Events

The Chicago Forum hosts events across a wide array of topics and supports an environment where participants can discuss ideas openly, freely, and with mutual respect. Find a listing of upcoming events and past events below. Please note that photographs and footage will be taken at our events and might be used by the Chicago Forum for marketing purposes. Please notify the photographer if you do not want your photo taken.

With the generous support of the Zell family, the Zell Series hosts speakers, panels, and events throughout the year that demonstrate and directly address challenges related to academic freedom and free expression in a variety of contexts, providing venues for interaction with students and faculty as well as the practical application of thinking and behavior rooted in the values of free expression and open discourse.

Upcoming Events

The NYC Mayoral Election: Can Socialism Coexist With American Capitalism? (Organized by the Booth School Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Board)

November 4, 2025

Events

Upcoming Events

The NYC Mayoral Election: Can Socialism Coexist With American Capitalism? (Organized by the Booth School Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Board)

The Ethics of Prosecutors and Public Defenders (Organized by the Law School Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Board & Hegel & Bagels)

Reflections on the Sacred & Secular in The Current Moment (Organized by the Harris & Divinity School Committees of the Chicago Forum Student Board)

Human Rights and Sentient Beings: A conversation between Dr. John Adenitire and Dr. Ben Laurence

COVID-19: Five Years Later

Are There Racial Limits to Free Speech?: A Conversation with Sahar Aziz

Previous Events

Uncovering the L.A. Sheriff Gangs: Discussion Dinner with Journalist Cerise Castle (Organized by the Free Expression in Media and Journalism Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Board)

Unpacking Citizenship: A Talk on Denaturalization, Birthright, and Immigration Policy with Chicago Forum Fellow Patrick Weil

The State of Free Speech Today (Organized by the Law School Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Board)

Chicago Forum College Committee Kickoff Mixer (Organized by the College Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Board)

You Can’t Kill a Man Because of the Books He Reads: Angelo Herndon’s Fight for Free Speech - Brad Snyder (Co-sponsored with the Forum on Law and Legalities)

Academic Freedom in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: A Discussion with Professor Chad Broughton (Organized by the Free Expression and Emerging Technologies Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Board)

Freedom and Its Limits: Rereading Milton’s Areopagitica (Organized by the Social Sciences Division Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Board)

“The War on Tenure”: A Book Talk with Chicago Forum Fellow Deepa Das Acevedo

Clash of the Conservatives: Is the Populist Project Worthwhile? (Co-sponsored with the Institute of Politics)

What do Iranians Want? A Discussion on the Future of Iran (Co-sponsored with the Malyi Center)

The Legacy of Free Speech in America: Commemorating the New Edition of Defending My Enemy with its Author, Aryeh Neier

America at a Crossroads: Examining Political Violence Today with Professor Robert Pape (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Board)

"What is Free Speech?": A Book Talk with Fara Dabhoiwala

Meet the Fall 2025 Chicago Forum Fellows

The Business of Care: Navigating Healthcare in a Financialized Era (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Higher Education Under Attack: A Conversation with Hanna Gray, Wendy Freedman, and Eric Slauter

Vaxxed or Vexed: Unpacking the Flu Vaccine Conversation (Organized by the College Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

The First 100 Days of the Trump Administration: A Discussion (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Monkey Trials and Modern Truths: Revisiting the Scopes Trial 100 Years Later

The Edges of Expression: A Conversation with Professor Jeffrey Kosky (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Speaking the Unspeakable: Should there be Limits on What Can Be Said in Psychotherapy or on Campus? (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Intellectual Speed-Dating Event: Year-End Finale (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Self-Censorship in the Classroom (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Free Speech on Trial: Professor Geoffrey Stone and the Chicago Principles (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Overthrowing Democracy: Lèse Majesté and the Judiciary in Thailand - featuring Professor Tyrell Haberkorn of University of Wisconsin (A Co-sponsored Event)

A Screening of Three Chaplains (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Dinner at the Chicago Forum: Will Americans Soon Miss the Liberal International Order? with Professor Robert Pape (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

"Hot Ones with a Moderate" (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

An Overview of Corporate Tax Policy, from the TCJA to Now (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Should Stand-Up Comedy Have Boundaries? (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Academic Freedom in the Era of Trump: A Chicago Forum Conversation with Greg Lukianoff of FIRE and Genevieve Lakier of the Law School and UChicago AAUP (UChicago Faculty, Emeriti Faculty, and Other Academic Appointees only)

FIRE President & CEO Greg Lukianoff on Free Speech & Current Headwinds

The Ongoing Struggle for Puerto Rican Independence (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Future of Tech and AI Series #2- TikTok Ban: Balancing the First Amendment and National Security (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Film Night: Gattaca and the Ethics of Genetic Engineering (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

You Can’t Do That, Mr. President: Albie Sachs (A Co-sponsored Event)

Curating Curiosity: Navigating Free Inquiry and Expression in Museum Exhibits (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Intellectual Speed Dating: The AI Special (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Abortion and Free Speech: A Historical and Contemporary Perspective (Organized by the College Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Booth "Let's Talk About It" Discussion Dinner (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

The Chicago Principles & Contemporary Challenges with Northwestern Professor Eli Finkel and UChicago Law Professor Geoffrey Stone (UChicago Faculty, Emeriti Faculty, and Other Academic Appointees only)

A Book Club with Professor Ilya Shapiro (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Free Inquiry in Medicine (Organized by the College Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

What Should UChicago Housing Look Like? (Organized by the College Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

The State-Induced Crisis in Higher Education: A Conversation on the Government's Recent Actions

Intellectual Speed-Dating Event (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Dinner at the Chicago Forum with Professor Agnes Callard: Socrates and Speech (Organized by the College Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Freedoms of Speech: Anthropological Perspectives

The Imprisoned Lawyer: A Conversation from Iran with Nasrin Sotoudeh (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Dueling Perspectives: Is Institutional Neutrality Necessary for Academic Freedom? (Featuring Tom Ginsburg & Brian Soucek)

On Law, Speech, and Watermelons (Co-sponsored with the University of Chicago International Law Society)

Dinner at the Chicago Forum: What is the role of the United States in the world? (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Israel and Nuclear Weapons: A Talk with Professor John Mearsheimer (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Student Evictions and Disruptive Conduct: Has the University gone too far? (Organized by the College Committee of the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

"The Unfinished Business of the Kalven Report” with Jamie Kalven

A Conversation on Free Speech with Associate Justice Goodwin H. Liu (Co-sponsored with The Forum on Law and Legalities)

Booth Inauguration Discussion Dinner at the Chicago Forum (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

A Roundtable Discussion on Birthright Citizenship with Professor Michael D. Ramsey (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Race & Gender in America: Unpacking the 2024 Presidential Election (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

The Chicago Principles at Ten Years: University Free Expression Then, Now, and Tomorrow

Dinner at the Chicago Forum: What should we expect of healthcare? (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

A UChicago Faculty Discussion on Divestment (UChicago Faculty, Emeriti Faculty, and Other Academic Appointees only)

Intellectual Speed-dating Event for Students (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Lunch and Learn with Alice Dreger, PhD (Co-sponsored with The Science Communication & Public Discourse minor)

Future of Tech and AI Series #1: Online Speech and Content Moderation (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Whistleblowing into the Wind with Alice Dreger

A No Nonsense Book Talk on Campus Free Speech with Prof. Cass R. Sunstein

President Hanna Gray on Free Expression: A Unique University of Chicago Historical Tradition

Free Speech: Necessary or Conservative Propaganda? (Organized by the Chicago Forum Student Advisory Board)

Exploring Academic Freedom with Professor David Rabban

Governance or Collapse? Reflections on Turkey's Counter-Terrorism Law and Practice