Political Science Department

Friday, October 16

Preventing Unchecked Power: Legislatures and Liberty from the Founding to Today

1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m., Viking Union Multipurpose Room

In the wake of the Revolution, political leaders put Congress, the legislative branch, front and center as they sought to set up a limited government to promote individual liberty. How and why did they think the legislature, rather than other branches of government, was best suited to representing citizen interests and protecting individual liberty? How has this changed over time? And what challenges do members of Congress today face in living out this legacy? 

Panelists Include: Jaime Herrera Beutler, former US Congressional Representative; Jennifer Victor, George Mason University; Craig Yirush, University of California Los Angeles

Subjects to Citizens: Civic Action and Social Change

3:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m., Viking Union Multipurpose Room

The American Revolution was more than an independence movement. It transformed Americans' relationship with themselves. No longer subjects of a King, the people themselves were now responsible for creating the kind of society they wanted. This panel will examine how citizens across American history organized for social change and the impact they had on American democracy.

Panelists Include: Abigail Dym, Bowdoin College; Vicki Hsueh, Western Washington University; Reeve Huston, Duke University

Thursday, October 15

Taking a Stand: The Force of Revolution

5:00 p.m., Viking Union Multipurpose Room

250 years ago, Americans took a stand against tyranny. For each person involved, choosing to side with the patriots meant risking their lives, families, and livelihoods for a larger cause. In her talk, Professor Freeman will explore how, in times of crisis like the American Revolution, elite and ordinary people mobilize to protect what matters most to them, and how collectively they can make a difference. Deciding to take a stand was not an easy decision then, any more than it is today.

Joanne Freeman

Alan Boles Professor of History and American Studies, Yale University

Joanne Freeman, Alan Boles Professor of History and American Studies at Yale University and an elected member of the Society of American Historians, is a leading scholar of revolutionary and early national America history and political culture. Her first book, Affairs of Honor: National Politics in the New Republic, won the Best Book award from the Society of Historians of the Early American Republic. Her most recent book, The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress and the Road to Civil War, was a finalist for the Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize, a New York Times Notable Book, and a best book for Mother Jones, NPR, and Smithsonian.

Long committed to public-minded history, Freeman gives frequent public programs and teaching workshops. She is a frequent speaker in major news outlets such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, and The Atlantic, and hosts multiple podcasts on American history and current events.

Join Political Science students, faculty and staff for a reception to reconnect with friends, talk with faculty, and welcome in the new academic year.  

Join Professor Rudy Alamillo to learn about the Political Science Honors Program and joining Delta Tau, Western's Chapter of the national Political Science Honors society, Pi Sigma Alpha.  Pizza lunch will be served.

Join Professor Todd Donovan and others to learn about internship opportunities in Political Science, how to earn academic credit for the experience, and how to incorporate an internship into your Political Science major or minor.  Special guests will include recruiters for the WA Legislative Internship who will talk about this incredible opportunity to intern at the State capitol in Olympia in Winter 2027.

Pizza lunch will be served.