In this episode, Fred Lawrence sits down with UCLA Professor of American Politics and Public Policy Lynn Vavreck to explore the evolving landscape of American elections. Drawing from her childhood experiences and decades of research, Vavreck examines how modern data analytics have transformed the study of political campaigns, why traditional television advertising still matters in a digital age, and how a shrinking "movable middle" continues to decide pivotal races. From pervasive public discontent and declining faith in the “American Dream”, she addresses where she finds hope for political revitalization and the critical role imaginative leadership can play in moving the country forward.

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This special episode of Key Conversations is joined by Dominic McIver Lopes, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada and University Killam Professor at the University of British Columbia, and Samantha Matherne, Professor of Philosophy at Harvard University. Each year, the Lebowitz Prize is presented to a pair of philosophers who hold contrasting views of an important philosophical question that is of current interest both to the field and to an educated public audience. The professors discuss the topic for the 2025 Lebowitz Prize, which is "What Beauty Promises"

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In this episode, Fred Lawrence speaks with Geraldo Cadava, Professor of History at Northwestern University and author of The Hispanic Republican. Cadava takes us from the childhood experiences that shaped his interest in complex identities—moving between the affluent suburbs of Irvine and the borderlands of Tucson—to his scholarly work on the contradictory nature of Latino identity. He shares the compelling story of his Panamanian-born grandfather, a veteran and copper miner whose partisan evolution from a Ronald Reagan voter to a staunch Republican demonstrates how individual political reasons can lead to deep ideological shifts. Cadava also previews his upcoming, ambitious project of writing a book encompassing the past 500-year history of Latinos, A Thousand Bridges, which argues that Latinos have historically been both victims and agents of empire.

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