The department of History kicked off its “History Comes Alive” lecture series on Sept. 7 with Professor Thomas Madden of Saint Louis University. The lecture was based on Madden’s forthcoming book, “The Fall of Republics: A History,” which is scheduled to be published by Princeton University Press in spring 2026.

Madden is a professor of History and Director of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies at Saint Louis University. He is also a renowned author and historian with numerous publications, books and articles. 

“He’s recognized by a number of leading scholarly organizations, he’s a fellow of the medieval academy [and] also been the recipient of the Guggenheim prize, so he’s a celebrated historian,” James Naus, associate professor and chair of the department of History, said. 

Throughout his lecture, Madden made a conscious effort to get the main points of his forthcoming book to the audience of students, faculty and other community members. His lecture discussed the factors that led to the collapse of some of history’s most important republics and the lessons that the American framers drew from those cautionary tales.

There were two main points, Madden explained, that he hoped readers would take away from his book after reading it. 

“That the Constitution was based on a long understanding of what causes problems for the public and that safeguards were placed into it to guard against those,” Madden said. “The other is that many of the things that we think nowadays, we tend to think that we’re always one step away from the end of the Republic; [however], I think [with] the fabric of the Constitution, the American Constitution has maintained itself very well.”

With more than thirty years of experience as a historian, author and professor of history, Madden urges and advises current Oakland University students majoring in history to constantly read. 

“Read and think,” Madden said. “History is wonderful for critical thinking. You’re literally reading source material and witnesses and then you’re piecing together what happened. It’s a wonderful skill.” 

Although the “History Comes Alive” lecture series is held on the Oakland campus, there weren’t many students in attendance. The numerous opportunities to learn something new are being missed by many on campus.

“We would love to have more students, and we often encourage [it]. We do tend to get more as the year goes on. It’s early in the semester, but we’re trying to get more students,” Naus said. “We are also trying to get more high school students, so we often reach out to high school teachers.”

For students, faculty, and community members interested in extending their knowledge in history through historical thinking, the department of History is offering more lecture opportunities throughout 2025 and 2026. The free monthly series features lectures on a variety of historical topics, available in-person and virtually through Zoom. Lectures are available, from September through March, held at 7 pm on campus. This year marks the ongoing series’ 22nd year at Oakland University.

“The idea of is to bring sort of really good history to a popular audience in a way that’s very consumable,” Naus said. “It’s a way of distilling complex ideas into the best scholarship, but not like an academic conference. It’s in a way that makes it really consumable for people and makes them more interested in the field and wanting to come back.”

Madden’s lecture was just the beginning of the “History Comes Alive” lecture series. There will be an additional four anticipated lectures throughout this academic year, organized by the department of History.