Society And Culture

Noted congressional scholar Thomas E. Mann will speak at Vanderbilt University on Oct. 28 about the outlook for the 2010 midterm elections. The public lecture marks the official launch of the Center for the Study of Democratic Institutions, which is housed within Vanderbilt’s Department of Political Science. Read More

President Barack Obama’s declining approval ratings increase the challenges of keeping his once-lauded “team of rivals” in place through 2012, according to David E. Lewis, professor of political science at Vanderbilt University. Read More

In light of the charges against Bishop Eddie Long, Vanderbilt sociologist Richard Pitt is available for comment to media. Pitt’s research interests include the intersection of sexual identity and religion. He looks specifically at homosexuality and the black church in his papers “Killing the Messenger: Gay Black Men’s Negotiation… Read More

A new report from the National Research Council offers insights into 31 doctoral programs at Vanderbilt University, and finds the programs to be competitive with those at other top research institutions in the United States. The report is based on data collected for the 2005-2006 academic year… Read More

Nashville should seek new public/private partnerships that generate additional revenue sources if the city wants to maximize its economic potential as a sports city, according to a report prepared by the Vanderbilt Center for Nashville Studies. Read More

Vanderbilt University’s Center for Latin American Studies will expand its collaborations in Tennessee and beyond through world-class research, teaching and community service – thanks to a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education. Read More

Based on surveys in Honduras, the combination of low levels of education for the masses and high levels of wealth among the elite is a good recipe for undermining democracy. The Latin American Public Opinion Project, a consortium of universities and research institutes based at Vanderbilt University which tracks… Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt will begin a landmark study to examine how social stress contributes to disparities in health among minority populations. Vanderbilt University is launching a landmark study in Nashville to look at the role stress plays in the health disparities observed across socioeconomic status and race. The study will… Read More

Efren Perez Most Americans, despite their best intentions, harbor a negative bias against Latino immigrants, which deeply colors their outlook on policy proposals for immigration reform, according to research findings by Vanderbilt University political scientist Efren Perez. “I found that when the issue of immigration is broached,… Read More

David James, Class of '48, School of Medicine Class of '51 Website offers audio interviews and transcripts World War II memories that include historic battles, hide-outs from the Nazis and campus war relief projects have been preserved through the Vandy Goes to War oral history project,… Read More

The thing that makes Israeli officials nervous about the program to keep their country connected with young American Jews may be the reason it’s working so well. Read More

Two Vanderbilt undergraduates had the rare opportunity to present their research findings on the influence of patronage on presidential appointments and government performance at the 2010 Midwest Political Science Association Conference. Read More

Two Vanderbilt University undergraduates had the rare opportunity to present their research findings on the influence of patronage on presidential appointments and government performance at the 2010 Midwest Political Science Association Conference. Read More

"In the non-legal context, genocide has come to be thought of as the epitome of ’evil,’" writes Vanderbilt philosopher Larry May in his new book, Genocide. "Some authors have argued that we should regard genocide as merely a plain fact that should not be further investigated lest we risk that our explanations and conceptual inquiries will be mistakenly seen as forgiveness for the horror of what genocide is." Read More

The battle between creationists and Darwinians sometimes appears to be irresolvable. Pick science or religion – you can't have both. Read More

Count on more political attack ads in 2010 after a Supreme Court ruling lifting the ban on corporation and labor donations, according to Vanderbilt University political scientist John Geer. Read More

Vanderbilt experts David Lewis, John Geer and Thomas Schwartz are available to discuss the one-year anniversary of the Obama presidency and his Jan. 27 State of the Union address. Read More

Haiti expert Colin Dayan is available to discuss the aftermath of the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake in Haiti that has killed tens of thousands and affected 3 million Haitians. Dayan, whose mother and other family members are Haitian, spent the first two decades of her career studying Haiti and is the author of Haiti, History, and the Gods. She can speak on most aspects of Haitian history, including the theory brought up by evangelist Pat Robertson that a pact with the devil by Haitian slaves in 1791 is responsible for the disaster. Read More

President Barack Obama, unlike George W. Bush, is not likely to enjoy a surge in public approval after terrorism threats, according to research by Vanderbilt University political scientist Elizabeth Zechmeister and her colleague. Zechmeister, assistant professor of political science at Vanderbilt University, and Jennifer Merolla, associate professor at Claremont Graduate University, are the co-authors of Democracy at Risk: How Terrorist Threats Affect the Public (University of Chicago Press). Read More

As you consider year-in-review stories and look ahead to the trends of 2010, Vanderbilt University faculty are available to offer perspective on these and other topics. mailto:bruce.barry@vanderbilt.edu Read More