a populist lens.

The conversation, held on campus October 30, is part of the Institute for Freedom and Community’s fall lecture series on Patriotism, Nationalism, and the Idea of America. The series is exploring 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.

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.

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.