"In America, censorship surges in periods of demographic and political change. Its primary purpose is to silence challenges to an established elite or norm. Today, censorship is part of a larger assault on such American institutions as schools, public libraries, and universities, the better to establish more control over the people--while also pilfering their wallets. In this concise look at censorship, author James LaRue explores the topic through...

The American Left is pushing a big lie right now: that President Donald Trump, the Republican Party, and conservatives are a fascist threat. That threat is so grave, the Left tells us, that it justifies violent 'anti-fascist' protests, the shouting down of conservative speakers, and demands (that started even before he was sworn in) for the impeachment and assassination of the democratically elected president of the United States. But this is actually...

A scholar of international relations outlines compelling arguments in favor of America's enduring relevance and why an active military presence is essential to preserving and enforcing the nation's foreign policies. "'Speak softly and carry a big stick,' Theodore Roosevelt famously said in 1901, when the United States was emerging as a great power. It was the right sentiment, perhaps, in an age of imperial rivalry, but today many Americans doubt...

Sociologist Arlie Hochschild embarks on a journey from her liberal hometown of Berkeley, California, deep into Louisiana bayou country -- a stronghold of the conservative right. As she gets to know people who strongly oppose many of the ideas she champions, Hochschild nevertheless finds common ground and quickly warms to the people she meets -- among them a Tea Party activist whose town has been swallowed by a sinkhole caused by a drilling accident...

"Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis. Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part...

"As Ferguson, Missouri, erupted in August 2014, and media commentators across the ideological spectrum referred to the angry response of African Americans as 'black rage,' historian Carol Anderson wrote a remarkable op-ed in the Washington Post showing that this was, instead, 'white rage at work. With so much attention on the flames,' she writes, 'everyone had ignored the kindling.' Since 1865 and the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment, every time...

Five experts (John Dunn, Karl Gerth, Martin Jay, Josiah Ober, and Quentin Skinner) give their perspectives on different aspects of democracy: its meaning in different cultures and in different times, and possible ways to improve the way it works today.

"From the award-winning journalist and best-selling author of America's Bitter Pill: a tour de force examination of 1) how and why major American institutions no longer serve us as they should, causing a deep rift between the vulnerable majority and the protected few, and 2) how some individuals and organizations are laying the foundation for real, lasting change. In this revelatory narrative covering the years 1967 to 2017, Steven Brill gives us...

You've already seen how public speakers dominated the assemblies. Now take a look at the politicians whose voices rose above the fray. While every citizen theoretically had a voice in the democracy, a few politicians and demagogues tended to dominate. Learn about Cleon, Alcibiades, and others.

Athenian democracy had both a political and a legal component. In this lecture, take a deep dive into the city-state's legal system, from the central role of the courts to the procedures of a trial. The process of arraignment, jury selection, and sentencing will sound familiar. Reflect on the strengths and flaws of the legal system.