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CHA Events & Programs

From panel discussions and guest speakers to workshops and collaborative brainstorming sessions, the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) hosts and supports a wide range of events for the CU Boulder community throughout the year.

��Difficult Dialogue: The First Amendment

📅 Tuesday, January 20, 2026 | 11:15 AM–12:30 PM
📍 CBIS Room, Norlin Library, CU Boulder
🍽️ Lunch provided
�ʦ️ Free & open to the public

Registration:

🤝 Co-sponsored by: Keller Center

It has been a year since the second Trump administration took office, and during this time we have seen increasing challenges to rights and protections that many have taken for granted—especially those guaranteed by the First Amendment.

This event will bring together faculty experts from journalism, political science, and law to examine contemporary threats to freedoms of speech, religion, assembly, the press, and the right to petition the government. Panelists will share scholarly insights and discuss what individuals and institutions can do to protect First Amendment rights in today’s political climate.

Audience participation is central, with time dedicated to both pre-submitted and live questions.

��Colorado River Stories: Legacies of Water

📅 Wednesday, February 4, 2026 | 6:30–8:00 PM
✨ Opening reception: 5:45–6:30 PM (heavy appetizers)
🎭 Performance: 6:30–8:00 PM

📍 CASE Building, 4th Floor Auditorium & Chancellor’s Hall, CU Boulder
🍽️ Heavy hors d’oeuvres
�ʦ️ Free & open to all

🔗 Registration:

This unique event incorporates improvisational theater to explore stories of water rights, regional history, sustainability, and environmental justice. Storytellers include Indigenous leaders, water scientists, and policy advocates. You are invited to listen, learn, and share your own experiences with the Colorado River.

��Difficult Dialogue: What Makes Free Speech Hate Speech?

📅 Wednesday, February 11, 2026 | 6:00–7:30 PM

📍 at Colorado Chautauqua's Community House

Social media, mobile technology, and digital platforms have transformed how we express ourselves—and how quickly our speech can have consequences. This event explores both our rights and responsibilities as speakers and how we navigate challenging or harmful speech in a connected world.

Homelessness in Boulder: Balancing Humanity & Community Safety

📅 Wednesday, March 11, 2026 | 6:00–7:30 PM

📍 at Colorado Chautauqua's Community House

Boulder continues to grapple with homelessness—from camping bans the ACLU has criticized as “cruel and unusual,” to financial strain in implementing a “housing first” approach. Join us for a candid conversation about the complexities of homelessness and how we can pursue more humane solutions.

📝 Notes: Include an information/fact page at the event. Potential co-moderators: Boulder Shelter, All Roads Boulder; possible involvement: Bob Yates.

Cox Family Process Speaker

Claire Bond Potter

Professor of History Emeritus, The New School for Social Research

📅 Wednesday, March 25, 2026 | 4:00–5:30 PM

�ʦ️ Free & open to all

Claire Bond Potter will join us to highlight her latest book:

Political Junkies: From Talk Radio to Twitter, How Alternative Media Hooked Us on Politics and Broke Democracy
(Basic Books, 2020)

Claire Bond Potter is a political historian at the New School for Social Research. She is executive editor of Public Seminar and was the author of the popular blog Tenured Radical from 2006 through 2015.

🎙 Don’t miss her insights, plus check out her podcast “?” and her Substack, .

Airing of Grievances: What Are You “Mad as Hell” ��������?

📅 Wednesday, April 8, 2026 | 6:00–7:30 PM

📍 at Colorado Chautauqua's Community House

Join us for an evening of open dialogue focused on the issues that matter most to our community and our nation. Together, we will identify pressing concerns and explore actionable pathways for individual and collective change.CHA Events & Programs

From panel discussions and guest speakers to workshops and collaborative brainstorming sessions, the Center for Humanities & the Arts (CHA) hosts and supports a wide range of events for the CU Boulder community throughout the year.

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