Programs

Program Description: A Time magazine cover story in August of 1973 revealed “The Good Life in Minnesota” to the nation and world. This iconic moment in our state's history defined us as an exceptional place: educated, progressive and pragmatic, innovative, and more evenly prosperous than most other
states. A half-century later, retired journalist Dane Smith is re-evaluating Minnesota's essence and basic condition in a series of articles published in the online newspaper MinnPost. Smith will summarize his analysis of the state's evolution from various angles: demographic, political, cultural, environmental and economic.

Program Speaker: Dane Smith is a retired journalist and public policy advocate. A Texas native who grew up in Alaska, Smith served in the U.S. Navy and happened to be moving to Minnesota the very week that the 1973 Time article was published. He graduated with a degree in Journalism from the University of St. Thomas in 1977 and enjoyed a 30-year career as a reporter for both the Star Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, covering Minnesota politics and government at the federal, state, and local levels. From 2007 until his full retirement in 2022, Smith was president and senior policy fellow for Growth & Justice, a
non-partisan organization that advocated for a more inclusive and equitable economy in Minnesota.

Program Information: Wednesdays, beginning February 7, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m., online live-simulcast via Zoom (this is an online-only program). The Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants on February 5, 2024.

Fee for the series: $100.00 per person

To register online with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Program Sessions:

• February 7: Reappraising Minnesota: Reviewing the Rankings and Divining Our Essence After a Half-Century of Political Winds and Tides
• February 14: Reappraising Minnesota: Emergence of Racial Disparity and Climate Change as Topmost Concerns
• February 21: Reappraising Minnesota: Evaluating Arts & Culture, Rural-Metro Divide, Business Climate
• February 28: Reappraising Minnesota: Optimistic Prescriptions for a More Inclusive, Equitable and Sustainable North Star State

Event Description: The lecture will address the relationship between Pope Francis’ pontificate, the Synod on Synodality, and the American Catholic Church. The first part will be a short history of the Synod on synodality (2021-) and a synthesis of the first assembly (October 2023); the second part will analyze some deeper theological and ecclesial issues under the issues debated at the Synod.

Event Speaker: Dr. Massimo Faggioli, a married lay Roman Catholic, is full professor in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies at Villanova University (Philadelphia). He worked in the “John XXIII Foundation for Religious Studies” in Bologna between 1996 and 2008.

He was founding co-chair of the study group “Vatican II Studies” for the American Academy of Religion between 2012 and 2017. He has a column in La Croix International, and is contributing writer for Commonweal magazine and for the Italian magazine Il Regno. He is member of the steering committee for the project “Vatican II: Legacy and Mandate” for a multi-volume, intercontinental commentary of Vatican II. He is co-editor with Bryan Froehle of the new series “Studies in Global Catholicism” for Brill Publishers (first volume scheduled 2024). In 2023 he has been elected to the board of editors of the international journal of theology Concilium.

His books and articles have been published in more than ten languages. His latest books are Catholicism and Citizenship: Political Cultures of the Church in the Twenty-First Century (Liturgical Press 2017), The Liminal Papacy of Pope Francis. Moving Toward Global Catholicity (Orbis Books, 2020), and Joe Biden and Catholicism in the United States (Bayard 2021). With Catherine Clifford he is the co-editor of The Oxford Handbook of Vatican II (Oxford University Press, 2023) and he is under contract with Oxford University Press for a book on the history of the Roman Curia. He lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife and their two children.

Event Information: Wednesday, March 6, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m., online live-simulcast via Zoom (this is an online-only program). The Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants on March 4, 2024.

Fee for the event: $30.00 per person

To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Program Description: What is the American West, a place or an idea? If it’s a place, what are its boundaries? If it’s an idea, what power does it have? This six week course will examine the history of the West as both an idea and a place, including well known stories such as the Oregon Trail, Custer’s defeat at the Little Bighorn, and the heyday of ranching and cowboys. This course will also look at lesser known Western events and people, including Marguerite McKay and the history of the Seattle General Strike. Through these stories and more, students will gain a full understanding of the American West and see why the region and its characters have fascinated Americans for generations.

Program Speaker: Dr. Stephen Hausmann received his PhD in American History in 2019 and has taught at the University of St. Thomas for four years. His research focuses on natural disasters in cities in the American West, and he has been published in outlets including the Western Historical Quarterly and The Washington Post. His previous Selim Center courses include Twentieth Century US History and Contemporary Native American History.

Program Information: Thursdays, beginning February 8, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m., online live-simulcast via Zoom (this is an online-only program). The Zoom link will be emailed to registered participants on February 6, 2024.

Fee for the series: $150.00 per person

To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Program Sessions:

• February 8: Many Wests
• February 15: The (Very) Old West
• February 22: The Midwest and the West
• February 29: Who's West?
• March 7: Mythic Wests
• March 14: Today's West

Program Description: The objective of this course is to study some of the ways in which the traditions of Hinduism have understood and responded to fundamental questions concerning the nature and meaning of existence. We will be exploring teachings about the basic human dilemma and the solutions offered. We will investigate the Hindu understanding of the divine and the divine relationship with human beings. We will learn about Hindu rituals and the worship traditions, and study selections from Hindu sacred texts including the Upanishads and the Bhagavadgita.

Program Speaker: Anantanand Rambachan is Professor Emeritus of Religion at Saint Olaf College, Minnesota, USA (1985-2021). He was also a Forum Humanum Visiting Professor at the Academy for the Study of World Religions at the University of Hamburg in Germany (2013-2017). His books include Accomplishing the Accomplished: The Vedas as a Source of Valid Knowledge in Ṡaṅkara; The Limits of Scripture: Vivekananda's Reinterpretation of the Authority of the Vedas, The Advaita Worldview: God, World and Humanity, A Hindu Theology of Liberation: Not-Two is Not-One; Essays in Hindu Theology and Pathways to Hindu-Christian Dialogue. In addition, Professor Rambachan has authored numerous book chapters and journal essays. His scholarly interests include the Advaita (Non-dual) Vedanta tradition, Hindu ethics, liberation theology, comparative theology, and interreligous dialogue. The British Broadcasting Corporation transmitted a series of 25 lectures on Hinduism by Prof. Rambachan around the world. Prof. Rambachan has been involved in interreligious relations and dialogue for over 40 years, as a Hindu contributor and analyst. He is a Co-President of Religions for Peace, the largest global interfaith network, and serves as President of the Board, Arigatou International NY, a global organization advocating for the rights of children and mobilizing the resources of religions to overcome violence against children. He also Chairs the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Multifaith Network. He is active in the dialogue programs of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Interreligious Dialogue at the Vatican, and currently participates in the Ethics in Action dialogues at the Pontifical Academy of Sciences. In 2008, at the invitation of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Professor Rambachan delivered the distinguished Lambeth Interfaith Lecture at the Lambeth Palace in London. Professor Rambachan led the first two White House Celebrations of the Hindu Festival of Diwali in 2003 and 2004.

Program Information: Tuesdays, beginning April 2, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus. If you are registering for the online live-simulcast via Zoom, you will be sent the join URL on March 29, 2024.

Fee for the series: $150.00 per person

To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Link to campus map: Campus Map

Program Description: This course will provide a broad overview of the history, national identity/ies, and politics of Belarus, Russia, and Ukraine. We will focus on how revolution and nation-building in these states during and after the Soviet era presented challenges to democratization in these states today and how these challenges to democratic governance connect to the current war in Ukraine.

Program Speaker: Dr. Renee Buhr joined UST in 2008 with specializations in International Relations and Comparative Politics. Her research interests include the study of nationalism and politics in Europe and the Former Soviet States and the effects of European integration. In addition to her teaching and research at St. Thomas, she has worked as a visiting researcher and professor at Sciences Po-Bordeaux, an institute for political studies in France. Dr. Buhr studied at the University of Wisconsin and the University of Chicago, as well as the Institut d'Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po-Aix) in Aix-en Provence, France. She worked in a number of organizations outside of academia, including the RAND Corporation, the Central Intelligence Agency and the World Bank (International Finance Corporation). She uses all of these experiences – academic and professional – to teach and advise students interested in Political Science and International Studies, and has served as the Director for the International Studies major since 2012.

Program Information: Wednesdays, beginning April 3, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus. If you are registering for the online live-simulcast via Zoom, you will be sent the join URL on April 1, 2024.

Fee for the series: $75.00 per person

To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Link to campus map: Campus Map

Program Sessions:

• April 3: Revolution and Nation-Building in the Soviet Era: Making the "New Soviet Man"
• April 10: Post-Soviet Russia and Belarus - Methods of autocratic consolidation
• April 17: Post-Soviet Ukraine - Ukraine's democratization efforts and Russia's backlash

Program Description: While some aspects of the arts of Scandinavia—Munch and Modern Design, for example—are well known, there is much about the region's rich artistic accomplishment that remains unfamiliar to many outside the Nordic countries. This course explores Scandinavian arts from prehistoric stone tools and tombs to stunning contemporary architecture and design, showing a lively interchange of ideas and influences with areas near and far.

Program Speaker: Kristin Anderson is a Professor of Art at Augsburg University in Minneapolis. Her courses include art history and architectural history surveys as well as more specialized offerings such as American Art, Scandinavian Art, and Women and Art. She also teaches a popular course, The Designed Environment, about the architectural and urban history of the Twin Cities. The class meets at a different location for each session, bringing students face-to-face with the buildings and spaces they study. In 2005, Kristin received the Distinguished Contributions to Teaching and Learning Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Kristin's current writing and research is focused on sports architecture, and she is co-authoring a book on the history of sports facilities in the Twin Cities for the University of Minnesota Press. Other research interests include Scandinavian-American immigrant folk art and the altar paintings tradition of the Norwegian-Americans. A popular speaker in community and church settings, Kristin also gives tours and presentations at Target Field, focusing on architecture, sustainability issues, women in baseball, and art at the ballpark.

From 2013 until 2018, Kristin served as the president of the Minnesota Chapter of the Society of Architectural Historians (MNSAH), and she was the local co-chair for the 2018 Society of Architectural Historians International Conference in St. Paul. She serves on the Minnesota State Review Board for National Register of Historic Places designations, and she was the chair of this board from 2015 until 2022.

A graduate of Oberlin College, Kristin has master's degrees in art history (University of Minnesota) and church history (Luther Seminary) as well as a PhD in American Art, Architecture, and Popular Culture from the University of Minnesota.

Program Information: Wednesdays, beginning April 3, 2024, 1:00-2:45 p.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus. If you are registering for the online live-simulcast via Zoom, you will be sent the join URL on April 1, 2024.

Fee for the series: $150.00 per person

To register online with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Link to campus map: Campus Map

Program Sessions:

Program Description: The rise of China has a profound impact on the political and economic landscape of the globe. What are the strengths and weaknesses of China's development model? How does China's domestic policy its relationship with the outside world? We will explore those topics through an in-depth discussion of such cases as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang, and their implications for China-U.S. relations

Program Speaker: Zhenqing Zhang came to the University of Minnesota for his Ph.D. in political science in 2001. After obtaining his Ph.D. and working as a post-doctoral fellow at Princeton University (2011-2012), he taught political science at Hamline University from 2012 to the present. He has conducted field research in nine Chinese provinces and interviewed over two hundred people at different walks of life. As the author of Intellectual Property Rights in China (University of Pennsylvania Press, 2019), he is currently working on his second book, which is on Chinese movie industry. Having taught a program entitled “U.S., China, and U.S.-China Relations” in Spring, 2022, Dr. Zhang will teach a program at Selim Center in Spring, 2024, for the second time.

Program Information: Thursdays, beginning April 4, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus. If you are registering for the online live-simulcast via Zoom, you will be sent the join URL on April 2, 2024.

Fee for the series: $150.00 per person

To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Link to campus map: Campus Map

Program Sessions:

• April 4: China's Rise since the Late 1970s: A Brief Overview
• April 11: The Issue of Hong Kong: Initial Encounter Between a Rising China and the Western World
• April 18: The Issue of Taiwan: A Powder Keg in U.S.-China Relations?
• April 25: The Issue of Tibet: Chinese Ethnic Minority and Beyond
• May 2: The Issue of Xinjiang: How Does It Imply for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)
• May 9: The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and China's Vision for Global Economic Order

Program Description: Since the founding of the United States, various interest groups have argued that the federal government should either exert or limit its influence abroad. Depending on popular sentiments and global tensions, the US has shifted the political tenor, financial commitments, and cultural investments of its relationships in the Middle East. These policies have had consequences for internal American dynamics, as well. This course examines the relationship of the United States, as well as American non-state actors, with the states and populations of the Middle East.

Program Speaker: Shaherzad Ahmadi is an Associate Professor of History at the University of St. Thomas. She has published articles in the major journals of her field; her book, Bordering on War, will be published by the University of Texas Press in the winter of 2024.

Program Information: Thursdays, beginning April 4, 2024, 1:00-2:45 p.m., O'Shaughnessy Educational Center Auditorium, University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus. If you are registering for the online live-simulcast via Zoom, you will be sent the join URL on April 2, 2024.

Fee for the series: $150.00 per person

To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Link to campus map: Campus Map

Program Sessions:

Lunch'n Explore events feature a talk and a lunch in a tabled setting.

Event Description: The 2024 elections in the US test an America at the crossroads. We are a nation divided across many dimensions, facing significant challenges and choices. This talk examines the importance of the national and state elections, looking at the factors that will decide the winners and what it will mean for the US in the next four years.

Event Speaker: David Schultz is Distinguished University Professor in the Departments of Political Science, Environmental Studies, and Legal Studies at Hamline University. He is also a professor of Law at the University of Minnesota and at the University of St. Thomas and at the Lithuanian Military Academy. A four-time Fulbright scholar who has taught extensively in Europe and Asia, and the winner of the Leslie A. Whittington National Award for excellence in public affairs teaching, David is the author of more than 45 books and 200+ articles on various aspects of American politics, election law, and the media and politics.

Event Information: Friday, May 3, 2024, 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Anderson Student Center, Woulfe Hall (3rd Floor), University of St. Thomas St. Paul Campus (seating begins at 11:25 a.m. for this event with meal service beginning at 11:35 a.m.). The online live-simulcast via Zoom will begin at 12:15 p.m. (if you register for the online version, you will receive the join URL on May 1).

Meal Information: Box Lunches with assorted sandwiches, fruit & dessert; beverages include Coffee (reg. & decaf), tea, and water. If you have a dietary accommodation (e.g., vegetarian, gluten-free), please include this when you register. If you forget to do so, please contact the Selim Center by no later than April 22 to request a dietary accommodation.

Fee for the event: $45.00 per person (registration deadline for this event is April 22 for in-person & May 2 for the online simulcast)

To register online with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Link to campus map: Campus Map

There are three more classes still to come for the Spring 2024 schedule. They will be added as soon as they are signed. The classes include:

• Tuesday Afternoons, April 2-May 7, 2024, 1:00-2:45 p.m.
• Wednesday Mornings, April 24-May 8, 2024, 10:00-11:45 a.m.
• Lunch'n Explore, April 19, 2024, 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

Each class will have its own listing that includes a complete description and instructor information, followed by the registration block you'll see below. If you have any questions prior to launch day, please contact the Selim Center at selimcenter@stthomas.edu.

To register on-line with a credit card on our secure page, click on this link: Epayment Site

To register by check or cash, or to redeem a voucher, please complete this registration form and mail back to the address on the form: Printable Registration Form

Link to campus map: Campus Map