Where: SRH 3.122, LBJ School

Sponsored by: The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law

On Wednesday, November 4th, the Strauss Center for International Security and Law and the Clements Center for National Security will host Thomas Hunt, Professor of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin, as he discusses his book, Fight Like a Machine: The Combat Future of the Human Body. As AI, robotics, and digital gaming reshape the battlefield, what does it mean to be “fighting fit” in the modern military? Fight Like a Machine draws on military history, kinesiology, and defense studies to argue that the traditional model of the soldier, defined by strength, speed, and endurance, is giving way to a new paradigm of human-machine integration. Looking to Ukraine and its technically skilled, largely middle-aged fighting force, Hunt will explore why cognitive agility and technological fluency now matter alongside physical power, and what that shift means for military recruitment, training, strategy, and the inclusion of women in combat roles. At stake, he contends, is nothing less than the future of the American military.

Paul Edgar, Executive Director of the Clements Center, will moderate the discussion. Lunch will be provided.

Garage parking is available for a fee at the Manor Garage, the Brazos Garage, and the San Jacinto Garage. Parking will not be validated. Registration is not required.

Biography Thomas M. Hunt, J.D., Ph.D., is an associate professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Health Education at The University of Texas at Austin. His scholarship explores how physical culture intersects with global political affairs. A previous book, Drug Games: The International Olympic Committee and the Politics of Doping, 1960-2008, offered a critical analysis of how the history of performance enhancement in sport was shaped by Cold War and post-Cold War politics. In his book from the University of Oklahoma Press, Fight Like a Machine: The Combat Future of the Human Body, Hunt expands this focus to the defense and national security arena, arguing that emerging technologies are redefining the role of the human body in warfare.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

More information: https://www.strausscenter.org/events/fight-like-a-machine-the-combat-future-of-the-human-body/

Where: TNH 2.124 (Reaud Classroom)

Sponsored by: The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law

Join the Strauss Center for International Security and Law, the Texas Space Law and Policy Society, and the Longhorn Airmen for a talk on “Navigating National Security and Space Law” with Michael Sinclair, Senior Counsel, Office of General Counsel for Intelligence and Security at the Department of War. Moderated by Strauss Center Space Law Program Lead and UT Law Professor Caryn Schenewerk, she’ll discuss with a U.S. Dept. of War legal expert how current national security legal issues, including engagement with the commercial space sector, achieve U.S. national security interests.

Lunch will be served. Garage parking is available for a fee at the Manor Garage, the Brazos Garage, and the San Jacinto Garage. Parking will not be validated.

Biography Michael Sinclair is senior counsel at the Department of War, (DoW) Office of General Counsel (OGC) (Intelligence & Security). He is responsible for the intelligence and operations practice area and has extensive experience with legal issues involving space/counter-space and sensitive space systems; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; electromagnetic warfare; geospatial intelligence; and measurement & signature intelligence.

Professor Sinclair worked at the Department of Air Force (DAF), OGC as associate general counsel for aviation and space prior to his work with DoW OGC. He is a retired Coast Guard judge advocate with over 25 years of mixed operational and legal experience including command afloat, as the Coast Guard’s legislative counsel at Coast Guard Congressional Affairs, and details to the Department of Homeland Security OGC (Operations and Enforcement Division), the National Security Council, and as a fellow at the Brookings Institution. He is a non-resident senior fellow for space security at the Atlantic Council, Scowcroft Center for National Security, Forward Defense and a non-resident scholar at George Washington University’s Space Policy Institute.

Professor Sinclair has been teaching at GW Law since 2020 and currently teaches International Law in Domestic Courts, National Security Law, and Upper Level Writing.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

More information: https://www.strausscenter.org/events/navigating-national-security-and-space-law/

Where: TNH 2.140 (Wright Classroom)

Sponsored by: Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

Do laws requiring the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms violate the Establishment Clause? Professor Nathan Chapman (University of Georgia Law) joins us to analyze the constitutionality of state laws that require the posting of the Ten Commandments in public school classrooms, arguing that many of them are best seen as prescribing particular religious beliefs and conduct, in violation of the Establishment Clause. Applying a historical understanding of an “Establishment of Religion” and considering the contexts of each mandated display, his paper concludes that several of these statutes are unconstitutional.

Lunch will be provided. Please register at the link.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

More information: https://law.utexas.edu/first-amendment-center/events/prescribing-religion-the-ten-commandments-on-classroom-walls/

Where: Bass Lecture Hall

Sponsored by: Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

Pastor Ezra Jin, founding pastor of Zion Church, joins us for a discussion on how religious communities in China are navigating severe pressure from the Chinese Communist Party, and its meaning for the United States. Under Jin’s leadership, Zion Church grew into one of the largest and most influential unregistered Protestant congregations in China. In October 2025, Chinese authorities detained Jin and nearly 30 leaders of his church in a series of coordinated nationwide raids. He was held for 266 days and released in July 2026 after President Donald Trump raised his case directly with President Xi Jinping. His story has been covered widely across the Wall Street Journal, Free Press, Washington Post, and New York Times, as well as PBS NewsHour, Fox News, CNN, and beyond.

Lunch will be served. Please register at the link. Garage parking is available for a fee at the Manor Garage, the Brazos Garage, and the San Jacinto Garage. Parking will not be validated.

Cosponsors: the Asia Policy Program, the Clements Center for National Security, and the Strauss Center for International Security and Law.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

More information: https://law.utexas.edu/first-amendment-center/events/faith-and-the-party-freedom-and-state-power-in-china-today/

Sponsored by: Center for Women in Law

Join the Center for Women in Law for a virtual session on November 11 from 12 PM to 1 PM CST for Perspectives on the U.S. Supreme Court: The Court, Current Term, and Appellate Advocacy. This timely conversation will explore the Court’s current docket and shifting dynamics, and the realities of practicing before appellate courts. Approved for one hour of CLE.

Moderated by Texas Law Supreme Court Litigation Clinic Co-Directors Erin Busby and Lisa Eskow, this one-hour virtual panel discussion will feature distinguished practitioners Jessica Ellsworth, Jo-Ann Sagar, and Katherine Wellington of Hogan Lovells Cadwalader.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

More information: https://cwil.law.utexas.edu/events/perspectives-us-supreme-court-court-current-term-and-appellate-advocacy

Where: Patton Hall (RLP) Room 1.302D, 305 E 23rd Street, Austin, TX 78712

Sponsored by: Bernard & Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights & Justice

Join us for a report-back event featuring graduate student researchers presenting their findings from summer fieldwork supported by the Sissy Farenthold Fund for Peace and Social Justice. Hear from Laura Botero, Jazmin Muñoz, Andrea Richardson, and Kirill Veselkin about their research, and learn how you can apply for these fieldwork grants.  Laura Botero: “(En)gendering Extraction: Bodies, Territories, and Dispossession in Indigenous Amazonia” 

Jazmin Muñoz: “Mutant Ecologies: Nuclear Contamination as an Ecological Process in Durango, Colorado, 1912–1980” 

Andrea Richardson: “Community Solutions for Reproductive Justice: Strengthening Infrastructures to Promote Maternal Health”

Kirill Veselkin: “The Radioactive Toxicity of Nuclear Memory: Slow Violence and the Cultural Afterlife of Hiroshima” 

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

More information: https://law.utexas.edu/humanrights/events/environmental-justice-fieldwork-report-back/

Where: TNH 2.111 (Sheffield-Massey Room)

Sponsored by: Bernard & Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights & Justice

Healthcare conscientious objection allows providers to refuse treatment based on moral or religious beliefs. Alongside the legalization of abortion since the 1970s, conscience clauses have expanded globally. In response, some legislative bodies and courts have implemented institutional safeguards to ensure that conscience-based refusals do not become insurmountable obstacles for patients.  This talk will argue that while these institutional safeguards hold potential, they have not fundamentally altered the dominant understanding of medical objection, which frames the conflict and its resolution as a situation involving two equally balanced parties. 

Elizabeth W. Sepper, Crillon C. Payne II Professor of Health Law at the University of Texas School of Law, will serve as a respondent for the event.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

More information: https://law.utexas.edu/humanrights/events/agustina-ramon-michel-palermo-and-cedes-argentina-conscientious-objection-to-abortion-comparative-legal-frameworks-and-debates/

Sponsored by: Communications

No classes will be held November 23-27 per the Academic Calendar. Note that the University will be closed Thursday–Friday, November 26-27.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

No classes will be held November 23-27 per the Academic Calendar. Note that the University will be closed Thursday–Friday, November 26-27.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

No classes will be held November 23-27 per the Academic Calendar. Note that the University will be closed Thursday–Friday, November 26-27.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed November 26-27, per the official Holiday Schedule.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed November 26-27, per the official Holiday Schedule.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

The University will be closed for the Winter Break from December 23, 2026 until January 1, 2027.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

Details to follow.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

Martin Luther King Jr. Day Holiday; no classes held.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

Details to follow.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

Details will be announced soon.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

Details to follow.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

Spring break; no classes held.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

Spring break; no classes held.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

Spring break; no classes held.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

Spring break; no classes held.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Communications

Spring break; no classes held.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.

Sponsored by: Bech-Loughlin First Amendment Center

Details to follow.

If you need an accommodation to participate in this event, please contact the event sponsor or the Texas Law Special Events Office at specialevents@law.utexas.edu no later than seven business days prior to the event.