Lecture Series
The School of Civic Leadership regularly brings world-class academics, public intellectuals, policymakers, and leaders from a variety of fields to the University of Texas at Austin campus. With a robust calendar of lectures, debates, and roundtables, the School of Civic Leadership’s events model civil discourse, intellectual pluralism, and the shared pursuit of truth. For a full list of events, please see the SCL Events webpage.
February 2026
Lincoln and the Challenge of American Statesmanship
A Discussion with Dr. Benjamin Kleinerman, Dr. Diana Schaub, and Dr. Dana Stauffer
How should an American leader act in times of crisis? Can a statesman be both a practical politician and a moral leader for a nation? In what ways does the American constitutional system shape presidential leadership? President Abraham Lincoln confronted these questions in his quest to save the American union and to end the evil of slavery.
Join the School of Civic Leadership for a Presidents’ Day event on Lincoln and the Challenge of American Statesmanship. In a conversation moderated by Dr. Dana Stauffer (UT Austin), SCL Visiting Professors Benjamin Kleinerman (Baylor University) and Diana Schaub (Loyola University, Maryland) will discuss Lincoln’s approach to leadership, the crucial decisions of his wartime presidency, and the lessons he can teach modern American statesmen.
Co-sponsored by the Thomas Jefferson Center for Core Texts and Ideas.
January 2026
Venezuela after Maduro: On-the-Ground Perspectives on Democratic Transition
A Discussion with Dr. Juan Miguel Matheus, Dr. Diego Zambrano, and Dr. Kurt Weyland
Dr. Juan Miguel Matheus (Bowden Resident Fellow at Texas Law and member of the opposition parliament in Venezuela), Dr. Diego Zambrano (Stanford Law), and Dr. Kurt Weyland (UT Austin) discussed the constitutional consequences of Nicolás Maduro’s removal and the challenges facing the democratic opposition in achieving genuine democratization.
Will the Life of the Mind Help You Succeed?
A Lecture by Dr. Zena Hitz
What does it mean to succeed, and what does reading long and difficult books have to do with it? Dr. Zena Hitz (St. John’s College) discussed the relationship between the intellectual life and a successful life to a room full of UT students, faculty, and guests. Citing examples ranging from classical Greece to twentieth-century Europe, Dr. Hitz noted that thinkers had long lamented the futility of earthly success and looked to the intellectual life as a source of meaning. In considering the importance of the great texts, Dr. Hitz highlighted the role of failure in fostering the inwardness necessary for the intellectual life and in providing the tools for eventual success.
November 2025
The War for Middle Earth
A Lecture by Dr. Joseph Loconte
Historian Joseph Loconte explained how the catastrophe of World War II trans-formed the lives and literary imagination of Tolkien and Lewis. Loconte explored how their most beloved works—The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Mere Christianity—were conceived in the shadow of the most devastating and dehumanizing war in history. Like no other authors of their age, Tolkien and Lewis used their imagination to reclaim for their generation—and for ours—those deeds of valor and virtue and love that have always kept a lamp burning, even in the deepest darkness.
October 2025
Is Europe Done with Free Speech? Populism and Its Censors
A Lecture by Christopher Caldwell
University of Texas’s Strauss Center for International Security and Law, Clements Center for National Security, School of Civic Leadership, and Civitas Institute, in collaboration with the Claremont Institute, hosted Christopher Caldwell, New York Times columnist and Senior Fellow at the Claremont Institute, for a discussion on populism and censorship in Europe.
Across Europe, populist movements have gained widespread support, yet face growing restrictions on their political participation and exercise of speech. Drawing on case studies from Poland, France, and post-Brexit England, Mr. Caldwell examined how European governments and institutions are responding to the success of populist movements in Europe and what these responses reveal about the state of democracy in the West. In a conversation with Strauss Center Director Adam Klein, Mr. Caldwell delved into the history of free speech in Europe and compared its present state with that of free speech in America.
September 2025
Constitution Day
A Conversation with John Yoo and Provost William Inboden
The School of Civic Leadership celebrated Constitution Day with a luncheon discussion between SCL Distinguished Visiting Scholar John Yoo (University of California at Berkeley) and UT Provost William Inboden on the enduring significance of America’s founding charter. Moving through a range of contemporary social and political challenges, both speakers emphasized that on their own, neither the Constitution nor the law can carry the weight of sustaining republican government. Enduring self-rule depends on the character, institutions and shared commitments of civil society.
Truth Matters
A Book Talk with Dr. Robert George and Dr. Cornel West
The School of Civic Leadership welcomed Professor Robert P. George (Princeton University) and Professor Cornel West (Union Theological Seminary) for a conversation on a question at the heart of both university life and democratic citizenship: why does truth matter? Moderated by SCL Dean Justin Dyer, the discussion unfolded in a Q&A format that invited the two scholars to reflect on the nature of truth, how it has been understood across philosophical traditions, and how individuals can cultivate the moral and intellectual habits needed to perceive and defend it.
