Tag: American Downfall

Is free speech under threat? Discussion group raises questions about first amendment rights

Trojan Living

Taylor Walding Variety Editor American Downfall, a discussion group led by Luke Ritter, a lecturer of history, organized a discussion on the concept of free speech and its consequences, particularly focusing on whether free speech is under threat on college campuses around the United States. Before the discussion, Ritter took an anonymous poll through Kahoot to survey the opinions of those present. According to the poll, 12 people believed free speech is under threat in the United States, whereas eight did not think so. Caleb Cummings, a junior history and…

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Can POTUS order a nuclear strike?

Opinion

Pradyot Sharma Variety Editor American Downfall, a discussion group led by Luke Ritter, an assistant professor of history, organized a discussion on the limitations of the powers of the president of the United States (POTUS), including the question of whether the president could order a nuclear strike. The discussion followed a presentation by James Todhunter, an assistant professor of political science, on the powers of the president. “Naturally, one of the hottest topics on this issue is nuclear weapons and what limitations there are when it comes to a president…

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Islamic state of mind: American Downfall on Sharia, Islamophobia, and the role of media in the U.S.

Trojan Living

Madina Seytmuradova Staff Writer The latest seminar in the American Downfall series discussed the compatibility of Islam with American democracy on Wednesday, Sept. 13. “We spent time defining the difference between Islam and Islamism or political Islam,” said Aaron Hagler, an assistant professor of history. “The discussion ranged from what is Sharia, what is Islam, to what role does religion have in the American public sphere.”    Shortly after the opening statement by Luke Ritter, a lecturer of history and the founder of the panel, Asem Yasser, a sophomore global…

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Confederate monuments bring controversy, spark discussion

Trojan Living

Taylor Boydstun Variety Editor Following the nationwide controversy about Confederate monuments that has been reignited after the Charlottesville attacks, students and faculty discussed whether such monuments should be removed from public spaces. The discussion forum “American Downfall” debated the subject “What Do Confederate Monuments Symbolize?” in Patterson Hall 214 on Wednesday, Aug. 30, at noon. Luke Ritter, a lecturer of history, opened the discussion by introducing key points regarding the subject at hand. “So what do Confederate monuments symbolize and how much does the context matter?” Ritter said. “That’s an…

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