UW to Host ‘Challenges to Democracy’ Lecture Series Around State

The University of Wyoming School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies will host a "Challenges to Democracy" lecture series this fall in Casper, Cheyenne, Laramie, Sheridan and Park County.

The lecture series will feature more than 20 experts from the school's faculty, including experts on civic engagement around Wyoming, as well as international scholars in 10 programs.

"This lecture series will explore many of the challenges and potential solutions to the crisis facing liberal democracy today both in the U.S. and around the world," says Professor Stephanie Anderson, head of the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies.

The series will launch at UW Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 2:45 p.m. the Skylight Lounge of the Wyoming Union with a program focusing on "Governing in a Polarized Environment: Past and Present." Speakers include Cy Rosenblatt, former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives; state Sen. Chris Rothfuss, D-Laramie, Wyoming Senate minority floor leader; state Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette, former Wyoming House speaker; and Professor Andrew Garner as moderator. This event is co-sponsored by BridgeUWYO, a recognized student organization devoted to de-polarizing American politics.

Here's the rest of the schedule at UW:

-- The second lecture at UW in the series is a book launch Monday, Sept. 16, at 4:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room for "Polarization and Deep Contestation: The Liberal Script in the United States." Co-editors and co-contributors of the book will discuss the topics of political polarization and ideological divides in America. They include Tanja Börzel (Free University of Berlin), Thomas Risse (Free University of Berlin), Anderson (UW), Professor Jean Garrison (UW), Garner (UW) and Professor Peter Parolin, dean of UW's Honors College.

The book is part of an ongoing collaboration between the Freie Universität Berlin and UW.

-- The third lecture at UW is "From Paper to Pixels: The Evolution and the Future of Voting" Tuesday, Oct. 15, at 4:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room. This lecture features Commissioner Thomas Hicks of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and will be moderated by Ryan Williamson, a UW assistant professor of political science.

-- The fourth lecture at UW is "Wyoming Political Attitudes: Findings from the Wyoming Election Survey" Monday, Nov. 4, at 4:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Central Ballroom. This panel discussion features Williamson; Garner; Jason McConnell, UW assistant professor of political science; and Jim King, UW professor emeritus of political science.

-- The fifth lecture at UW is "Democratic Crisis Around the Globe" Wednesday, Nov. 6, at 4:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union West Ballroom. Featured speakers include Garner; Tom Dougherty, the 2024 Milward L. Simpson Visiting Professor of Political Science at UW and former U.S. ambassador to Burkina Faso; George Tawakkal, professor of political science and Indonesia's Universitas Brawijaya; and Tom Seitz, UW associate professor of political science.

-- The sixth lecture is a book launch Tuesday, Nov. 12, at 5:30 p.m. in the Wyoming Union Family Room for "Nationalized Politics: Evaluating Electoral Politics Across Time." Williamson, a co-author of the book, will discuss how much the 2024 elections have in common with the last 180 years of U.S. electoral history.  

Additionally, there are four events around the state:

-- The first event in the statewide series is Monday, Sept. 30, at 5:30 p.m. and titled "Crisis of Civility and Hope for Civic Engagement." This lecture will take place in the Mineta-Simpson Institute Lecture Hall at the Heart Mountain Interpretive Center between Powell and Cody.

Participants include Dougherty; Garner; Garrison; and Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundation Executive Director Aura Newlin.

-- The second lecture is the statewide series is "Crisis of Democracy Around the World?: From Polarization to Populism and Possible Solutions" Tuesday, Oct. 1, at 5:30 p.m. at the Center for a Vital Community at Sheridan College's Broadway Center. Participants include Garner, Dougherty, Garrison and Sheridan High School American government teacher Michael Thomas.

-- The third and fourth statewide programs are presentations of "Crisis of Democracy Around the Globe?" Monday, Oct. 21, at 5:30 p.m. at UW-Casper, 125 College Drive in the Union/University Building-UU322; and Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 5:30 p.m. at the Laramie County Public Library Cottonwood Room, 2200 Pioneer Ave. in Cheyenne. Participants include Dougherty, Garner, Garrison and McConnell.

More information on the full slate of events will be available here.

"I look forward to discussing the challenges we face around the world, but also how experts explore possible solutions on how we can restore shared civic and political norms," Garrison says.

These events are free and open to the public. The school expresses thanks to co-sponsors at UW and around Wyoming.

To learn more about the School of Politics, Public Affairs and International Studies, go to www.uwyo.edu/sppais.

For more information, email lecture series co-organizers Garrison at [email protected] or Garner at [email protected].

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