One Day University

One Day University seeks out the finest professors from the world's top schools—Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Brown, and many others. It uses two criteria, teaching awards, and student evaluations. One Day U’s professors are the teachers that students on campus urge each other to take classes from...the top 1 percent. Think of a One Day U lecture as the most fascinating highlights from an entire semester.

Register and learn more online or by calling 800.300.3438.

All programs begin at 10 a.m. at the National Constitution Center.

George Gershwin and American Music

September 8, 2012 Lecturer: Orin Grossman – Fairfield University

A high-school drop-out, George Gershwin wrote his first major hit song, “Swanee,” at the age of 19. At the age of 25, he composed his first and perhaps most popular concert piece, “Rhapsody in Blue.” Using this masterwork as a point of reference, this lecture will demonstrate just how Gershwin melded the classical and the contemporary. By examining the musical influences of this American music icon, we gain insight into the multicultural nature of American musical traditions and the genius of one of our greatest composers.

Ten Films That Changed America

October 6, 2012 Lecturer: Marc Lapadula – Yale University

While most movies are mass-produced entertainment and escapism, there are some that have had a profound impact on culture. Renowned Yale film professor Marc Lapadula will discuss and show clips from 10 films that truly made their mark: The Jazz Singer, The Graduate, Wild Bunch, Easy Rider, French Connection, The Exorcist, Jaws, Annie Hall, Fugitive, From a Chain Gang, and The China Syndrome. Whether intentionally or not, these films have brought social issues to light, affected laws, forwarded ideologies both good and bad, and generally changed the course of American history through their impact on society.

What Almost Nobody Knows about the Presidency

November 17, 2012 Lecturer: Akhil Amar – Yale University

Join Professor Akhil Amar for a fascinating perspective on the presidency. Did you know:

• Even after a president has signed a bill into law or has had his veto overridden, he may sometimes properly refuse to enforce that law?
• Presidents do not need to have been born in the United States?
• For most of American history, presidents enforced the Constitution far more vigorously, and with far more important consequences, than did the Supreme Court?
• Only three presidents in American history have been residents of small states when elected?
• President Obama won every state within a five-hour drive of Chicago, but lost two states only minutes further away?

Explore these and other topics with one of the nation’s foremost constitutional experts.

Abraham Lincoln—Separating Fact from Fiction

December 8, 2012 Lecturer: Louis Masur – Rutgers University

Abraham Lincoln is considered our greatest president. He is also one of the most controversial. From the time he was elected down to this day, people have debated various aspects of his personality and politics. Was he depressed? Why did he tell so many stories? Was he truly opposed to slavery? Did he free the slaves? Did the Union prevail because of his leadership or despite of it? In this course, we will take a close look at Lincoln, assessing his political style and temperament, and focusing on the question of Lincoln and slavery. In the end, we will hope to uncover the man and not the myth.