HarvardSpeak LA: “My Two Harvard Books” with Prof. Harvey C. Mansfield
Prof. Mansfield’s talk, “My Two Harvard Books,” will be an open discussion across a wide variety of topics -- from current political events to the state of Harvard and America from his perspective of many decades. The event will be co-sponsored by the Harvard Club of Southern California, the Harvard Club of San Diego and the Harvard Club of Sacramento and will be moderated by Neil B. Morganbesser AB ’86.
Wednesday, April 8, 2026 @ 5:00-6:15pm
Virtual Event via Zoom (details sent after registration)
Cost: $0, members; $10, non-members
Contact: Neil Morganbesser, nmorganbesser@gmail.com
About our Speaker:
Before his retirement in 2023, Harvey C. Mansfield was the William R. Kenan Jr. Professor of Government and one of Harvard's longest serving faculty members, having served on the faculty since 1962. He has taught political philosophy to generations of Harvard students, and he is known for his views on a host of subjects ranging from Machiavelli to executive power to masculinity to grade inflation at Harvard. In January, Prof. Mansfield published The Rise and Fall of Rational Control: The History of Modern Political Philosophy, based on his well-known Government course, “History of Modern Philosophy.” In May, he will publish Where Harvard Went Wrong: Fifty Years of Commentary that Fell on Deaf Ears, containing fifty years of speeches and articles focusing upon promoting diversity of viewpoints.
About HarvardSpeak LA:
HarvardSpeak LA is a program designed to bring preeminent Harvard faculty and researchers to discuss current topics of interest with the Harvard Club of Southern California through one-hour webinars, consisting of a presentation or discussion followed by Q&A. In 2025, HarvardSpeak LA featured Harvard professors speaking on California wildfires (Loretta Mickley), extraterrestrial intelligence (Avi Loeb), the demise of Jim Crow (Randall Kennedy), conservatives at Harvard (Harvey Mansfield), civil discourse at Harvard (Ned Hall), America's governing crisis (Theda Skocpol), the latest developments in genetics (Joel Hirschhorn), Shakespeare and Marlowe (Stephen Greenblatt), and fairness in the workplace (Iris Bohnet), and in 2026 HarvardSpeak LA began with Prof. Robert Waldinger (on what keeps us happy and healthy).
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Refund Policy: We do not provide refunds for any of our events.