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Campus Announcements Excellence and Expertise

Miami Regionals highlights annual Citizenship and Democracy Week events

The Department of Justice and Community Studies hosts a week-long series of events discussing what history has taught us about democracy and what’s to come.

A group of people with their hands up during the Naturalization Ceremony.
Campus Announcements Excellence and Expertise

Miami Regionals highlights annual Citizenship and Democracy Week events

Miami University’s Department of Justice and Community Studies has organized a week's worth of events for Citizenship and Democracy Week, Sept. 19-22, varying between the Hamilton, Middletown, and Oxford campuses.

The events, co-sponsored by the Menard Family Center for Democracy and the Department of Justice and Community Studies, provide students and local residents with a range of opportunities to learn about American democracy and to see their government in action.

Daniel Ziblatt, Eaton Professor of Government at Harvard University, will deliver the keynote address, "Authority and Democracy" at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 21, in the Shriver Center on the Oxford campus. Ziblatt is co-author of the 2018 New York Times bestseller, "How Democracies Die," which explores how elected leaders can gradually subvert the democratic process. The Ziblatt talk is being presented by the Humanities Center with support from the Menard Family Center for Democracy.

The week begins with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio Naturalization Ceremony for approximately 75 new U.S. citizens at 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 19. on the Hamilton Campus quad and lawn

Also Monday, Sept. 19, there will be a forum entitled “The Board of Elections’ Role in Ensuring Election Integrity & Voter Participation” at the Oxford Presbyterian Church, 104 Church St. Oxford.

Other activities scheduled for the week include the opportunity to sign up to give blood and enjoy some free merchandise in the Schwarm and Johnston Hall parking lots. The Ohio 12th District Court of Appeals will hold a session at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in the Harry T. Wilks Conference Center, where attendees can observe the government in action. 

On Wednesday, Sept. 21, participate in an engaging discussion with a diverse group of thought leaders and activists as they discuss practical challenges faced by the loved ones of incarcerated people and how decisions by the government have shaped this policy field. “Working With Children and Families of the Incarcerated” will be held on Zoom at 7 p.m. Registration is required. Sign up at MiamiOH.edu/Regionals/rsvp/.

Two events are planned to take place on Thursday, Sept. 22. Miami students will give presentations on key civil liberties issues during "Rapid Rights!" at 10 a.m. in Schwarm Hall's dining area. Daniel E. Hall, professor of Justice and Community Studies and Political Science, will host a nonpartisan open forum to discuss free speech law and contemporary free speech controversies, including the limits of on-campus speech, the scope of protections for social media platforms, and more. The forum will be held in Jack Rhodes Study and Courtyard, Mosler Hall.

The week concludes with the Civic Career Fair at 3 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 22, at the Armstrong Student Center, Room 1082 in Oxford.. Students will learn more about public service-oriented career opportunities and meet with employers from nonprofits, governmental organizations, and think tanks.

For the full schedule of events, go to the Citizenship and Democracy Week calendar.

Established in 2019, the Menard Family Center – housed jointly in Miami College of Arts and Science and its College of Liberal Arts and Applied Science – supports a broad range of teaching, research, and service activities at Miami that enhance civic dialogue and engagement, active citizenship, community problem solving, and public understanding of democracy, politics, and civic affairs. For more information, visit MiamiOH.edu/MenardCenter.