Past Events

Affirmative Action: The New World of College Admissions

July 6, 2023

Join the Center on American Politics and our panel of experts in political science, law and education as they dissect the recent Supreme Court decisions on affirmative action and college admissions. They will examine the immediate impact on students, how colleges have anticipated this moment, and the long term implications for all of us.

University of Denver Panel of Experts:

• Sara Chatfield - Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
• Alan Chen - Professor, Sturm College of Law
• D-L Stewart - Chair, Higher Education Department and Professor, Morgridge College of Education

Moderated By:

• Seth Masket, Professor, Department of Political Science and Director, Center on American Politics

Watch the recording here.

Denver Mayoral Debate: Kelly Brough & Mike Johnston 

May 18, 2023

Join the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy, the Center on American Politics, The Denver Gazette and Colorado Politics for a mayoral debate at the University of Denver, in partnership with Biennial of the Americas. We invited the DU and broader Denver communities to hear from the final mayoral candidates, Kelly Brough and Mike Johnston.

The debate is moderated by Luige del Puerto, Editor at The Denver Gazette & Colorado Politics, and Dr. Seth Masket, Director of the Center on American Politics.

Watch the recording here.

Finding Common Ground Through Dialogue: Documentary Screening & Discussion

February 27, 2023

Scrivner Institute of Public Policy and Center on American Politics of the Josef Korbel School of International Studies, hosted a screening of “The Unify Challenge,” a short documentary featuring four Coloradans engaging in civil and respectful dialogue across their differences. As they talked through some of the most complex political issues of our day, they began to better understand each other and how their individual experiences shape their beliefs.

The screening was followed by a live panel discussion featuring Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and a panel of University of Denver faculty examining the practice of civil discourse and how to renew our society’s ability to engage in both intelligent disagreements and productive dialogue between people who hold opposing views. This event featured:

Opening Remarks:

• Dr. Jeremy Haefner, Chancellor - University of Denver
• Michelle Sobel, President - Unify America

Special Guest:

• Phil Weiser, Colorado Attorney General

Faculty Panel:

• Fritz Mayer, Dean - Josef Korbel School of International Studies
• Naazneen Barma, Director -  Scrivner Institute of Public Policy and Associate Professor at the Josef Korbel School of International Studies
• Lynn Schofield Clark, Director - Estlow International Center for Journalism and New Media and
• Professor of Media, Film and Journalism Studies at the University of Denver
• Seth Masket, Director - Center on American Politics and Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver

Watch recording here

Colorado Secretary of State & Colorado State Treasurer Debates

October 11, 2022

The Center on American Politics and The Colorado Sun hosted debates for the Colorado Secretary of State and Colorado State Treasurer races in the run up to the November 2022 midterm elections. This event featured:

Colorado State Treasurer Candidates:

• Lang Sias (Republican Party)
• Dave Young (Democratic Party)

Colorado Secretary of State Candidates:

• Jena Griswold (Democratic Party)
• Pam Anderson (Republican Party)

Moderators: 

• Seth Masket, Director of the Center on American Politics and Professor of Political Science at the University of Denver
• Sandra Fish, Data Journalist at The Colorado Sun
• Jesse Paul, Political Editor and Reporter at The Colorado Sun

Opening Remarks:

• Jeremy Haefner, Chancellor, University of Denver

Watch the recording here

The Future of Choice? Dobbs, Roe, and Reproductive Freedom in the United States

May 10, 2022

The Center on American Politics hosted a virtual discussion on the leaked draft of the Supreme Court's ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. A panel of scholars on political science, law, and health policy examined the draft ruling and what it means for the future of abortion rights across the country.

Featuring:

• Jackie del Castillo, Postdoctoral Fellow, Interdisciplinary Research Institute for the Study of (in)Equality, University of Denver

• Amanda Hollis-Brusky, Associate Professor & Chair, Politics Department, Pomona College

• Joshua Wilson, Professor & Chair, Political Science Department, University of Denver

• Seth Masket, Director, Center on American Politics, Professor of Political Science, University of Denver

Watch the recording here. 

The Politics of Debt Relief and Economic Rights in U.S. History: Race, Gender, and Class

May 5, 2022

The Center on American Politics hosted a book talk on the politics of debt relief and economic rights in U.S. history. Political struggles over debt relief and economic rights are central to both historical and contemporary politics in the United States. Professors Sara Chatfield (University of Denver), Chloe Thurston (Northwestern University) and Emily Zackin (Johns Hopkins University) discussed two forthcoming book projects that address these issues with an emphasis on implications for marginalized groups. Chatfield’s research in In Her Own Name: The Politics of Women’s Rights Before Suffrage addresses the development of married women’s economic rights in the decades before the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. And, in The Political Economy of American Debt Relief, Thurston and Zackin tackle demands for debt relief and the way these demands transformed the state from the nineteenth century to the present. In this book talk, all three discussed what their work has to tell us about the ways that race, gender, and class have been closely linked to the development of these economic policies.

Watch the recording here. 

One Year Later: Reflections on the January 6 Insurrection

January 7, 2022

The Korbel School hosted an important discussion reflecting on the one-year anniversary of the January 6, 2021 insurrection at the United States Capitol. A panel of faculty experts revisited the insurrection and discussed its consequences and implications for the state of American democracy as well as the ability of the United States to play a lead role in advancing democratic governance globally.

Featuring:

• Deborah Avant, Director, Sié Chéou-Kang Center for International Security & Professor, Josef Korbel School of International Studies

• Naazneen Barma, Director, Scrivner Institute of Public Policy & Associate Professor, Josef Korbel School of International Studies

• Alan Chen, Thompson G. Marsh Law Alumni Professor, Sturm College of Law

• Rachel Epstein, Senior Associate Dean for Research and Faculty Affairs & Professor, Josef Korbel School of International Studies

• Seth Masket, Director, Center on American Politics & Professor of Political Science, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

• Frederick “Fritz” Mayer, Dean, Josef Korbel School of International Studies

• Susan Schulten, Professor of History, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Watch the recording here. 

How to Talk to Your Family at Thanksgiving: Conversations Across Ideological Divides

November 17, 2021 | 4:00 - 5:30pm MST

Americans are becoming increasingly polarized in political and personal ways, putting strain on both our democracy and our relationships. Christopher Celaya, a postdoctoral scholar at the Center on American Politics (CAP) whose work lies at the intersection of political psychology and political communication, discussed the nature of this problem and offered some solutions we can use in our everyday lives to help tame it. Key to understanding this problem is understanding how we construct identity, norms, meaning, and values. 

Watch the recording here. You can reference Celaya's presentation slides here. 

If you'd like to learn more about how to have conversations across ideological divides and learn more about Celaya's research, you can view a previous presentation he did with the Denver League of Women Voters here. 

The Texas Abortion Ruling: What it Means for Rights Beyond Texas' Borders

Thursday, September 9, 2021 | 9:00 - 10:00am MDT

A panel of political scientists and legal experts discussed the recent Supreme Court decision over SB 8, Texas’ new law banning most abortions and empowering citizens to sue anyone who abets an abortion. Does this mean that Roe v. Wade has been overturned? How will this affect pregnant people? What will other states do? What has been the public response? What does this mean for voting rights and other areas of the law?

Watch the recording here. 

Policy Perspectives: Gun Reform Politics in Colorado

Tuesday, May 25, 2021 | 5:30 - 7:00pm MDT

The Josef Korbel School of International Studies is pleased to announce the launch of an exciting new partnership between the Scrivner Institute of Public Policy and the Center on American Politics, which will serve as the hub for dialogue and research on the nexus of policy and politics in Colorado and beyond. 

For the partnership's inaugural event, we convened a substantive civil dialogue around gun control and reform, a timely issue of utmost importance in Colorado and across the United States. Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO) of Colorado's 1st Congressional District and attorney and former Colorado State Representative Cole Wist shared their perspectives and work on gun legislation at the state and national level and how policy and politics intersect to inform action on gun control.

Watch the recording here. 

Emotion, Expectancy, Aftermath: Examining voter responses to the 2016 and 2020 elections through a neurocognitive lens

Thursday, May 6, 2021 | 12pm-1:00pm MDT

The human brain has evolved to make predictions and evaluate outcomes against them, learning information, generating emotions, and adjusting behavior accordingly. By studying these processes in the context of election anticipation and outcome, we can test laboratory-based hypotheses against responses to a real-life, consequential event and consider implications for group-based civic behavior. I will present work examining emotion and autobiographical memory for the 2016 American election outcome as well as new work examining changes in emotion and media information-seeking behaviors as a function of prediction-outcome discrepancy for the 2020 American election.

Speakers include:

Dr. Kimberly Chiew

Watch recording here. Access Passcode: CFby7%82