The Ideas Behind Constitutions and their Role in Securing and Protecting or Violating Human Rights – The Case of the United States of America
Session 8

The Ideas Behind Constitutions and their Role in Securing and Protecting or Violating Human Rights – The Case of the United States of America

In this new lecture series, Edward J. Dodson will present nearly two and a half century of ideological and political struggles over the system of governance and law mandated under the Constitution of the United States. For Americans, these lectures will hopefully stimulate thoughtfulness as they prepare to elect a President and members of the U.S. Congress and for citizens of other countries, provide a concise overview of the major forces and events that gave rise to the “American System.”

Instructor: Edward J. Dodson

Dates: Mondays – 9/09, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30, 10/07, 10/28, 11/04, 11/11, 11/18, 11/25, 12/02, 12/09

Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

Location: Online via Zoom

Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

REGISTER NOW

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    A narrative of anger and frustration invites constant finger pointing, the fixing of blame, the specification of enemies as distinct from allies, and several other divisive strategies. On the other hand, despair over lost social hope is a shared sentiment that invites communication and collective deliberation along the lines of “What exactly has gone wrong, and why?” From that start, the obvious next steps concern correcting the lingering and annoying problems.

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    Instructor: Professor Daniel W. Bromley

    Dates: Thursdays – 2/06, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/06, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27

    Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    A narrative of anger and frustration invites constant finger pointing, the fixing of blame, the specification of enemies as distinct from allies, and several other divisive strategies. On the other hand, despair over lost social hope is a shared sentiment that invites communication and collective deliberation along the lines of “What exactly has gone wrong, and why?” From that start, the obvious next steps concern correcting the lingering and annoying problems.

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    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

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    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    Professor Bromley has published many outstanding books, the most recent of which is Possessive Individualism – A Crisis of Capitalism (2019). He is Editor of the scholarly journal Land Economics. He has worked in over 20 countries on problems of economic development, environmental policy, and the institutional foundation of markets. He has been editor of the journal Land Economics since 1974.

    Instructor: Professor Daniel W. Bromley

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    Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    A narrative of anger and frustration invites constant finger pointing, the fixing of blame, the specification of enemies as distinct from allies, and several other divisive strategies. On the other hand, despair over lost social hope is a shared sentiment that invites communication and collective deliberation along the lines of “What exactly has gone wrong, and why?” From that start, the obvious next steps concern correcting the lingering and annoying problems.

    The lectures and discussions will offer a careful development of causes and reasons for the loss of social hope. The course will also present a set of specific remedies that seem to offer relief from the despair. Most importantly, the course will focus on the necessary ways to think about and understand the loss of social hope. That diagnostic imperative is the only way to arrive at meaningful corrective actions and policies.

    The instructor, Professor Daniel W. Bromley is an American economist, the former Anderson-Bascom Professor of applied economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and since 2009, Emeritus Professor. His research in institutional economics explains the foundations of property rights, natural resources and the environment; and economic development.

    Professor Bromley has published many outstanding books, the most recent of which is Possessive Individualism – A Crisis of Capitalism (2019). He is Editor of the scholarly journal Land Economics. He has worked in over 20 countries on problems of economic development, environmental policy, and the institutional foundation of markets. He has been editor of the journal Land Economics since 1974.

    Instructor: Professor Daniel W. Bromley

    Dates: Thursdays – 2/06, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/06, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27

    Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    This 10-session course will examine how the aristocratic perspective persists as the shadow side of environmental economics in its treatment of common property, the valuation of natural goods, the treatment of people as costs or sources of destruction, an urban bias that denigrates rural life, an indifference to both equity and efficiency, and the critique of economic growth. The course will also analyze how Georgism can serve as the antidote by democratizing claims to nature. The course will further highlight the work of early thinkers like Aldo Leopold and their perception of nature as something of intrinsic value that transcends human ambitions.

    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    An American Dilemma: The Urgency of Recovering Social Hope

    The standard political diagnosis suggests that America is divided against itself, and that widespread anger and frustration prevent the necessary community coherence that will bring about the urgent recovery of social hope. In this course, Professor Daniel Bromley will challenge this bleak narrative of widespread hostility. He will offer a more carefully researched account of the underlying defects in our political life. This necessary reconsideration will suggest that the more meaningful diagnosis is one of resignation over the loss of social hope. The distinction is important.

    A narrative of anger and frustration invites constant finger pointing, the fixing of blame, the specification of enemies as distinct from allies, and several other divisive strategies. On the other hand, despair over lost social hope is a shared sentiment that invites communication and collective deliberation along the lines of “What exactly has gone wrong, and why?” From that start, the obvious next steps concern correcting the lingering and annoying problems.

    The lectures and discussions will offer a careful development of causes and reasons for the loss of social hope. The course will also present a set of specific remedies that seem to offer relief from the despair. Most importantly, the course will focus on the necessary ways to think about and understand the loss of social hope. That diagnostic imperative is the only way to arrive at meaningful corrective actions and policies.

    The instructor, Professor Daniel W. Bromley is an American economist, the former Anderson-Bascom Professor of applied economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and since 2009, Emeritus Professor. His research in institutional economics explains the foundations of property rights, natural resources and the environment; and economic development.

    Professor Bromley has published many outstanding books, the most recent of which is Possessive Individualism – A Crisis of Capitalism (2019). He is Editor of the scholarly journal Land Economics. He has worked in over 20 countries on problems of economic development, environmental policy, and the institutional foundation of markets. He has been editor of the journal Land Economics since 1974.

    Instructor: Professor Daniel W. Bromley

    Dates: Thursdays – 2/06, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/06, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27

    Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    From an Aristocratic to a Democratic Worldview: The Potential Transformation of Environmental Economics by Georgism

    The environmental perspective arose in Europe out of an aristocratic background, and it continues to be swayed by that history. From Thomas Malthus, economics inherited a very strong sense of the scarcity of nature. Since common lands in England were under the control of aristocrats, they considered it their mission to preserve nature for the enjoyment of future generations of aristocratic families. Almost every nature program on television promotes this worldview of pristine nature being damaged by the activities of common people and being preserved by the nobility. The story of Robin Hood emerged as a counter-narrative, but the economics profession turned it into a morality lesson that celebrates the sheriff of Nottingham.

    This 10-session course will examine how the aristocratic perspective persists as the shadow side of environmental economics in its treatment of common property, the valuation of natural goods, the treatment of people as costs or sources of destruction, an urban bias that denigrates rural life, an indifference to both equity and efficiency, and the critique of economic growth. The course will also analyze how Georgism can serve as the antidote by democratizing claims to nature. The course will further highlight the work of early thinkers like Aldo Leopold and their perception of nature as something of intrinsic value that transcends human ambitions.

    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    An American Dilemma: The Urgency of Recovering Social Hope

    The standard political diagnosis suggests that America is divided against itself, and that widespread anger and frustration prevent the necessary community coherence that will bring about the urgent recovery of social hope. In this course, Professor Daniel Bromley will challenge this bleak narrative of widespread hostility. He will offer a more carefully researched account of the underlying defects in our political life. This necessary reconsideration will suggest that the more meaningful diagnosis is one of resignation over the loss of social hope. The distinction is important.

    A narrative of anger and frustration invites constant finger pointing, the fixing of blame, the specification of enemies as distinct from allies, and several other divisive strategies. On the other hand, despair over lost social hope is a shared sentiment that invites communication and collective deliberation along the lines of “What exactly has gone wrong, and why?” From that start, the obvious next steps concern correcting the lingering and annoying problems.

    The lectures and discussions will offer a careful development of causes and reasons for the loss of social hope. The course will also present a set of specific remedies that seem to offer relief from the despair. Most importantly, the course will focus on the necessary ways to think about and understand the loss of social hope. That diagnostic imperative is the only way to arrive at meaningful corrective actions and policies.

    The instructor, Professor Daniel W. Bromley is an American economist, the former Anderson-Bascom Professor of applied economics at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, and since 2009, Emeritus Professor. His research in institutional economics explains the foundations of property rights, natural resources and the environment; and economic development.

    Professor Bromley has published many outstanding books, the most recent of which is Possessive Individualism – A Crisis of Capitalism (2019). He is Editor of the scholarly journal Land Economics. He has worked in over 20 countries on problems of economic development, environmental policy, and the institutional foundation of markets. He has been editor of the journal Land Economics since 1974.

    Instructor: Professor Daniel W. Bromley

    Dates: Thursdays – 2/06, 2/13, 2/20, 2/27, 3/06, 3/13, 3/20, 3/27

    Time: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    From an Aristocratic to a Democratic Worldview: The Potential Transformation of Environmental Economics by Georgism

    The environmental perspective arose in Europe out of an aristocratic background, and it continues to be swayed by that history. From Thomas Malthus, economics inherited a very strong sense of the scarcity of nature. Since common lands in England were under the control of aristocrats, they considered it their mission to preserve nature for the enjoyment of future generations of aristocratic families. Almost every nature program on television promotes this worldview of pristine nature being damaged by the activities of common people and being preserved by the nobility. The story of Robin Hood emerged as a counter-narrative, but the economics profession turned it into a morality lesson that celebrates the sheriff of Nottingham.

    This 10-session course will examine how the aristocratic perspective persists as the shadow side of environmental economics in its treatment of common property, the valuation of natural goods, the treatment of people as costs or sources of destruction, an urban bias that denigrates rural life, an indifference to both equity and efficiency, and the critique of economic growth. The course will also analyze how Georgism can serve as the antidote by democratizing claims to nature. The course will further highlight the work of early thinkers like Aldo Leopold and their perception of nature as something of intrinsic value that transcends human ambitions.

    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

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    From an Aristocratic to a Democratic Worldview: The Potential Transformation of Environmental Economics by Georgism

    The environmental perspective arose in Europe out of an aristocratic background, and it continues to be swayed by that history. From Thomas Malthus, economics inherited a very strong sense of the scarcity of nature. Since common lands in England were under the control of aristocrats, they considered it their mission to preserve nature for the enjoyment of future generations of aristocratic families. Almost every nature program on television promotes this worldview of pristine nature being damaged by the activities of common people and being preserved by the nobility. The story of Robin Hood emerged as a counter-narrative, but the economics profession turned it into a morality lesson that celebrates the sheriff of Nottingham.

    This 10-session course will examine how the aristocratic perspective persists as the shadow side of environmental economics in its treatment of common property, the valuation of natural goods, the treatment of people as costs or sources of destruction, an urban bias that denigrates rural life, an indifference to both equity and efficiency, and the critique of economic growth. The course will also analyze how Georgism can serve as the antidote by democratizing claims to nature. The course will further highlight the work of early thinkers like Aldo Leopold and their perception of nature as something of intrinsic value that transcends human ambitions.

    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

  • 2025-04-14 6:30 pm - 2025-04-14 8:00 pm

    From an Aristocratic to a Democratic Worldview: The Potential Transformation of Environmental Economics by Georgism

    The environmental perspective arose in Europe out of an aristocratic background, and it continues to be swayed by that history. From Thomas Malthus, economics inherited a very strong sense of the scarcity of nature. Since common lands in England were under the control of aristocrats, they considered it their mission to preserve nature for the enjoyment of future generations of aristocratic families. Almost every nature program on television promotes this worldview of pristine nature being damaged by the activities of common people and being preserved by the nobility. The story of Robin Hood emerged as a counter-narrative, but the economics profession turned it into a morality lesson that celebrates the sheriff of Nottingham.

    This 10-session course will examine how the aristocratic perspective persists as the shadow side of environmental economics in its treatment of common property, the valuation of natural goods, the treatment of people as costs or sources of destruction, an urban bias that denigrates rural life, an indifference to both equity and efficiency, and the critique of economic growth. The course will also analyze how Georgism can serve as the antidote by democratizing claims to nature. The course will further highlight the work of early thinkers like Aldo Leopold and their perception of nature as something of intrinsic value that transcends human ambitions.

    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

  • 2025-04-28 6:30 pm - 2025-04-28 8:00 pm

    From an Aristocratic to a Democratic Worldview: The Potential Transformation of Environmental Economics by Georgism

    The environmental perspective arose in Europe out of an aristocratic background, and it continues to be swayed by that history. From Thomas Malthus, economics inherited a very strong sense of the scarcity of nature. Since common lands in England were under the control of aristocrats, they considered it their mission to preserve nature for the enjoyment of future generations of aristocratic families. Almost every nature program on television promotes this worldview of pristine nature being damaged by the activities of common people and being preserved by the nobility. The story of Robin Hood emerged as a counter-narrative, but the economics profession turned it into a morality lesson that celebrates the sheriff of Nottingham.

    This 10-session course will examine how the aristocratic perspective persists as the shadow side of environmental economics in its treatment of common property, the valuation of natural goods, the treatment of people as costs or sources of destruction, an urban bias that denigrates rural life, an indifference to both equity and efficiency, and the critique of economic growth. The course will also analyze how Georgism can serve as the antidote by democratizing claims to nature. The course will further highlight the work of early thinkers like Aldo Leopold and their perception of nature as something of intrinsic value that transcends human ambitions.

    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

  • 2025-05-12 6:30 pm - 2025-05-12 8:00 pm

    From an Aristocratic to a Democratic Worldview: The Potential Transformation of Environmental Economics by Georgism

    The environmental perspective arose in Europe out of an aristocratic background, and it continues to be swayed by that history. From Thomas Malthus, economics inherited a very strong sense of the scarcity of nature. Since common lands in England were under the control of aristocrats, they considered it their mission to preserve nature for the enjoyment of future generations of aristocratic families. Almost every nature program on television promotes this worldview of pristine nature being damaged by the activities of common people and being preserved by the nobility. The story of Robin Hood emerged as a counter-narrative, but the economics profession turned it into a morality lesson that celebrates the sheriff of Nottingham.

    This 10-session course will examine how the aristocratic perspective persists as the shadow side of environmental economics in its treatment of common property, the valuation of natural goods, the treatment of people as costs or sources of destruction, an urban bias that denigrates rural life, an indifference to both equity and efficiency, and the critique of economic growth. The course will also analyze how Georgism can serve as the antidote by democratizing claims to nature. The course will further highlight the work of early thinkers like Aldo Leopold and their perception of nature as something of intrinsic value that transcends human ambitions.

    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW

  • 2025-05-19 6:30 pm - 2025-05-19 8:00 pm

    From an Aristocratic to a Democratic Worldview: The Potential Transformation of Environmental Economics by Georgism

    The environmental perspective arose in Europe out of an aristocratic background, and it continues to be swayed by that history. From Thomas Malthus, economics inherited a very strong sense of the scarcity of nature. Since common lands in England were under the control of aristocrats, they considered it their mission to preserve nature for the enjoyment of future generations of aristocratic families. Almost every nature program on television promotes this worldview of pristine nature being damaged by the activities of common people and being preserved by the nobility. The story of Robin Hood emerged as a counter-narrative, but the economics profession turned it into a morality lesson that celebrates the sheriff of Nottingham.

    This 10-session course will examine how the aristocratic perspective persists as the shadow side of environmental economics in its treatment of common property, the valuation of natural goods, the treatment of people as costs or sources of destruction, an urban bias that denigrates rural life, an indifference to both equity and efficiency, and the critique of economic growth. The course will also analyze how Georgism can serve as the antidote by democratizing claims to nature. The course will further highlight the work of early thinkers like Aldo Leopold and their perception of nature as something of intrinsic value that transcends human ambitions.

    The instructor, Clifford Cobb is the thematic editor, American Journal of Economics and Sociology. He is best known as the developer of the Genuine Progress Indicator, published by the San Francisco organization, Redefining Progress.

    Dates: Mondays – 3/03, 3/10, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 4/07, 4/14, 4/28, 5/12, 5/19

    Time: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM ET

    Location: Online via Zoom

    Note: This is an online event. After registration, the Zoom link, along with the Meeting ID and Passcode, will be provided via email the day of each session.

    REGISTER NOW