Upcoming Events

Co-author of Prius or Pickup: How the Answers to Four Simple Questions Explain America’s Great Divide, Marc studies the American electorate, with a particular focus on trust in government and the polarization of public opinion. In the book, two award-winning political scientists provide the psychological key to America's deadlocked politics, showing that we are divided not by ideologies but something deeper: personality differences that appear in everything from politics to parenting to the workplace to TV preferences, which would be innocuous if only we could decouple them from our noxious political debate. 
 

With its large and diverse population of students, faculty, and staff, the University of Massachusetts Amherst is committed to building a community where every individual feels a sense of belonging. To kick off the new academic year, the UMass community is invited to participate in the third annual Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (JEDI) conference. JEDI features a series of educational workshops, talks, panels, and networking events.

This session will introduce participants to frameworks for dialogue, explore ways to incorporate dialogic practices, share examples of how dialogue is currently being utilized at UMass, and provide information about how community members can learn more and get involved. 

In this workshop, we introduce key goals and practice principles of IGD in higher education, including the four stages of IGD. Participants will engage in activities that encourage listening, voicing, and social identity engagement. We conclude by highlighting a few learning outcomes for IGD participants.

The panel will explore the multifaceted role of labor unions in the 2024 elections, their contribution to workplace democracy, and to a range of key economic policy debates. The panelists will discuss how unions engage in the political process through endorsements, campaign contributions, ballot initiatives (such as the upcoming question 2, MCAS ballot initiative), and voter mobilization efforts, while also discussing their historical influence on major legislative achievements. 

With an eye to the University of Massachusetts, Davarian L. Baldwin will draw from his book In the Shadow of the Ivory Tower to discuss the "public good" of higher education as it has shifted from a service provider of education and research to acting as a major force of economic development and political governance in our communities. Today's universities are embroiled in the swirling forces of student debt, labor organizing, corporatization, campus protest and suppression, and a waning public confidence in higher education. Baldwin will explore how we got here, the costs and benefits of what he calls "UniverCities," and the possibilities for a more liberatory path forward.

In partnership with the UMass Poll and Professor Razvan Sibii in the Journalism Department, the Migration Working Group will hold a panel discussion on the following topics: What exactly is happening on the US/Mexico border? Is it accurate to characterize the current situation as a “crisis”? How are current events related to immigration being discussed in the news? What is the impact of this news coverage on voters and on campaigns in the 2024 election? Where do the candidates stand on immigration? In what ways are the party platforms and candidate positions similar and different? How central is immigration to this election? Which aspects of the immigration debate are most important to voters? What does public opinion polling tell us about these questions? In addition to panelist presentations of information, this session will also include ample time for Q&A.

The Center for Justice, Law, and Societies at UMass Amherst will host the Northeast Law and Society Retreat on Friday, Sept. 27 at the Campus Center. Sponsored by the Law & Society Association (LSA), the event will bring together faculty members, graduate students and others who are interested in law and policy, both domestically and internationally.The afternoon plenary on law and democracy features public opinion and democratic institutions scholar Peter K. Enns, of Cornell University; human rights scholar Janice Gallagher, of Rutgers University-Newark; law and political economy scholar Amy Kapczynski, of Yale University; and social movements scholar Poulami Roychowdhury, of Brown University.

Tara Setmayer is the co-founder and CEO of The Seneca Project, a bipartisan superPAC, led by women, dedicated to mobilizing women voters in key swing states in support of Kamala Harris' election, with a focus on safeguarding women’s rights, healthcare access, and the preservation of democracy. Ms. Setmayer is a former CNN political commentator, contributor to ABC News and former GOP Communications Director on Capitol Hill. She currently serves as a University of Virginia, Center for Politics, Resident Scholar for the 2023-24 academic year. In collaboration with the Center for Politics, she narrated the Emmy-nominated 3-part documentary Dismantling Democracy, which aired nationally on PBS stations in September 2020 and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.