The theme for the first semester’s talks is the 1996 presidential campaign. All are open to the public at no charge.

Here is a schedule for the talks through Nov. 8:

Sept. 27: Renee Leduc, a Bates junior and delegate to the Democratic National Convention, on Reflections from Chicago, Room 113, Carnegie Science Hall.

Oct. 4, Elizabeth Tobin, associate professor of history, on “The Politics of Abortion,” Edmund S. Muskie Archives.

Oct. 11: David Aschauer, the Elmer W. Campbell Professor of Economics, on “The Domestic Economy in the Campaign of 1996,” Carnegie 113.

Oct. 25, Georgia Nigro, associate professor of psychology, on “The Politics of the Family,” Carnegie 113.

Nov. 1, Douglas Hodgkin, professor of political science, and Christopher Beam, lecturer in history, on “Who Will Win and Why,” Muskie Archives.

Nov. 8, James Carignan, dean of the college, moderating a panel discussion on “Who Won and Why, Muskie Archives.”

Author and professor Bruce Lincoln, hailed as one of the leading thinkers in the area of cultural studies, will discuss the meaning of the word “culture” in a lecture on Monday, Sept. 30.