Dr. J. Rufus Fears

Can America defer a monumental crisis by learning from the downfall of an ancient superpower? Noted historian J. Rufus Fears will examine this question in a talk on “Leadership in Crisis: Lessons of the Roman Empire for America Today” at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 26, in UNC Asheville’s Highsmith University Union, Alumni Hall. The event is free and open to the public.

Fears will draw on the lessons of history to address America’s fears, concerns, and hopes as the world’s leading superpower. Can America survive in greatness, strength, vitality and freedom as a superpower? Exploring the history of the Roman Empire, Fears will guide the audience on a journey of possibilities, learning from the past and offering a powerful set of principles upon which the country’s leaders can act.

Fears is the David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics and the G.T. and Libby Blankenship Chair in the History of Liberty at the University of Oklahoma. He has published numerous books and articles in classical studies, the history of liberty, and how the lessons of the past can be applied to modern society. He is currently writing a book on “Dangerous Delusions: Why We Ignore the Lessons of History at Our Risk.” Fears leads educational tours to historical sites in Europe and America including, trips focusing on the lives of Peter and Paul, Robert E. Lee and Winston Churchill. Fears has been honored more than 20 times for excellence in teaching and has been named a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome, a Guggenheim Fellow, and twice a Fellow of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. He holds a doctorate from Harvard University.

The lecture is co-sponsored by UNC Asheville’s Humanities Program and Classics Department, in cooperation with a number of local businesses and private donors.

For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Classics Department at 828/251-6466.