James Kloppenberg, Charles Warren Professor of American History; Chair, Department of History, leads off the Democracy Studies series, as its keynote speaker, to discuss American democracy from a historical perspective. Through a series of talks by national scholars who study democracy, the series aims to stimulate discussion of interdisciplinary learning about democracy at an advanced level – what should we study about democracy and how should we study it. In Spring 2012, the series explores fundamental themes concerning the operation of democracy in a society. The Democracy Studies series is a collaboration among the University’s Mershon Center for International Securities Studies, the Moritz College of Law, and Departments of History and Political Science.