Sphere Summit

2020 Sphere Summit: Teaching Civic Culture Together

The Sphere Summit is a summer program for grades 5–12 educators and administrators. The Sphere Summit will feature presentations by leading policymakers, scholars, and academics, who will discuss key public policy issues facing our nation today.

Event Details

Dates and Times
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Location
Live Online
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Schedule

Monday, July 13
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Welcome and Remarks

Peter Goettler
President and CEO, Cato Institute

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CIVIC CULTURE AND FOUNDATION:
Divided Politics, Divided Nation

Darrell M. West
Vice President and Director of Governance Studies, Brookings Institution
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BREAK

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POLICY DISCUSSIONS:
Free Speech: How One of Our Most Cherished Shared Values Fell Prey to the Partisan Maelstrom, and Why We Must Save It

Jonathan Rauch
Senior Fellow, Governance Studies, Brookings Institution

Nadine Strossen
Former President, American Civil Liberties Union; and John Marshall Harlan II Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School

Moderated by Caleb O. Brown
Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute
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FEDERALISM AND CIVIL RIGHTS

Caroline Fredrickson
Senior Fellow, Brennan Center for Justice

Ilya Shapiro
Director, Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies, Cato Institute
Moderated by Walter Olson, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

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BREAK

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS & WORKSHOP

Jonathan Haidt
Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership, Stern School of Business, New York University; and Cofounder, Heterodox Academy

Debra Mashek
Executive Director, Heterodox Academy
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CLOSING

Tuesday, July 14
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WELCOME

Peter Goettler
President and CEO, Cato Institute

Julian K. Braxton
Director of Community and Inclusion; History Faculty, The Winsor School

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WORKSHOPS AND BREAKOUTS
Breakout Groups to Develop and Discuss Classroom Applications

To participate, please select one of the following workshops:

  • Free Speech and Civil Discourse in the Classroom
    Hosted by Bill of Rights Institute
  • Interactive Constitution
    Hosted by National Constitution Center
  • Running Election Year Classroom Discussions Without Fear
    Hosted by Foundation for Individual Rights (FIRE)

At the conclusion of the workshops return to the Zoom General Session.

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CIVIC CULTURE AND FOUNDATION:
What is Civil Society?

Tom G. Palmer
Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Network

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BREAK

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HUMAN​PROGRESS​.ORG

Chelsea Follett
Managing Editor of Human​progress​.org

Sean Kinnard
Psychology and AP World History Teacher, Yorktown High School
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POLICY DISCUSSIONS:
Putting “Justice” Back in Our Criminal Justice System

Jeff Miron
Director, Undergraduate Studies, Department of Economics, Harvard University; and Director, Economics Studies, Cato Institute

Clark Neily
Vice President for Criminal Justice, Cato Institute

Amy Swearer
Legal Fellow, Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, Heritage Foundation

Somil Trivedi
Senior Staff Attorney, Criminal Law Reform Project, American Civil Liberties Union

Moderated by Caleb O. Brown
Director of Multimedia, Cato Institute
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BREAK

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THE THREE LANGUAGES OF POLITICS

Arnold Kling
Senior Affiliated Scholar, Mercatus Center at George Mason University

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R‑ND) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D‑CA)

Moderated by Jeff Vanderslice
Director of Government Affairs, Cato Institute

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Optional Virtual Happy Hours

To participate, please join us at one or more of the virtual happy hours:
  • Virtual Happy Hour
    Hosted by Cato’s Caleb Brown and Izzit.org’s Rob Chatfield
  • Virtual Happy Hour
    Hosted by BRI’s Gary Coletti and FIRE’s Bonnie Snyder
  • Virtual Happy Hour
    Hosted by Cato’s Arnold Kling and Tom Palmer
Wednesday, July 15
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WELCOME

WORKSHOPS AND BREAKOUTS
Breakout Groups to Develop and Discuss Classroom Applications

To participate, please select one of the following workshops:
  • History & Civics Pedagogy for In‐​person and Online Classrooms
    Hosted by Bill of Rights Institute
  • National Constitution Center, 4th and 14th Amendments
    Hosted by National Constitution Center
  • The “Goldilocks” Principle and Maintaining A Temperate
    Classroom Climate for Healthy Discourse
    Hosted by Foundation for Individual Rights
  • Promote Critical Thinking and Engaging Classroom Discussion
    Hosted by Stossel in the Classroom
  • Teaching Across the Disciplines: Government, Economics,
    Philosophy, and History
    Hosted by Words & Numbers

At the conclusion of the workshops return to the Zoom General Session.
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SPHERE IN THE CLASSROOM

Joseph Croker
Upper School English and Media Arts Teacher, Harpeth Hall

Bonnie Moses
Upper School Social Science Teacher, Harpeth Hall

Contrell Terrell
Special Education Teacher, Lamar County School District
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BREAK

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THE INCLUSIVE ECONOMY

Michael A. Lewis
Professor, Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College, CUNY

Ramesh Ponnuru
Visiting Fellow, American Enterprise Institute; and Senior Editor, National Review

Michael D. Tanner
Senior Fellow, Cato Institute

Moderated by Emily Ekins
Research Fellow, Cato Institute
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THE HEALTHCARE DIVIDE

Michael Cannon
Director of Health Policy Studies, Cato Institute

Donald M. Berwick
MD, MPP, FRCP, President Emeritus and Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
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BREAK

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KEYNOTE ADDRESS:
The Seductive Lure of Authoritarianism

Anne Applebaum
Staff writer for The Atlantic and a Pulitzer‐​prize winning historian

Moderated by Tom G. Palmer
Executive Vice President for International Programs, Atlas Network
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CLOSING

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Optional Virtual Happy Hour

  • Virtual Happy Hour
    Hosted by Caleb Brown, Tom Palmer, and Michael Cannon