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Ford Hall Forum

The Ford Hall Forum is the nation's oldest continuously operating free public lecture series. Its mission is to foster an informed and effective citizenry and to promote freedom of speech through the public presentation of lectures, debates, and discussions. Forum events illuminate the key issues facing our society by bringing to its podium knowledgeable and thought-provoking speakers. These speakers are presented in person, for free, and in settings, which facilitate frank and open debate.

http://www.fordhallforum.org/

Militarization and US Policy — Costs, Consequences, and COVID-19

Wed, Jul 15, 2020

Many argue that the Trump Doctrine in foreign policy has been characterized by a retreat from global leadership in multilateral institutions, abandonment of traditional diplomacy, strained relationships with allies, and an enhanced projection of military strength. The response to the coronavirus pandemic has been similar; an insistence on going solo. What have been the costs and consequences of an over-reliance on the militarization of U.S. policy abroad and at home? What role should the military play in U.S. democracy and how has the pandemic impacted our ability to respond to national security threats, both traditional and new, such as COVID-19 and climate change? "Politics in the Time of Global Pandemic" is a Suffolk University lecture series presented with the Ford Hall Forum and WGBH Forum Network. It is designed as a broad examination of the themes of interest to political scientists and public policy experts. The series is part of a novel online course offered to incoming Suffolk students and made available to the public. This week, Andrew Bacevich, president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft, joins Michal Ben-Joseph Hirsch, an assistant professor in the Political Science & Legal Studies Department at Suffolk University. **Civic Engagement Activity & Reflection** Engage in at least one civic / political event of your choice during the course and document this with a short reflection essay. Try a virtual town or city hall meeting with local or state representatives, a meeting of an activist group, etc. The reflection should draw on readings from assignments and your own additional research. Members of the public who wish to share their reflections should post a link on Twitter and tag [@GBHForumNetwork ](https://twitter.com/GBHForumNetwork) and [@supolscilegal](https://twitter.com/supolscilegal).

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From Quorum to Proxy: Governing, Representing and Campaigning Remotely

Wed, Jul 8, 2020

Congressman Jim McGovern (D-MA) joins Suffolk University's Ford Hall Forum to discuss the changing landscape of governing, serving constituents, and running for office in a time of global pandemic. How has Congress adapted to manage its business during the major crises facing the nation: COVID-19, its economic impact, and the growing movement for social justice? To what extent have new rules impacted this vital work? What challenges does Congress face in responding to unprecedented times and what will be the most likely next steps? How do Members keep in touch with their constituents, whose needs are now greater than ever? What does a virtual campaign look like and how will all of this impact voting in remaining primaries and November's General Election? **Civic Engagement Activity & Reflection** Engage in at least one civic / political event of your choice during the course and document this with a short reflection essay. Try a virtual town or city hall meeting with local or state representatives, a meeting of an activist group, etc. The reflection should draw on readings from assignments and your own additional research. Members of the public who wish to share their reflections should post a link on Twitter and tag [@GBHForumNetwork ](https://twitter.com/GBHForumNetwork) and [@supolscilegal](https://twitter.com/supolscilegal).

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Misinformation Wars

Wed, Jul 1, 2020

How does information, as well as misinformation impact public understanding of the COVID-19 pandemic? Distribution of information in this global crisis is a powerful role: where, how and from whom do people get their information and how does it shape their behavior? A panel of experts look closely at research happening in real time during the pandemic on the rapid decline in trust in public institutions, public figures, and the media. They discuss the resulting impact on the health of democracy. The panel includes Felice J. Freyer, a health policy and public health reporter at The Boston Globe; Jennifer Kavanagh, a senior political scientist at the RAND Corporation; Jonas Kaiser, an affiliate at Harvard’s Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society; and Shoshana Madmoni-Gerber, an associate professor of Communication, Journalism, & Media and Suffolk University. **Follow the Course: Week #2 Assignment** Listen: FiveThirtyEight: [One Virus, A World Full Of Responses from FiveThirtyEight Politics](https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/fivethirtyeight-politics/id1077418457?i=1000475357937) Read: NGA [Coronavirus What You Need To Know](https://www.nga.org/coronavirus/#actions) (compare different actions taken by U.S. States in response to Covid-19) Washington Post: [How Democracies Can Survive Dilemmas like coronavirus](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/13/how-democracies-can-survive-crises-like-coronavirus/) Washington Post: [Which Kind of Democracies Respond More Effectively to a Pandemic?](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/05/19/which-kinds-democracies-respond-more-effectively-pandemic/) Mischiefs of Faction: [To Crack Down on Dissent in Hong Kong, Beijing is Sidelining Local Democratic Institutions ](https://www.mischiefsoffaction.com/post/to-crack-down-on-dissent-in-hong-kong-beijing-is-sidelining-local-democratic-institutions?postId=5ec828796fa6b600176fd79c) Freedom House Reports:[Democracy During Pandemic](https://freedomhouse.org/issues/democracy-during-pandemic) and [Digital Election Interference](https://freedomhouse.org/report/freedom-on-the-net/2019/the-crisis-of-social-media/digital-election-interference) **Civic Engagement Activity & Reflection** Engage in at least one civic / political event of your choice during the course and document this with a short reflection essay. Try a virtual town or city hall meeting with local or state representatives, a meeting of an activist group, etc. The reflection should draw on readings from assignments and your own additional research. Members of the public who wish to share their reflections should post a link on Twitter and tag [@GBHForumNetwork ](https://twitter.com/GBHForumNetwork) and [@supolscilegal](https://twitter.com/supolscilegal).

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The New Normal After COVID-19

Thu, May 28, 2020

The ongoing coronavirus outbreak has changed everything—from how we work to how we view our elected officials. David Paleologos, director of the Suffolk University Political Research Center, shares polling data on public sentiment from his recent surveys conducted in Massachusetts and across the country. Learn how Bay Staters and Americans in general are handling the pandemic, and what they think our new normal might look like. Panelists discuss the political implications of the pandemic as well as the big hurdles in our shared recovery, from voting to concert-going to riding the T. Joe Mathieu, anchor and executive editor for WGBH's Morning Edition moderates the discussion. Image: Pixabay.com

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A Patchwork of Responses to the Pandemic in Comparison

Wed, Jun 24, 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is a global event unlike any other experienced in the contemporary era. Its size, scope, reach, and implications are enormous, ongoing, and unequal. Outcomes — from how people all over the world will live their daily lives to whether democracy will survive — are all in question. This free, 9-week-long lecture series is designed to be a broad survey of many of the themes most of interest to political scientists and public policy experts and is part of an online course Suffolk University is offering this summer to incoming students. Panelists will discuss the differential impact of the pandemic around the world, and the differential responses across nations, comparing countries, regions and states in the context of democracy, populism, public trust, and compliance. To kick things off, Sebastián Royo, Ph.D., an expert on Southern European politics at Suffolk University, sits down with Mahrukh Doctor, Ph.D., an expert on Latin America focusing on Brazil at the University of Hull, and Vivien Schmidt, Ph.D., an expert on European political economy and institutional legitimacy at Boston University. _Image credit: Gina Jano Design_ **WEEK 1 ASSIGNMENTS** Listening assignment: Council on Foreign Relations "Epidemics in World History" https://www.cfr.org/podcasts/epidemics-world-history-frank-m-snowden Readings Weather Conditions & Covid-19 Transmission https://projects.iq.harvard.edu/covid19 “What History Can Teach Us About Building a Fairer Society after Coronavirus” by Richard Sayeed https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/apr/18/history-fairer-society-coronavirus-workers-black-death-spanish-flu Civic Engagement Activity & Reflection Students will be required to engage in at least one civic / political engagement event of their choice during the course of the term and document this with a short reflection essay. The type of event you attend remotely is up to you. It can be a virtual town or city hall meeting with local or state representatives, a meeting of an activist group, etc. The reflection must draw on readings from the class and your own additional research. Members of the public who wish to share their reflections should post a link on Twitter and tag [@ForumNetwork](https://twitter.com/ForumNetwork) and [@supolscilegal](https://twitter.com/supolscilegal).

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Championing A Cause: The Voice Of Today's Athlete

Tue, Oct 22, 2019

Today's professional athletes have increasingly leveraged their powerful voices and the platforms their mediated profession provides to influnce opinion and affect change. But should they? Join a unique and intimate conversation with some of the nation's most charitable and vocal athletes and representatives from across Boston's business and non-profit community. Image: [Pexels.com](http://www.pexels.com/photo/helmet-on-the-ground-2862718/)

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Frye Gaillard on his book "A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s"

Tue, Mar 26, 2019

Frye Gaillard discusses his book, "A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s, Our Decade of Hope, Possibility, and Innocence". It's a personal history of a pivotal time in American life. Gaillard explores the political and social movements of the times ― civil rights, black power, women’s liberation, the War in Vietnam, and the protests against it. He also examines the cultural manifestations of change at that time ― music, literature, art, religion, and science . Gaillard looks at the influence of the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr. as well as Malcolm X, Gloria Steinem, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Cash, Harper Lee, Mister Rogers, James Baldwin, Andy Warhol, Billy Graham, George Wallace, Richard Nixon, Angela Davis, Barry Goldwater, and the Beatles. Gaillard is joined for this Ford Hall Forum by Robert Poulton, Vice President, Marketing & Branding, NBC10 Boston, NECN & Telemundo Boston.

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Boston Talks About Racism

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The "First Amendment Award" Presented to Marty Baron

Wed, May 1, 2019

Watch Marty Baron, Executive Editor of _The Washington Post_ and former Editor of _The Boston Globe_, receive the Ford Hall Forum's First Amendment Award. The award recognizes Baron for his fearless defense of the free press. Baron’s relentless pursuit of the truth over his storied career and his defense of journalists especially in these turbulent times for the Fourth Estate has resulted in impactful and important journalism, with implications for years to come.

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Former Chief Justice Margaret Marshall's Radical Career

Wed, Apr 10, 2019

Former Chief Justice Margaret Marshall was the first woman to serve on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, a position that she held from 1999 until she retired in 2010. During her tenure, she worked to ensure equal access to justice for all, including our most vulnerable populations. Born and educated in South Africa, Marshall actively opposed the apartheid regime and served as the President of the National Union of South African students, a leading anti-apartheid organization. In 1968, she came to the United States on an academic scholarship. Unable to return home because of her political activism, she graduated from Harvard University with a master’s degree in education and Yale Law School and worked in private practice until the 1990s. From her early days in South Africa, Marshall has been a defender of human rights and equality for all individuals, as reflected in her judicial decisions. Margery Eagan, co-host of WGBH’s midday program Boston Public Radio, was the evening’s moderator.

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Safi Bahcall: Loonshots

Wed, Mar 20, 2019

Physicist and biotech entrepreneur Safi Bahcall reveals a surprising new way of thinking about the mysteries of group behavior that challenges everything we thought we knew about radical breakthroughs. Bahcall shows why groups will suddenly change from embracing wild new ideas to rigidly rejecting them. Mountains of print have been written about culture, yet Bahcall argues that small shifts in structure control these transitions, the same way that temperature controls the change from water to ice. Image Source: Book Cover

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