New Seminars Begin at Björklunden June 26

From June 26 – July 1, Björklunden is offering these seminars: “What Will We Fight For? Considering Alternative Grand Strategies for America” with Michael Desch and “How We Know What We Know” with Tomas Baer.

“What Will We Fight For?” will explore the various grand strategic options available to the United States for the 21st Century. Grand strategy is how states use military force to advance their foreign policy goals. Participants will consider some key substantive topics including public opinion and American foreign policy, how the United States should respond to China’s rise, what is the best strategy for dealing with transnational terrorist groups such as ISIS, and how to think about the consequences of the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

Desch, professor of political science at the University of Notre Dame, is an expert on U.S. foreign and national security policies.

Nearly everyone has heard of the Big Bang and knows that the universe is some 15 billion years old, or that the center of the earth is liquid iron. However, most people do not know about the experiments and theories that have led to this profound knowledge about the physical universe. “How We Know What We Know” will explore, in non-technical language, the basis of the Big Bang theory, the structure of the earth, how DNA sequencing has verified Darwin’s theory of evolution and provides the tools to determine, for instance, that the common ancestor between man and the chimpanzee lived about 10 million years ago. Both historical as well as modern aspects of these and other topics will be explored in a manner that is accessible to non-scientists.

Baer is a recently retired Kenan Professor of Chemistry at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. He has published more than 250 papers, edited five books and is the co-author of Unimolecular Reaction Dynamics: Theory and Experiments.

Seminar classes are held at Björklunden’s lodge, just south of Baileys Harbor, and meet weekday mornings and some evenings. For complete course descriptions, fees and registration dates, call 920.839.2216, email [email protected] or visit lawrence.edu/s/bjorklunden/bjorkseminars.