Announcing the 2019 summer lecture series, “Critical Thinking for the Preservation of Our Democracy,” the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Dartmouth says, “Recently, there has been a sharp decline in critical thinking—listening thoughtfully and objectively evaluating different points on an issue.”

Over the next six weeks, on Thursdays from 9 to 11:30 a.m., in Spaulding Auditorium, 18 speakers will demonstrate critical thinking in action, debating the following topics. (The first one, on freedom of speech, with speakers Owen Fiss, a professor of law, Yale Law School, and Akhil Reed Amar, a professor of law at Yale College and Yale Law School and moderator David Bisno, MALS ’94, a constitutional law scholar, took place today.)

• July 18—Gun Rights. Speakers: Joseph Blocher, professor of law, Duke University School of Law, and Erin Murphy, partner and litigator, Kirkland & Ellis. Moderator: John Garvey, professor, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law
• July 25—Affirmative Action. Speakers: Neal Katyal ’91, former U.S. Acting Solicitor General, partner, Hogan Lovells, and professor of law, Georgetown University; and Adam Mortara, partner, Bartlit Beck, and lecturer, University of Chicago Law School. Moderator: Daniel Benjamin, director, John Sloan Dickey Center for International Understanding
• Aug. 1—Freedom of the Press. Speakers: RonNell Anderson Jones, professor of law, University of Utah S.J. Quinney College School of Law, and Andrew Phillips, partner and litigator, Clare Locke. Moderator: Richard Tofel, president of ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative journalism organization
• Aug. 8—Individual Privacy. Speakers: Jennifer Daskal, professor of law, American University Washington College of Law, and Neil Richards, professor of law, Washington University School of Law. Moderator: Peter Teachout, professor of law, Vermont Law School
• Aug. 15—Voting Rights. Speakers: Debo Adegbile, partner, WilmerHale law firm, and Bradley Smith, professor of law, Capital University Law School. Moderator: John Greabe ’85, professor of law, University of New Hampshire Franklin Pierce School of Law

Admission is free for Dartmouth students, staff, and faculty who present a College ID at the door. Find more information about tickets, the series, and videos of past summer programs, at the Osher@Dartmouth website.

Charlotte Albright can be reached at charlotte.e.albright@dartmouth.edu.