Main content start

Wesson Lectures

People queuing up for Wesson Lectures

Each year, the Center brings to Stanford a notable scholar to deliver a set of lectures pertaining to problems in democratic theory and practice. These lectures are endowed by the late Robert Wesson, a political scientist and Hoover Institute Fellow who studied Soviet society. Dr. Wesson hoped that these lectures would help students, scholars and community members think through important public issues related to democratic governance, such as the role of money in elections, the obligations of representatives to their constituents, and the place of discussion and debate in democratic politics.

This lecture series is one public aspect of the Center that seeks to address social and moral questions broadly in research and teaching, and to motivate our students to take these questions up as engaged citizens. Over the years, we have assembled an outstanding range of thinkers to address the problems and challenges of democracy and today the Wesson lectures are one of the most prestigious lecture series at Stanford University.

Past Events

Date
Wednesday, May 1, 2024, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Location:
Humanities Center
424 Santa Teresa Street, Stanford, CA 94305
Levinthal Hall
Date
Tuesday, May 9, 2023, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Location:
Tresidder Memorial Union, Oak Lounge
Date
Thursday, May 5, 2022, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location:
ENCINA HALL, OKSENBERG ROOM (3RD FLOOR)
Date
Wednesday, May 4, 2022, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location:
CEMEX AUDITORIUM
Date
Thursday, April 14, 2022, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location:
Encina Hall, Philippines Conference Room
Date
Wednesday, April 13, 2022, 4:30pm - 6:00pm
Location:
Encina Hall, Bechtel Conference Center
Rising Inequalities: A Conversation on College Access, Diversity, and Social Mobility in the U.S.
Date
Monday, December 7, 2020, 5:00pm - 6:30pm
Location:
Virtual Event
Wesson Discussion Seminar with Laura Kipnis
Date
Wednesday, October 23, 2019, 9:30am - 11:30am
Location:
Hartley Conference Center, Mitchell Earth Sciences Building
'A Feeling That Excrement Was Dripping from My Tongue'
Date
Tuesday, October 22, 2019, 5:30pm - 7:00pm
Location:
Levinthal Hall, Stanford Humanities Center
Alan Krueger / Why is Universal Basic Income So Controversial? – Discussion Seminar
Date
Thursday, March 14, 2019, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Location:
Encina Hall, William J. Perry Conference Room, 2nd floor