Pell Center lecture to focus on threat to democracy, improving civic engagement
The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy’s spring 2023 lecture series begins with a lecture entitled “The Citizen and the Challenge of American Civilization,” by Dr. Frederick Zilian, author and history lecturer. It will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. in the Bazarsky Lecture Hall in O’Hare Academic Building. To register, go here.
Since the 1950s, the American citizen and democracy have been under stress, challenging the U.S. This lecture will examine these stresses, which have led to a civic character deficit and manifested in hyper-individualism and an unhealthy level of domestic discord. The lecture will then present an historical analogy: ancient Athens—the world’s first democracy—during the Peloponnesian War, a tale of warning. The lecture will conclude with proposals for addressing the country’s civic character deficit and improving civic engagement.
Dr. Frederick Zilian
Dr. Frederick Zilian was an educator at Portsmouth Abbey School from 1992 to 2015, where he taught history, ethics and German. He was an adjunct professor of history and politics at Salve Regina from 2016 to 2022. Zilian served for 21 years as an infantry officer in the Army.
Dr. Zilian holds a doctorate in international relations/strategic studies from the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University. He is the author of numerous articles, essays, and book reviews on history, American society, Germany, religion, music, education, climate change and globalization in a wide variety of publications from the Wall Street Journal to the Newport Daily News. He has also published a book entitled “From Confrontation to Cooperation: The Takeover of the National People’s (East German) Army by the Bundeswehr.”
For 20 years he performed as Abraham Lincoln in his one-man play, “Honest Abe.” He gives historical tours of Newport, Rhode Island, including the Battle of Rhode Island. He also contributes to the following online sites, including The Hill, The History News Network, and the Online Review of Rhode Island History. He blogs on a wide variety of subjects at www.zilianblog.com. He is writing a book on the subject of this lecture, which will be entitled “The Citizen and the Challenge of American Civilization.”
The Salve Regina community, as well as the general public, are invited attend the lecture on Tuesday, Jan. 31, at 7 p.m. in the Bazarsky Lecture Hall in O’Hare Academic Building. To register, go here.
