Special Events

As part of the University of Delaware College of Arts and Sciences' focus on the 2016 presidential election, a Political Communication Lecture Series featured UD faculty members discussing issues related to the election. 

Paul Brewer, professor of communication and of political science and international relations and research director of the Center for Political Communication, discussed  “Entertainment Media and the Presidential Election” on September 14. Brewer presented clips from numerous late-night comedy shows and engaged the students and community members in a spirited Q&A session. On October 12, Jenny Lambe, associate professor of communication and a Center for Political Communication senior fellow, gave a lecture on “The Problem of Hate Speech in the Election.” Lambe argued that despite the uptick in hate speech in 2016 political climate, the reality is that there is little that the US government can do to stop it. David Wilson, associate professor of political science and international relations and associate dean of social sciences for the College of Arts and Sciences, engaged the UD community in an October 26 talk entitled, “Telling U What to Think About, When You Think about Issues: Priming, Framing, and Public Opinion.” Wayne Batchis, associate professor of political science and international relations, wrapped up the lecture series on November 30 with a discussion entitled “Conservatism and Freedom of Speech.”