Spring 2017
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Thursday March 30 | 12 noon. | Foley Speaker’s Room | 308 Bryan Hall
Coffee & Politics “Women and the prison industrial complex” with Christia Mercer.
Join Christia Mercer, Gustave M. Berne Professor of philosophy at Columbia University, to discuss forgotten women from Jim Crow to the prison industrial complex.
Tuesday April 18 | 4:30 p.m. | Smith Center | CUE 203
Public lecture “Patriotism versus Nationalism: When should we be concerned?” with Carol Swain.
Carol Swain, professor of political science and law at Vanderbilt University, will discuss the causes and manifestations of nationalism in the context of the new administration.
Thursday April 20 | 4:30 p.m. | Foley Speaker’s Room | 308 Bryan Hall
The refugee crisis is a hot-button issue in the world today. Our panel of experts is ready to discuss the current implications of the ongoing crisis and our next steps.
Thursday March 23 | 12 noon | Foley Speaker’s Room | 308 Bryan Hall
Coffee & Politics “Suing the President” with Washington’s Attorney General Bob Ferguson.
Monday March 20 | 4:30 p.m. | CUE 203
Supreme Court panel discussion “Justice Confirmed” with Amanda Hollis-Brusky, Mitch Pickerill, and Michael Salamone.
Wednesday March 1 | 12 noon | Foley Speaker’s Room | 308 Bryan Hall
Coffee & Politics “Crazy Politics: Populism and Paranoia in America” with Cornell Clayton.
institute director Cornell Clayton discussed the rise of populist movements and politicians on both the political left and right. From the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street, to Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump, populism is on the rise in American politics. Clayton explained how populism intersected with conspiratorial politics, political paranoia, and partisan polarization.
Friday February 24 | 11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Cherberg ABC Meeting Room | Capitol Campus, Olympia
Olympia symposium co-sponsored with the Office of the Washington Secretary of State “Politics in Washington State” with Maria Chávez, Todd Donovan, Nicholas Lovrich, Hans Zeiger, moderated by Cornell Clayton, introduced by WA Secretary of State Kim Wyman.
Tuesday February 14 | 12 noon | Foley Speaker’s Room | 308 Bryan Hall
Coffee & Politics: “Trump and U.S. Foreign Policy” with Thomas Preston, Washington State University.
Tom Preston, professor in WSU’s school of Politics, Philosophy and Public affairs, provided a psychological profile of the president and his style of leadership. Noting that the U.S was in unique position of having a president that had never had any previous policy of governmental experience, Preston suggested that evidence showed that Trump has a high belief in his ability to control events, coupled with low conceptual complexity and high level of distrust of others (among other traits)
Professor Preston’s leadership profiling research suggested to him that Trump should surround himself with advisory picked on the basis of perceived loyalty rather than expertise, and this might lead, at least initially, to a sense of chaos in the administration.
Tuesday February 7 | 12 noon | Foley Speaker’s Room | 308 Bryan Hall
Coffee & Politics: “Trump and the environment: The role of universities as watchdogs” with Bartow Elmore, Ohio State University.
Monday February 6 | 4:30 p.m. | CUB Auditorium
Media & Politics Symposium, cosponsored with the WSU Murrow College of Communication, on “Trump and the Media” with Scott McClellan, White House press secretary under President George W. Bush (2003–06); Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, University of North Texas; Joseph Uscinski, University of Miami; and moderated by Porismita Borah, Washington State University.
Monday February 6 | 12 noon | Foley Speaker’s Room | 308 Bryan Hall
Coffee & Politics: “Conspiracy Theories are for Losers” with Joseph Uscinski, University of Miami.
Uscinski Spoke about his research that shows that liberals and conservatives are equally likely to believe in conspiracy theories, although they embrace different ones. Moreover, many Americans have what he calls a “parinoid disposition” that predisposes them to believe in political conspiracies.
Uscinski also noted that outsider groups that fail to win power often use conspiracy theories conspiracy as justification for their loss, which is why we rarely see political winners embracing conspiracy theories. Importantly, Uscinski argued, conspiracy theories are usually adopted by those who feel they are on the losing end of major social and economic changes.
Wednesday February 1 | 4:30 p.m. | CUB Auditorium
Foley Distinguished Lecture, featuring Paul Pierson, John Gross chair and professor of political science at the University of California Berkeley, on “Trump and the Changing Political Landscape in America”
Pierson’s most recent book is “American Amnesia: How the War on Government Led Us to Forget What Made America Prosper.
Thursday January 26 | 12 noon | Foley Speaker’s Room | 308 Bryan Hall
Coffee & Politics: “Millennials, Social Media, and the Black Lives Matter movement” with Charlene Carruthers.
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