The Revolution Will Not Be Disciplined

In celebration of our nation's 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the University of San Diego presents an interdisciplinary examination of the nation’s history, development and continued promise.

About the Series

Join USD faculty from across disciplines for a week of dynamic conversations exploring American identity, democracy, revolution, citizenship, history, religion, science, music and social change. Through lectures, panel discussions and a hands-on nonviolence training, participants will examine enduring questions about who we are, how we govern ourselves and what remains unfinished in the American experiment.

The series culminates on October 1 with A Revolutionary Birthday Party, featuring cake, refreshments and community reflection in celebration of 250 years of democratic aspirations and civic engagement.

Mini copies of the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence will be available at each event, and USD Votes will be tabling throughout the series with voter registration information.

America's 250th Recommended Reading: A Few Reasonable Books

August 22, 2026
1:30 - 2:15 p.m. | Session 3 of the KPBS Book Festival
Nexus Theatre, Knauss Center for Business Education

USD faculty will share some suggestions for reading about the United States' democracy at 250 years. Suggested readings, scroll to the bottom of page.*

• Panelists:
  • Casey Dominguez, PhD | Professor of Political Science and International Relations
  • Cory Gooding, PhD | Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations
  • Timothy McCarty, PhD | Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations
• Host: Dean Noelle Norton, PhD | College of Arts and Sciences

Who is an American?

September 28, 2026
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Peace and Justice Theater, Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

• Panelists:
  • Susie Babka, PhD | Professor of Theology and Religious Studies
    “Religious Identity in America”
  • David Shirk, PhD | Professor of Political Science and International Relations
    “A Nation of Immigrants”
  • Thomas Herrinton, PhD | Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry
    “Ancestry and American Identity”
    
• Host: Timothy McCarty | Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations

Unruly Lives and Revolutionary Spirits

September 29, 2026
4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
Peace and Justice Theater, Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

• Panelists:
  • Jillian Tullis, PhD and Jennifer Tillman, PhD | Associate Dean and Professor of Communication and Assistant Professor of Philosophy
    "Health and Disability Among Those Created Equal"
  • Molly McClain, PhD | Professor of History
    “Spinning Resistance: Women, Cloth and the Long Memory of 1776”
  • Charissa Noble, PhD | Assistant Professor of Music
    “American Musical Mavericks”
• Host: Timothy McCarty | Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations

Training in Nonviolence as a Path to Change

September 29, 2026
6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
KIPJ AB, Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

Peaceful protest has brought about momentous changes in United States and world history. The Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies and USD’s Civility Ambassadors present an active training in how to use these techniques in your own life. Registration is required.

Democracy in an Imperfect World

September 30, 2026
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Peace and Justice Theater, Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

• Panelists:
  • Laurence Claus, DPhil | Professor of Law
    “What Keeps Democracy Real?”
  • Cameron Parker, PhD | Professor of Mathematics
    “Why No Voting System is Perfect”
  • Jason Kelly, PhD | Teaching Professor of Theology and Religious Studies
    “The Role of Wonder in the Environmental Movement”
• Host: Timothy McCarty | Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations

Our Unfinished Revolution

October 1, 2026
6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Peace and Justice Theater, Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

• Panelists:
  • Olutoyosi Aboderin, PhD | Assistant Professor of History
    “Frederick Douglass and Unfinished Promises”
  • T.J. Tallie, PhD | Professor of History
    “Ambition vs. Reality: Assessing the Hopes Realities of The Declaration”
  • David Miller, PhD | Distinguished Teaching Professor of History
    “All Men and We the People: Reflecting on Inclusive Democracy”
• Host: Timothy McCarty | Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations

A Revolutionary Birthday Party
7:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Garden of the Sky, Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

To celebrate the conclusion of “The Revolution Will Not Be Disciplined” and the 250th birthday of the Declaration of Independence, we will be gathering for Birthday Cake and other sweet treats following the panel. All are welcome to join in the festivities and share reflections on 250 years of undisciplined striving for truth, beauty, goodness and democracy.

Politifest

October 3, 2026
10:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Multiple Rooms, Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice

Voice of San Diego will be bringing together local politicians to go head-to-head at Politifest: Elections Showdown. Attendees will hear from candidates across San Diego and cast their votes for whom would most effectively address the biggest issues facing our community.

• Students register for free! Register now.

*For A Few Reasonable Books, the panel is suggesting the following books:

• Baldwin, James. 1963. The Fire Next Time. New York: M. Joseph.
• De Tocqueville, Alexis. 2006. Democracy in America. New York: Harper Perennial Modern Classics.
• Douglass, Frederick. 2016. The Essential Frederick Douglass. Indianapolis: Hackett Publishing.
• Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. 2019. How Democracies Die. New York: Crown.
• Levitsky, Steven, and Daniel Ziblatt. 2023. Tyranny of the Minority: Why American Democracy Reached the Breaking Point. New York: Crown.
• Niebuhr, Reinhold. 2011. The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness. Chicago: University of Chicago Press