Do we really hate each other?
Wingate University’s political science faculty will tackle the issue of polarization in America during a one-day seminar next month. The event, which will include a series of short lectures interspersed with question-and-answer sessions and plenty of time for discussion, is set for 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on July 21 and is open to the public.
Tickets are $25 and include lunch and coffee-break snacks. Participants will receive a certificate showing they completed the seminar.
“Is America as politically divided as we all assume? And if it is divided, can we fix it?” asks Dr. Joseph Ellis, the political science professor who helped to organize the event.
Ellis earned his bachelor’s degree from Winthrop University and his doctorate from Temple University. A native of East Tennessee, he specializes in Eastern European politics, the Baltic States and Russia. He’s interested in how we talk about politics and whether polarization can be fixed.
His colleagues Dr. Chelsea Kaufman and Dr. Jacob Wobig will bring their own takes to the topic.
Kaufman received her bachelor’s from Clarion University of Pennsylvania and her Ph.D. from Purdue University. She specializes in public opinion, with a focus on why different people across the United States hold different views on politics, and what effect that has on our elections.
Wobig holds a juris doctor from the University of Iowa and a Ph.D. from the University of Nebraska. He is most interested in ways that competition in international politics affects democracy and human rights.
Register today for the seminar, which is titled “Do We Really Hate Each Other?: Democracy and Polarization among Americans.” The event will be held at the Levine College of Health Sciences at 205 N. Main St. in Wingate. For more information, email Ellis.
