Politics

With 1,100 enrolled students, the number speaks for itself—PSCI 1150: U.S. Elections is a hot commodity on campus. The elective course offered every four years by the College of Arts and Science is a highly anticipated deep dive into how elections work in the U.S., blending a robust  understanding of history with extensive research from political science. Read More

As the November 5 general election approaches, it’s important to know what’s on the ballot and how the decisions made at the polls will impact our community and beyond. Here’s everything you need to know about the candidates and issues on the ballot so you can make informed choices on Election Day. Read More

Vanderbilt encourages the entire campus community to participate in the upcoming November 5 general election. With the voter registration deadline approaching, students, faculty and staff can take advantage of several voter registration and educational events coming up. Read More

“How To Heal a Divided America” is a community-building exercise focused on knitting together diverse perspectives and lived experiences to better approach, analyze and address the societal problems of polarization and isolation facing our communities and the world. The event series, which is a partnership between the Aspen Institute’s Weave: The Social Fabric Project and Dialogue Vanderbilt, began Sept. 12 and will culminate on Sept. 19–20.  Read More

Premiering Aug. 28, The Choice, produced by Dialogue Vanderbilt and featuring Pulitzer Prize–winning author and presidential historian Jon Meacham and Vanderbilt professor, polling expert and political scientist John Geer, will discuss the key moments and the many implications of the 2024 presidential election. Read More

With the first presidential debate of 2024 quickly approaching, the American public is expressing widespread concern about the state of democracy and our Constitution. There is also consensus among Americans that free speech is fundamental to democratic governance, according to the most recent Vanderbilt Unity Poll measuring Americans' views of unity and beliefs on government and democracy.  Read More

In August 2023, the university launched Dialogue Vanderbilt, its core initiative to bridge divides, reestablish a vibrant culture of civil discourse and free expression, and showcase experts from on campus and around the world, leading the charge to build more engaged citizens and communities.  Read More

The Choice, produced by the Dialogue Vanderbilt, is a four-part podcast focused on the key moments and ramifications of the 2024 presidential election between former president Donald J. Trump and current President Joseph R. Biden. Vanderbilt’s Jon Meacham and John Geer will blend history and political science to offer insights and context about this rematch of the 2020 presidential contest. Read More

On May 3 and 4, the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator for Political Economy and Regulation and the Vanderbilt University Department of History hosted “How the New Deal Was Run,” a conference about the implementation of the New Deal programs that transformed American life in the 1930s and beyond.  Read More

Americans saw an uptick in unity for the first time in over a year, with widespread agreement that the U.S. political system needs to be more responsive and an overall distrust of social media influencers, according to the most recent Vanderbilt Unity Poll measuring Americans' views of national unity and the democratic process. Read More

Former Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Michael Herzog joined Professor Brett Benson’s Introduction to International Politics class last week, with Fayyad on Wednesday, March 27, and Herzog on Thursday, March 28. “I think this is the only university in the country that can host Salam Fayyad one day and the Israeli ambassador the next,” Morgan Ortagus, former spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State told students, as she led the conversation with Ambassador Herzog.  Read More

Pulitzer Prize–winning author and propaganda expert Anne Applebaum will visit Vanderbilt on March 5 for a discussion of the rise of autocracy in today’s geopolitical climate.  Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy’s latest Vanderbilt Unity Index shows the country continuing its trend toward more polarization, ending 2023 down nearly three points from the start of the year. Read More

The Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Center for the American Presidency has launched, with the goal of exploring the presidency through an innovative, comprehensive lens. Housed within the College of Arts and Science, the center will serve as a nationally recognized hub for innovative scholarship about the workings of the presidency. Read More

On Tuesday, Feb. 6, former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney joined Pulitzer Prize–winning author and professor Jon Meacham, co-chair of the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy, to speak about the future of U.S. democracy at the inaugural event for the Carolyn T. and Robert M. Rogers Center for the American Presidency. Read More

Americans overwhelmingly feel that their political systems do not represent them, including compromise on abortion, and they are not confident the American political system accurately reflects their will, according to the latest quarterly Vanderbilt Unity Poll measuring Americans’ unity and beliefs on government and democracy. Read More

Eli Merritt, research assistant professor of political science, will discuss his new book, Disunion Among Ourselves: The Perilous Politics of the American Revolution, at the Vanderbilt Bookstore from 2 to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 9. Co-sponsored by the Jean and Alexander Heard Libraries, the event will include a book signing following the discussion. Books will be available for purchase. Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host a live event to shed light on the mechanics and nuance of network election calls. “The Media’s Role on Election Night” will be on Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in Langford Auditorium and examine how these calls are made and how this unofficial system grew into the role it plays today.    Read More

For the first time since the Vanderbilt Poll–Nashville was established in 2015, more than half of respondents say they believe the city is headed in the wrong direction. Davidson County voters are concerned about affordable housing and crime, but give positive marks to Mayor John Cooper and other local leaders. Read More

Join the Center for Effective Lawmaking for a roundtable discussion touching on questions of race, representation and policymaking in the contemporary Congress. The event will be Thursday, March 31, at 6 p.m. CT at the Student Life Center Commodore Ballroom. Read More