with Marty Farrell
While of course never perfect, the political system of the United States is generally considered the oldest and longest – lasting representative liberal democracy in the world. However, recent events and trends have led many observers to argue that American Democracy today is threatened more seriously than at any time since the Civil War of the 1860’s. Sunday’s talk will examine these events and trends and encourage thought and discussion on what can and should be done about them by responsible citizens committed to preserving our representative democracy.
Marty Farrell was born in Winona, MN, and graduated from Winona Senior High School. He earned his BA in Political Science from DePauw University in Greencastle, IN and his MA and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago, in International Relations and Political Science, respectively. He is a veteran of 44 years of college and university teaching, the last 40 at Ripon College, teaching a variety of courses in comparative politics, public policy, and global studies. He won several teaching awards and was named Wisconsin Peace Educator of the Year for 2015 by the Wisconsin Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies. In terms of public service, Marty has served on the City of Ripon Police and Fire Commission and has represented the city of Ripon on the Fond du Lac County Board of Supervisors since 1994 and is currently in his 16th year as Board Chair.