Sean Trundle

The Unitarian Church of Lincoln is hosting a series of lectures, in-person at the church and virtually via YouTube, at 3 p.m. central on Sundays in February and March. For more information about the livestream, visit the Virtual Winter Lecture Series website. Each lecture will last about 45 minutes, with a Q&A session following. The principle of America First has existed almost from the founding of the United States, usually increasing with any influx of people different from Protestant Western European Americans. America First movements restricted trade and foreign entanglements, and excluded “others” of different cultures, ethnicities, and religions. Isolationism and antisemitism were often major components, especially prior to WWI and WWII. We examine similarities and differences in the historic movements with the current one that limits and leverages immigration, foreign aid, free trade, entangling alliances, etc. February 8 - Sean Trundle, historical perspective of America First movements beginning with those preceding World War I Sean Trundle of UNL’s History Department received his Ph.D. from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa in American Studies. He specializes in post-war (WW II) U.S. culture, but more broadly he lectures on 20th century cultural history. February 15 - Uche Jarrett, the historical perspective of leading economic issues today concerning trade, tariffs and national growth Uchechukwu Jarrett of UNL Economics received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee. His research interests include international trade and economics, developmental economics and the intersection between development and energy. March 1 -Emira Ibrahimpasic and Julia Reilly, history of selective immigration policies based on racism and religious restrictions that have led to current concerns and policies of immigration and deportations Emira Ibrahimpasic received her Ph.D. in Anthropology from the University of New Mexico. She researches the plight of women in West Africa and the Global South. Julia Reilly received her Ph.D. in Political Science from UNL. She specializes in international relations, comparative politics, human rights, and refugee resettlement. March 8 - David Forsythe, current foreign policy from an historical perspective emphasizing isolationism, unilateralism, and the policies toward Israel David Forsythe has edited, co-edited, authored, and co-authored books on human rights and foreign policy. He has received various lifetime achievement awards from universities and professional societies including the national Phi Beta Kappa society.