The Frederick Douglass Project at Providence College
“The hope of the world — the progress of nations — the triumph of the truth and the reign of reason and righteousness among men are conditioned on free discussion.”
Frederick Douglass, The Proclamation and a Negro Army (1963)
The Frederick Douglass Project is an initiative of the Humanities Program at Providence College, with support from the Jack Miller Center, which aims to cultivate in students the skills of reasoned debate and persuasion necessary for a healthy and free society. The Frederick Douglass Project promotes a greater understanding of the importance of rational disputation and persuasion in our democracy, and offers students the opportunity to practice those arts. To that end, it sponsors a series of speaker events and writing workshops culminating in a persuasive Essay & Public Speaking contest held in the Spring semester.
Past Events
Friday, Oct. 21 – Humanities Forum: What Do the Humanities Do?
Eric Adler is professor of classics and chair of the classics department at the University of Maryland. His scholarly interests include Roman historiography, Latin prose, the history of classical scholarship, and the history of the humanities. He is the author of three books including The Battle of the Classics: How a Nineteenth-Century Debate Can Save the Humanities Today (Oxford, 2020) and Classics, the Culture Wars, and Beyond (Michigan, 2016). He has taught at Rice University, the University of Minnesota, and Connecticut College. In 2020, he joined the editorial board of Humanitas.
Friday, May 7 – Humanities Forum: “Learning to Love Lincoln: Frederick Douglass’s Journey from Grievance to Gratitude”
Diana Schaub is professor of political science at Loyola University Maryland and a visiting scholar in the social, cultural, and constitutional studies department at the American Enterprise Institute.
Wednesday, April 21 4:30-5:30 p.m. — Essay & Public Speaking Contest Workshop
Brainstorm, discuss ideas, workshop your material, even rehearse your speeches — Prof. Iain Bernhoft will be offering suggestions and critical feedback to help you prep your entry for the contest.
Friday, April 9 4:30-5:30 p.m. – Essay & Public Speaking Contest Workshop
Brainstorm, discuss ideas, workshop your material, even rehearse your speeches — Prof. Iain Bernhoft will be offering suggestions and critical feedback to help you prep your entry for the contest.
February 12, 2021 – Equality of Representation vs. Equality of Respect
A conversation with Glenn Loury, Merton P. Stoltz Professor of the Social Sciences, Department of Economics, Brown University.
September 17, 2020 – Frederick Douglass on the Constitution: A reading by students and faculty of two of Douglass’s works, “The Constitution and Slavery” and excerpts from “What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July?”, followed by a discussion.
