The UCLA Center for the Liberal Arts and Free Institutions (CLAFI) has inaugurated a five-year lecture series on the Civil War in connection with the sesquicentennial. They plan to sponsor at least two lectures each year, with the lecturers concentrating on events of the corresponding year of the Civil War. The inaugural lecture was by Daniel Walker Howe, on the secession crisis of 1861. One unusual feature of our series is that each lecturer also participates in a two-hour Saturday morning seminar with up to twenty people, on readings selected by the lecturer. Both the lectures and the seminars are free and open to all, but because of the size capacity, advance registration is required for the seminars.

Speakers for the remaining years who have already been signed up are:

• 2013/1863: Allen Guelzo, Gettysburg College
• 2015/1865: Joan Waugh, UCLA

Gary Gallagher of University of Virginia has also agreed to give a lecture in the series, which will probably be for 2014/1864, but that remains to be worked out. One of the lectures each year will be on military history. Thus, at least one additional lecturer will be added to each of the above years.

The immediate schedule for CLAFI is on their website. To receive updates on future CLAFI events, you can request to be placed on the CLAFI e-mail distribution list by emailing: .