South Carolina Humanities is pleased to announce a series of virtual programs exploring the American electoral process. All eleven programs will be free, open to the public, and accessible via the SC Humanities website from October 2020 through April 2021. To offer these programs, SC Humanities has brought together scholars from the Political Science Departments of four state universities: Clemson University, Francis Marion University, Lander University, and the University of South Carolina. Program topics include the outcome of the Presidential and Congressional elections, the electoral college, social media election content, election law, gerrymandering, voting rights, voter suppression, and more.
The South Carolina Humanities Electoral Initiative is part of a national initiative entitled “Why It Matters: Civic and Electoral Participation” administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Through “Why It Matters,” 43 humanities councils will explore the history, importance, and impact of the American electoral process. The initiative is designed to provide free humanities programs to engage the public in collaborative, accessible, and thought-provoking dialogues on the importance of electoral and civic participation.
Events:
Programs below that are noted as “live” on specific days will be recorded and thereafter available via a link on the SC Humanities website through April 30, 2021. A simple three-question survey will accompany each program so that SC Humanities can evaluate the program and the series as well as respond to audience inquiries for more information.
- Available on-demand – “Not Your Founding Fathers’ Electoral College” is a pre-recorded, virtual seminar by Dr. Robert Alexander, Professor of Political Science and Founding Director of the Institute for Civics and Public Policy at Ohio Northern University. Dr. Alexander’s latest book Representation and the Electoral College was published in 2019. The program is provided by the Clemson University Political Science Department and the Clemson Votes non-partisan organization. Click here to view the 75-minute seminar. If you view the seminar, please click here to take our brief survey about the experience.
- October 27, 2020, 7:00 p.m. – “The Outlook for the 2020 Elections” is a live, virtual roundtable with University of South Carolina political science faculty, Dr. Kirk Randazzo, Dr. Robert Oldendick, Dr. Todd Shaw, and Dr. Jessica Schoenherr. The program will explore issues shaping the outcome of the Presidential and Congressional elections, including the Supreme Court nomination, the coronavirus pandemic, health care, the economy, and “law and order.” Click here to view the recording of the live program. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
- October 29, 2020, 7:00 PM– “Social Media in American Elections and How to Spot the Trolls” is a live, virtual webinar. Clemson University faculty Dr. Jeff Fine (Political Science), Dr. Darren Linvill (Communications), Dr. Patrick Warren (Economics) will discuss social media election content and their nationally recognized “spot the troll tool.” Click here to view the webinar recording. If you view the webinar, please click here to take our brief survey.
- November 19, 2020, 7:00 PM – “Partisan Polarization, a 2020 Presidential Election Analysis” is a live, virtual panel discussion with Dr. Jeffrey Peake and Dr. Laura Olson from the Department of Political Science at Clemson University, Dr. David Darmofal from the Department of Political Science at the University of South Carolina, and Dr. Jordan Ragusa from the Department of Political Science at the College of Charleston. The program is hosted by Clemson University. Click here to watch the webinar recording. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
- Available on-demand – “Law, Justice, and the Future of U.S. Elections” is a pre-recorded presentation by Professor Lori Ringhand of the University of Georgia School of Law will discuss election law, regulations, and citizen engagement. Click here to watch the program on-demand. The program is hosted by the University of South Carolina. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
- January 19, 2021, 7:00 PM – “Interpreting the Results of the 2020 Elections” is a live, virtual forum on the eve of the presidential inauguration. Four political scientists from the University of South Carolina will share their interpretations of the 2020 election and the impact it will have on the future of government in the United States. Topics include women voters, election forecasts and voter turnout, continuity and change in Congress, and the impact the election could have on redistricting. Click here to watch the recording of the live program on YouTube. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
- January 25, 2021, 5:30 p.m. – “Post Inauguration Day Analysis: Where do we go from here?” is a live, virtual roundtable with Lander University political science faculty Dr. Matthew Malone, Dr. Lucas McMillan, Dr. Kimberly Richburg, and Dr. Ashley Woodiwiss. In addition to election analysis at the national and state levels, panelists discuss the roles of women in politics, crisis management in a time of polarization, and the view of the United States from abroad. Click here to register for the event and watch the recording. Suggested readings for this event can be found here. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
- February 8, 2021, 5:30 p.m. – “Lessons from November: Who voted, who didn’t, and why does it matter?” is a live, virtual seminar with political scientists Dr. Amy E. Black of Wheaton College and Dr. Quentin Kidd of Christopher Newport University. Black is author of Honoring God in Red or Blue and Beyond Left and Right. Kidd has provided expert testimony to courts examining states’ re-districting plans and is co-author of The Rational Southerner: Black Mobilization, Republican Growth, and the Partisan Transformation of the American South. Topics include voting rights, voter access, and voter suppression as well as re-districting in the past and following Census 2020. The program is hosted by Lander University. Click here to register for the event and watch the recording. Suggested readings for this event can be found here. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
- February 15, 2021, 7:00 p.m. – “Ranked Choice Voting (RCV): A Better Alternative?” Francis Marion University faculty members Dr. Richard Almeida, Dr. Lauren Perez, and Dr. Dillon Tatum will discuss positive and negative impacts of increasing voter input into the political system via ranked choice voting. Ranked choice voting is used in local elections in more than 20 U.S. cities and in statewide elections in Maine. It allows voters to indicate their order of preference for all candidates running for an elective office. Click here to view the recorded program on YouTube. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
- February 22, 2021, 5:30 p.m. – “The Engaged Citizen: Stories from Activists” is a live, virtual roundtable with Mary Anne Inglis, former manager of Republican congressional campaigns and now co-founder of My Neighbor’s Voice, an organization that hosts forums on how to build stronger communities in a time of toxic partnership; Laurin Manning Gandy, a digital media strategist who has worked on Democratic presidential campaigns; and Jerry Blassingame, Executive Director of Soteria Community Development Corporation. Topics include avenues for civic engagement, ideological polarization, and the rural/urban divide. Hosted by Lander University. Click here to register for the event and watch the recording. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
- March 8, 2021, 5:30 p.m. – “What is needed to keep a democracy healthy?” Dr. Steven Levitsky, Professor of Government at Harvard University, will share insights from his best-selling book How Democracies Die (co-authored with Daniel Ziblatt). Levitsky uses comparative and geographic-based analysis on the functioning of democracies. He will discuss the challenges that democracies face in the 21st century. Click here to register for the event and watch the recording. Suggested readings for this event can be found here. Watch this interview with Dr. Levitsky conducted two weeks after Election Day 2020 to prepare for the live, virtual webinar on March 8. If you view the program, please click here to take our brief survey.
Questions about the series? Contact Dr. Alice Taylor-Colbert at atcolbert@schumanities.org.
The mission of South Carolina Humanities is to enrich the cultural and intellectual lives of all South Carolinians. Established in 1973, this 501(c) 3 organization is governed by a volunteer 21-member Board of Directors comprised of community leaders from throughout the state. It presents and/or supports literary initiatives, lectures, exhibits, festivals, publications, oral history projects, videos and other humanities-based experiences that directly or indirectly reach more than 250,000 citizens annually.
