7:00 p.m.: Voting Matters Expert Panel, Fine Arts Instructional Center, Concert Hall Professor Courtney Broscious will moderate a panel on key issues around the 2024 elections with special guests, Harvard University Professor of Government Stephanie Ternullo, Wesleyan University Professor of Government, Erika Franklin, and Southern Connecticut State University Professor of Political Science, Jonathan Wharton
Tuesday, October 1
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: “Prison Gerrymandering and Felony Disenfranchisement”, Theresa Severance, Student Center Theater
5:00 - 6:00 p.m.: “Foreign Policy in the 2024 Election: Trump’s and Harris’ Interpretation of Just War Theory”, Martin Mendoza-Botelho, Student Center Theater
As a leading nation, oftentimes the U.S. finds itself engaged diplomatically and military in emerging conflict around the globe, such as the current instability in the Middle East and the war between Ukraine and Russia. The role of the President, which is also Commander Chief of the armed forces, is crucial because of the possibility of authorizing military intervention when needed. Join us for a discussion on some of the expectations of the future president regarding foreign policy, military intervention and how their personalities and political experiences might play a role in their decisions.
Wednesday, October 2
11:00 - 11:50 a.m.: “How a New President Could Impact LGBTQ Rights”, Nicole Krassas and Kim Dugan, Webb 110
1:00 - 1:50 p.m.: “Political Disinformation in the 2024 Presidential Election”, Nicole Krassas, Webb 110
4:00 - 5:15 p.m.: “Early First Ladies, 1796-1933”, Tom Balcerski, Webb 110
Join the students of HIS 311: U.S. Presidents and First Ladies to learn about some of the earlier First Ladies in American history! Students will present on Abigail Adams and Mary Todd Lincoln, as well as the lesser-known First Ladies of the Gilded Age. A question and answer session after each presentation will allow the audience to interact with the presenters. All are welcome!
Thursday, October 3
11:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m.: “Votes, Voices and Vital Signs: Linking Health Equity to Civic Participation”, Sara Newman Carroll and Sarah Walters. Student Center Theatre
12:20 - 1:45 p.m.: “What Americans Want from Government”, Courtney Broscious, Student Center Theatre
2:00 - 3:15 p.m.: "What Office Holders & Candidates say about Education?", Professor David Stoloff, Education Department and participants in
LAC 100 – Studying Education Using the Social Sciences and LAC 101 – Introduction to Liberal Arts Core, Student Center Theatre Using the BALLOTPEDIA Sample Ballot Lookup Tool, members of our learning community chose a candidate on their home district’s election ballot and did a search on the candidates’ ideas about Education using campaign materials and AI tools like CoPilot. We prepared 4 PowerPoint (PPT) slides introducing the candidate and three statements on Education from these web resources. These individual presentations were combined into one group PPT. The candidates will be presented by the individual researchers in less than 2-minute segments. We are planning for ample time for a discussion of our group’s findings and for audience participation.
4:00 - 5:00 p.m.: “The Importance of Vaccines in Public Health”, Liz Cowles. Student Center Theatre
Vaccines have saved many lives. We will explore their history, how they are designed, and how they work in training your immune system. Part of the discussion will involve herd immunity and what happens when people are not vaccinated.
Friday October 4
Noon - 12:50 p.m.: “Breaking Barriers: How Gender is Shaping the 2024 Election”, Cara Bergstrom-Lynch and Jennifer Leszczynski. Student Center Theatre
In our open classroom, we plan to have an interactive discussion with students about the issues that matter the most to them for the 2024 election. We have selected a few issues to highlight, including the gender gap in voting patterns and the rights surrounding reproduction and the LGBTQ+ community. Come join us to learn about others who have broken barriers in the past with an eye towards the strongest and highest glass ceiling.
1:00 - 1:50 p.m.: “Your Mind on Media”, Lyndsey Lanagan-Leitzel, Student Center Theatre
In this class, we will explore how political ads and propaganda persuade via appeals to emotion, consider how biases in human thought contribute to conflicting views of truth and reality, examine the effect of conspiracy theories and why people believe them, and discuss what you can do to promote the truth in your own use of media.
