Arts & Sciences Lecture Series
Join us for one of our annual lectures, highlighting scholarship across the College and the entire academic world
The Arts & Sciences Lecture Series at Boston University celebrates bold ideas and interdisciplinary dialogue through three signature events: the Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture, honoring the progressive legacy of historian and activist Howard Zinn; the Silas Peirce Lecture, fostering community across disciplines with thought-provoking discussions; and the Gitner Family Lecture, spotlighting leaders whose work addresses issues of broad significance. Together, these lectures embody the spirit of Arts × Sciences—a multiplier of knowledge and possibilities.
Zinn Lecture Gitner Lecture Peirce Lecture
2025 Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture
Resisting Authoritarianism: What the People Can Do
Speaker: John Shattuck, President Emeritus of Central European University and Professor of the Practice in Diplomacy at Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts
Thursday, December 4, 2025
Tsai Performance Center, 6:00 – 7:30PM
The United States is in the grip of rising authoritarianism. Unlike people in other countries who have felt the impact of authoritarianism, most Americans have no direct experience with an extreme anti-democratic regime that weaponizes government to intimidate and control its people. Today many Americans in positions of power are seeking to protect their interests by appeasing the regime. But resistance is growing and millions of Americans are mobilizing for democracy, pluralism and freedom. Howard Zinn’s monumental work, A People’s History of the United States, documents the critical role of grassroots movements in challenging oppression. In the 2025 Zinn Memorial Lecture, John Shattuck will describe historical and contemporary examples of resistance, including the grassroots growth of a new nationwide movement in the US organized by Indivisible and other grassroots groups, and the principles this movement should follow and the strategies it should use in organizing effective resistance today.
About the Arts & Sciences Lecture Series
The Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture was established in 2008 to be a stimulating and energizing memorial to the progressive political values of Professor Howard Zinn (1922–2010), a historian, author, professor, playwright, mentor, and activist whose writings changed the lives of BU students and readers around the world. Zinn taught in the College of Arts & Sciences’ political science department for 24 years, from 1964 to 1988, and wrote dozens of books, including A People’s History of the United States. The Howard Zinn Memorial Lecture is made possible by the Zinn Lecture Fund, thanks to a generous gift from Alex MacDonald, Esq. (CAS’72), and his late wife Maureen A. Strafford, MD (MED’76).
The Silas Peirce Lecture, reintroduced in 2014, is designed to foster a sense of community among faculty, students, and alumni across multiple disciplines and colleges. Named after Silas Peirce (1860-1922), a prominent Boston businessman and philanthropist who served as treasurer and trustee of Boston University, the lecture honors Peirce’s legacy and deep roots in the Boston area. The lecture is open to all fields of inquiry across the liberal arts and sciences and designed to represent diverse disciplines over the years. The Silas Peirce fund, established by his heirs, ensures the continuation of these special lectures, which aim to bring together the academic community through engaging and thought-provoking discussions.
The Gerald and Deanne Gitner Family College of Arts & Sciences Lecture
The Gerald and Deanne Gitner Family College of Arts & Sciences Lecture, held annually in the fall, is designed to highlight thought leaders in any field, whose teaching, research, or service address topics of major importance for the broad interest and benefit of the BU community. The Gitner Lecture is made possible by Gerald Gitner (CAS’66) and his wife, Deanne, who have long been generous and engaged members of the Boston University community. Gitner, who graduated from the college with a degree in history, is a Trustee Emeritus of BU and a current member of the CAS Dean’s Advisory Board and the Pardee School for Global Studies Dean’s Advisory Board.