Marshall University’s Amicus Curiae Lecture Series will conclude its fall 2017 season on Thursday when it welcomes Vanderbilt University professor Marc Hetherington to lecture on political polarization in the United States. The lecture will begin at 7 p.m. in Brad D. Smith Foundation Hall.

“Political polarity, to me, means the difference between being a conservative and liberal,” sophomore Cody Nypan said. “It is bad because we shouldn’t identify ourselves as one of two parties, but rather as U.S. citizens. This would stop a lot of problems and arguments.”

Hetherington will discuss the subject of the award-winning book he co-authored with Jonathan D. Weiler, “Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics,” which argues the polarization of ordinary Americans is the result of people’s views of right and wrong and good and evil.

“This is a very timely topic, as political polarization is one of the key issues affecting our democracy today, and has been for some time,” Patricia Proctor, director of the Simon Perry Center for Constitutional Democracy, said.

Sebastian Morris can be contacted at [email protected].