Review the history and constitutional status of the death penalty in America.

Opinions about the death penalty are fueled by emotion and driven by passion. But what do we know about capital punishment? People debating either side agree that “death is different”—because execution is irreversible. Given these ultimate stakes, it makes sense to dial down the volume and enhance our understanding of state administered death. During this program we will be reviewing the history and constitutional status of the death penalty in America. Our conversation, led by James Foster, OSU Professor Emeritus, is designed less to change minds than to deepen insight.

Before coming to Bend, James Foster was chair of the Department of Political Science for twelve years (1990-2002) on the Corvallis campus. Foster is a founding faculty member of OSU-Cascades, moving to Bend from Corvallis in 2002. He taught courses on constitutional law, administrative law, gender and law, and American political thought. He has published articles on legal education, book chapters on affirmative action and equality debates, as well as on the Oregon Judicial Branch.

He is co-editor of the book "Governing Through Courts" and co-author of the two-volume "Constitutional Law: Cases in Context." Foster has taught twice in London and in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was book review editor of Legal Studies Forum for ten years, and has served as president of the Pacific Coast Association of pre-law studies and the Pacific Northwest Political Science Association. Since leaving full-time teaching in December 2016, Foster is OSU Professor Emeritus.



*cr*