Government Deptartment/Wes Media Project Post-Election Conference

The Government Department, in collaboration with the Wes Media Project, are hosting a two-day conference on issues related to the 2016 Election Results. A full schedule of events is included below and on the Wesleyan Media Project website. No registration is required, however, seats may be limited so it is suggested you arrive early for any panels you would like to attend.

A live-stream will be available here

Sunday, December 4 – held PAC 001

  • 8:00 pm: “2016 Election Overview”
    • The opening session will review what happened in voting/the polls, advertising/campaigning and media
    • Panelists: Brian Schaffner (UMass, Amherst), Wesleyan Media Project & Center for Responsive Politics Representatives and John Yang ’80 (PBS NewsHour Correspondent)

 

Monday, December 5 – all panels held in Allbritton 311

  • 9:00-10:20 am: “Media, Communication & the Election”
    • Panelists will discuss how media coverage played a role in the Trump victory, how factual corrections work (or don’t) in the Trump era, how mobile is shifting news consumption, and how moral words shape emotional responses
    • Panelists: Danny Hayes (GWU), Brendan Nyhan (Dartmouth), Johanna Dunaway (Texas A&M), Keena Lipsitz (Queens College)
  • 10:35 am-12:10 pm: “Political Psychology: Gender, Race, Authoritarianism & Intolerance”
    • Panelists will discuss the role of gender and feminism, explicit racism and efforts to combat it, how authoritarianism operates and how anger and anxiety shape intolerance in the 2016 election and beyond
    • Panelists: Antoine Banks (UMD), Leonie Huddy (Stony Brook), Matthew MacWilliams (UMass, Amherst), Kathleen Searles (LSU)
  • 1:20-2:40 pm: “Campaign Finance, Special Interests & Outside Influence”
    • Panelists will discuss what we know about spending and dark money in federal races this election cycle, whether money mattered, and how voting patterns spill over into consumer decisions and corporate/brand loyalty
    • Panelists: Center for Responsive Politics Representatives, Doug Spencer (UConn), Ciara Torres-Spelliscy (Stetson University), Jennifer Victor (George Mason University)
  • 2:50-4:10 pm: “Governing After the Election”
    • Panelists will discuss what impact the results of the 2016 election are likely to have on our institutions and their ability to govern and on substantive policies like immigration.
    • Panelists: Frances Lee (UMD), Kathryn Pearson (UMN), Adriano Udani (U Missouri-St. Louis), Paul Collins (UMass, Amherst)