Dr. Bill Sabo will discuss the Electoral College on September 2

Noted political scientist Bill Sabo, UNC Asheville professor of political science, will kick off UNC Asheville's 11th annual philosophy lecture series with a talk on "Republicanism versus the Democratic Impulse: The Electoral College" at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 2. The talk will be held at UNC Asheville's Kellogg Center, 11 Broyles Rd., Hendersonville. The event is open to the public. A donation of $5 will be suggested at the door to support student scholarships.

Sabo is a well-known authority on the field of American politics and has a special interest in the presidency, Congress and the electoral system. He is a frequent regional speaker and media commentator. Sabo will use a quote by Alexander Hamilton as a springboard to his remarks: "This process of election [i.e. the Electoral College] affords a moral certainty that the office of the President will seldom fall to the lot of any man who is not in an eminent degree endowed with the requisite qualifications."

The talk is part of a year-long, nine-part series co-sponsored by UNC Asheville's Philosophy Department and the Institute for Applied Philosophy of Hendersonville. The series, "Great Quotes," is designed to foster discussion of philosophically significant issues surrounding notable quotations.

Additional topics and speakers are:

- October 7: "Applied Philosophy and Life Improvements," Don Emon, Program Chair of the Institute for Applied Philosophy

- November 11: "Liberalism versus Conservatism: The Good, the Bad and the Differences," Richard Kranker of the Institute for Applied Philosophy

- December 2: "The Lost Tools of Learning Discovered," Cynthia Gadol of Rutherford County Public Schools

- January 20: "Neo-Confucianism," Cynthia Ho, UNC Asheville Humanities Program director and professor of literature and language

- February 3: "Environmental Ethics," Grace Campbell, UNC Asheville humanities lecturer

- March 10: "May the Force Be with You: How Consumer Action Can Save the World," Leah Mathews, UNC Asheville associate professor of economics

- April 7: "Freedom," Girard Etzkorn, scholar of medieval manuscripts and emeritus professor of St. Bonaventure University

- May 5: UNC Asheville student presentation

For driving directions, call the Kellogg Center at 828/890-2050. For more information about the series, call the Institute for Applied Philosophy at 828/891-5068.