Nationally known political commentators will attempt to make sense out of the 2000 elections through the MSU Department of Political Science’s 12th annual lecture series.
This year’s lecture series, “Politics After the Election of 2000,” kicks off at 8 p.m. on Jan. 31 at the Kellogg Center.
“The thought was simply that every election is of interest and important to the country,” said Richard Zinman, executive director of the symposium. “But when we began planning the series we had no idea that the election itself would be as extraordinary as it was.
“The election turned out to be more interesting than we anticipated.”
The lecture series attempts to make sense out of one of the most bizarre contests in American history - the 2000 elections - said Zinman, a professor in James Madison College.
Adam Wright, a political theory and constitutional democracy senior, has attended the lecture series in past years.
“It’s a great opportunity for students to hear from nationally respected commentators who are operating in the world of politics every day and have really great perspectives,” Wright said. “Anytime a student gets an opportunity to hear these folks firsthand it will be quite an addition to their education - it has been to mine.”
The series is part of the LeFrak Forum and Symposium on Science, Reason and Modern Democracy. The program consists of two lectures and one discussion.
The discussion is based on the importance of the U.S. Supreme Court and the two lectures address cultural wars and the state of the country after the election.
David Brooks’ lecture, “Are the Culture Wars Over?” opens the series Jan. 31. His credits include the Weekly Standard, Newsweek, National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service. As a follow-up to his lecture, Brooks will lead an informal seminar at 10 a.m. Feb. 1 in 104 South Kedzie.
The second lecturers are William Kristol, editor and publisher of the Weekly Standard, and David Rohde, professor of political science at MSU. The two will debate on “Parties and Partisanship in the Wake of the Clinton Presidency and the Election of 2000” on Feb. 15.
“These are prominent people who are well-regarded as experts about American politics,” said Steven Kautz, an associate professor in the Department of Political Science. “I’m sure undergraduate students would benefit from their knowledge.”
The last part of the series is a discussion of the U.S. Supreme Court on Feb. 28. Rogers Smith, a professor of government at Yale University, will raise the question “Wither the Supreme Court - and Does it Matter?” This event is co-sponsored by James Madison College.
Informal discussions are scheduled for the day after each event.
“In our experience we try to pick topics that are of interest to a wide range of faculty and students,” Zinman said. “The series is balanced, there are two liberals and two conservatives speaking.”
To receive invitations to the informal discussions, e-mail Karen Battin at battink@msu.edu.
All events are free and open to the public.
