As the United States marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, How to Hide an Empire invites readers to look beyond the familiar map of the nation and consider the overseas territories, global ambitions, and often-overlooked communities that have shaped American life, politics, culture, and citizenship.

On Wednesday, September 16, author Daniel Immerwahr will join Professor Croco for an engaging conversation about the book’s central questions: What does it mean to understand the United States as a global power? Whose stories are left out when we define the nation only by its most familiar borders? And how might a fuller view of U.S. history change how we understand the present?

Professor Croco, a faculty member in Government and Politics and director of Honors Global Challenges & Solutions, will guide the discussion and audience Q&A. The event is an opportunity for Honors students and the wider campus community to engage directly with one of the year’s central intellectual conversations, and to celebrate Professor Croco’s leadership in bringing timely global questions into the classroom and beyond.

Event details

• Date and time: Wednesday, September 16 at 12 p.m.

• Location: Prince George’s Room, Stamp Student Union

About the First Year Book

Each year, the University of Maryland’s First Year Book program selects a shared text to spark thoughtful conversation across the campus. The program brings students, faculty, and staff together through classroom discussions, author visits, campus events, and community dialogue.

This year’s selection, How to Hide an Empire, supports the program’s aim of helping the UMD community think critically, debate respectfully, and explore the large, interconnected challenges that shape our world. The September 16 Q&A is co-sponsored by the Office of Undergraduate Studies, Honors Global Challenges & Solutions, and the School of Public Policy.