Edward Larson to Deliver Visiting Professorship Inaugural Lecture on March 14

Edward J. Larson will explore a foundational question of American history at the Michael A. Doyle ’62 and Bunny Winter Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law Inaugural Lecture on March 14.

The lecture, titled “What is an American?: A Revolutionary Era Question” will look into the origins of this fundamental question in the years surrounding the American Revolution. Larson will examine how differing answers to “Who is an American?” shaped and shadowed the nation’s founding and future.

Larson is the inaugural Michael Doyle ’62 and Bunny Winter Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law. In the fall of 2021, he co-taught “George Washington and the Constitution” with Sterling Professor of Law Akhil Reed Amar ’84. The visiting professorship brings in faculty from a wide range of perspectives for semester-long visits with the aim of expanding the community’s intellectual horizons. The professorship is made possible thanks to a generous gift from Michael Doyle ’62 and Bunny Winter.

Larson is the Hugh and Hazel Darling Chair in Law at the Caruso School of Law and University Professor of History at Pepperdine University. The recipient of numerous awards for writing and teaching, Larson is the author of 13 books and numerous scholarly papers. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1997 for his book Summer for the Gods, which covers the Scopes trial and America’s continuous debate over science and religion. His most recent book, Franklin & Washington: the Founding Partnership (William Morrow, 2020), looks at the relationship between Ben Franklin and George Washington. 

Larson’s work spans the subjects of law, science, and religion. His articles have appeared in such varied publications as Nature, The Atlantic, Science, Scientific American, Time, The Wall Street Journal, American History, The Guardian, and dozens of law reviews.

The lecture will take place at 5 p.m. in SLB Room 129 and is open to the Yale Law School community only and invited guests. Food will be served. Registration is required.