The University of West Florida College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities presents the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series showcasing scholars of outstanding prominence who promote the value and role of the Liberal Arts in building and sustaining contemporary culture.

Future Installments

We look forward to continuing to offer opportunities for scholarly, creative, and intellectual dialogue. Please visit this page regularly for updated information on upcoming seasons. 

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Past Installments

We invite you to take a look at past installments of the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series. These installments represent the type of programming we look forward to offering in future seasons. 

April 1 | After Liberalism - Patrick J. Deneen

This event was free and open to the public and was also live-streamed and recorded.  You may view a recording of Deneen's lecture HERE.

This installment of the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series was sponsored by the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, the Reubin O’D. Askew Department of Government, the John C. Pace Symposium Series, the Askew Lecture Series, and the Panhandle Tiger Bay Club. 

*The Askew Lecture Series is a downtown community talk on current political issues and public policy topics. The lecture honors the legacy of the late Governor of Florida, Reubin O’D. Askew, the department’s namesake. Governor Askew was a champion of civic engagement known for tackling vital public policy issues of the day.

March 14 | Freedom’s Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power - Jefferson Cowie

On Thursday, March 14, 2024, the University of West Florida hosted Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jefferson Cowie at the REX Theatre, downtown Pensacola as the guest speaker for Experience UWF Downtown.

Jefferson Cowie, the James G. Stahlman Chair in American History at Vanderbilt University, is an accomplished scholar and author whose work has received numerous awards and recognitions for shedding light on the complex intersections of American politics, labor, and society. In 2023, he won the Pulitzer Prize for History for his book Freedom's Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power. The book covers local fights against the federal government that support a version of American freedom that allows for oppression.

In addition to his academic work, Cowie's writing has been featured in popular outlets such as the New York Times, TIME magazine, and Foreign Affairs. Through his book discussion, Cowie shared his expertise in American history and politics.

The event concluded with an interactive Q&A and a book signing of Freedom's Dominion: A Saga of White Resistance to Federal Power for interested audience members.

This event was free, open to the public, and recorded. The recording of Cowie's lecture may be viewed HERE. 

This installment of the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series was sponsored by the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, the Department of English, the John C. Pace Symposium Series, and the Panhandle Tiger Bay Club.

March 5 | Police Militarization and America’s Punitive Turn: Lessons from the Field - Peter Kraska

On Tuesday, March 5, 2024, the University of West Florida hosted Experience UWF Downtown featuring Dr. Peter Kraska at the Museum of Commerce, downtown Pensacola.

Peter Kraska, Ph.D., is an eminent professor in the School of Justice Studies at Eastern Kentucky University and adjunct faculty at the University of West Florida. He is a leading scholar in police and criminal justice militarization, criminal justice theory, and mixed-methods research. With seven books and numerous articles to his name, his work has appeared in leading academic journals and media outlets worldwide, and his expertise has been sought after by academic and policy audiences alike.

Kraska’s lecture, “ Police Militarization and America’s Punitive Turn: Lessons from the Field,” began at 6:00 p.m., following a reception at 5:30 p.m. The event concluded with a Q&A.

This installment of the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series was sponsored by the UWF College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, the Department of Criminology, Criminal Justice, and Legal Studies, the Panhandle Tiger Bay Club, and is funded in part by the John C. Pace Symposium Series.

This event was free and open to the public and was recorded.  You may view a recording of Kraska's lecture HERE.

Reporting on the New Censorship: How to Stop the Internet from Killing Free Speech - Alex Berenson

The University of West Florida hosted Experience UWF Downtown with Alex Berenson on Thursday, February 29, 2024, at 6:00 p.m. at the Museum of Commerce, downtown Pensacola.

Alex Berenson was a reporter for the New York Times from 1999 to 2010. Berenson now writes the Unreported Truths Substack and has written 13 novels and three nonfiction books. 

Berenson has emerged as one of the most prominent advocates of First Amendment principles against 21st-century modes of censorship. In his lecture “How to Stop the Internet from Killing Free Speech,” he told the story of his experience in the courts and what has come to light because of his case. 

Berenson rose to prominence during the pandemic as a dissenter who was de-platformed by social media companies. He challenged this censorship in the courts. During discovery, evidence emerged that several federal administrative agencies had been involved in the efforts to remove his voice from the public discourse. His court victories helped pave the way for the more prominent challenge to censorship by government agencies before the Supreme Court this term in Murthy v. Missouri. 

This event was free and open to the public and was recorded. You may view Berensn's lecture HERE.

*The Seligman First Amendment Lecture Series fosters dialogue on campus and in the community about the First Amendment freedoms of religion, speech, press and association. It is made possible by a generous gift from the Jane G. and Fred K. Seligman Endowment.

An Evening with David Earle, "Where all Good Flappers Go"

Vivacious, charming, and irreverent, the flapper is a girl who knows how to have a roaring good time while simultaneously assailing the norms of society. She’s both a glittering object of delight and a woman embracing a newfound independence.

The Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series on November 16, 2023 featured UWF Professor and Chair of the Department of Art & Design, David Earle, discussing flapper authors of the 1920s and Where All Good Flappers Go, his recent collection of flapper stories principally sourced from jazz age magazines. The book -- the first ever collection dedicated to flapper stories -- includes favorite authors such as F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, but also recovers lost female authors published in the pulp magazines of the 1920s. 

Copies of David M. Earle’s book, Where All Good Flappers Go, are available for purchase at all major booksellers.

StarWound

The Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series on October 24, 2023 featured the Athens, Greece-based, Anglophone band StarWound presenting “Interiors.” 

The show’s theme, “Interiors,” grew out of the isolation spawned during the COVID-19 pandemic. The theme has also expanded thematically to include a range of connotations related to “interiors.” 

Through their “rock cabaret” style, StarWound presented a philosophical and social reflection on the current human state. In the spirit of collaboration, the band based their lyrical compositions on modern-day poetic works.

StarWound has ranked amongst 150 bands at the “YourBand” contest of the National Greek Radio and TV Company.

The October 24th show included poetic collaborations with UWF faculty and students and work from previous collaborations on StarWound’s tour of U.S. universities. 

Installment Sponsors and Partners

The Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series is presented and sponsored by the UWF College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities. It is also funded, in part, by the John C. Pace Symposium Series.