This free lecture series is a partnership between Framingham State University (FSU) and Framingham Public Library (FPL). The series is sponsored by a grant from The Joseph L. and Ray L. Freund Foundation, courtesy of Elizabeth F. Fideler.
All lectures take place on Zoom. To receive the Zoom link, please join the mailing list at bit.ly/Lifelong-Learning-Lectures.
Recordings of these events are not always available, based on copyright constraints and other factors. To avoid missing these great topics, please join us live on Zoom!
Read more about our offerings on the Framingham Library website.
Lifelong Learning Lecture Series - Spring 2026
This free Thursday evening lecture series is a partnership between Framingham State University and Framingham Public Library. All lectures take place on Zoom. Join our mailing list at bit.ly/Lifelong-Learning-Lectures to receive the Zoom link. For more information, visit bit.ly/Lifelong-Learning-Series.
Disinformation, Misinformation, and Just Plain Lies: Trying to Find Trustworthy Information in Politics
Speaker: Dr. David Smailes, Former Associate Professor of Political Science, Law and Global Studies, Framingham State University
Date: January 15, 7pm
We live in an age where information about politics is more readily available than ever, but we also seem to feel more uncertain about how much of that information to trust. Examine how information is often manipulated in political discussions and how we can be on our guard against information that is designed to mislead us.
Revolutionary Routes: Henry Knox, Framingham, and the Winter Road to Victory
Speaker: Anna Tucker, Executive Director, Framingham History Center
Date: February 12, 7pm
Revisit Colonel Henry Knox’s route, transporting nearly 60 tons of captured artillery from Fort Ticonderoga to the Continental Army outside Boston. This journey passed directly through Framingham, where Knox paused for reasons that historians debate. Understand how local landscapes like Framingham shaped this larger campaign. Explore the human and environmental challenges of the journey, the significance of the “Noble Train of Artillery” in the final push to force the British from Boston, and the ways this story has been remembered over generations.
The Revolutionary Legacy of the Free Press
Speaker: Dr. Joseph M. Adelman, Professor of History, Framingham State University
Date: February 26, 7pm
Since the ratification of the First Amendment, the Constitution has promised to safeguard “freedom of the press.” The meaning of the phrase has changed significantly as news media has grown and expanded. Explore the origins of the “free press” in the American Revolution and how those principles can protect the press today.
The Boston Molasses Flood
Speaker: Dr. Jon Huibregtse, Professor Emeritus, History, Framingham State University
Date: March 12, 7pm
In January 1919, a molasses storage tank in Boston North End collapsed, flooding the neighborhood with approximately 2 million gallons of molasses. The 25-foot high tidal wave of molasses destroyed buildings, almost knocked over the elevated railroad track, and killed 21 people. Learn the reasons for the tank’s collapse and its aftermath which led to greater regulation of construction and a huge (for the period) civil judgment against the tank’s owner.
Elizabeth Gaskell and the Perils of Biography
Speaker: Dr. Helen Heineman, President Emerita, Framingham State University
Date: April 2, 7pm
Tasked with telling the story of Charlotte Brontë’s tragic life, writer and friend Elizabeth Gaskell investigated, uncovering secrets more incredible than any fiction. Her book was so controversial it was banned within weeks. Ever since, historians have argued about how much of it is true. Mrs. Gaskell stipulated in her will that no one could write her own life story until all parties concerned had died. This lecture describes Mrs. Gaskell’s biography and assesses the truth of her representation.
Not All In: Race, Immigration, and Health Care Exclusion in the Age of Obamacare
Speaker: Tiffany D. Joseph, Associate Professor of Sociology and International Affairs, Northeastern University
Date: April 16, 7pm
Immigration and health policy have been at the core of recent U.S. legislative debates. Explore how the intersection of both has narrowed healthcare access for immigrants and citizens of the Commonwealth under the Massachusetts and Affordable Care Act (ACA) reforms and the dismantling of the ACA.
This lecture series is sponsored by The Joseph L. and Ray L. Freund Foundation, courtesy of Elizabeth F. Fideler.