StraightTalk 2024: Politics in the Divided States of America
How America’s culture wars influence public perception and policy during the 2024 election season
PRESENTED BY THE RILEY INSTITUTE AND OSHER LIFELONG LEARNING INSTITUTE IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
September 3, 10, and 17 | 6:30 p.m. | McAlister Auditorium at Furman University
The U.S. 2024 presidential election has been coined “an election about everything,” as nearly every political issue today is presented as a battle in which our national identity and values are at stake. During this StraightTalk series, we will explore the impact of our political division as we approach the 2024 elections. We will examine how our media landscape—rife with structural disinformation and artificial intelligence campaigns—shapes partisan public opinion on key voter issues, often clouding our understanding of actual policies and their real-life repercussions. We’ll unpack how issues are framed to divide us, repressing our interest in facts that may stand in opposition to our “side” and weakening our collective ability to solve problems. Finally, we will learn what can be done to foster political common ground and seek a more holistic understanding of the facts, myths, nuances, and outcomes regarding issues that matter to us and to our communities.
Series Details
- Tuesday, September 3, 6:30 p.m. | Immigration: A Case Study on “Us vs. Them” Politics
- Tuesday, September 10, 6:30 p.m. | How Did Everything Become a Culture War?
- Tuesday, September 17, 6:30 p.m. | How Do We Start Talking to Each Other Again?
All sessions will place in McAlister Auditorium and will be moderated by Furman University Professor Danielle Vinson. Entry is free for Furman students, faculty, and staff. General public: $15 per session, $35 for the series. OLLI members: $10 per session; $25 for the series.
Confirmed Speakers - Session I
Carlos Curbelo was born in Miami, Florida in 1980, to political refugees who fled tyranny and oppression in Cuba. In 2002, Carlos founded a public and media relations firm, and in 2014 he was elected to U.S. Congress where he served until January of 2019. Rep. Curbelo was consistently ranked one of the most bipartisan members of Congress and led on difficult issues like climate policy, immigration, gun reform, and tax policy. Today Carlos co-leads Vocero and serves as an on-air analyst for NBC NEWS, MSNBC, Telemundo, NBC6 and Telemundo 51.
Roberto Suro holds a joint appointment as a professor of journalism and public policy at the University of Southern California. Prior to joining the USC faculty in August 2007, he was founding director of the Pew Hispanic Center and cofounder of the Pew Research Center. Suro worked as senior correspondent for Time Magazine, The New York Times and at The Washington Post. He is the author of several books, including Strangers Among US: Latino Lives in a Changing America, and several dozen book chapters, research reports, and other publications related to Latinos and immigration.
Danielle Vinson, Ph.D., ’89 (moderator) is professor of politics and international affairs at Furman University. She specializes in institutions in American government with a particular emphasis on Congress and the media.
Confirmed Speakers - Session II
Leroy Chapman, Jr., is The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s Editor-in-Chief. Previously, he was managing editor where he was in charge of reporting teams that cover state, local, and federal government; politics; education; public safety; local, state and federal courts; transportation; immigration and breaking news. He has worked at the AJC since 2011.
Danielle Vinson, Ph.D., ’89 (moderator) is professor of politics and international affairs at Furman University. She specializes in institutions in American government with a particular emphasis on Congress and the media.
Dannagal G. Young, Ph.D., is a professor of communication and political science at the University of Delaware, where she studies the content, audience, and effects of nontraditional political information. She has published over sixty academic articles and book chapters on the content, psychology, and effects of political information, satire, and misinformation. Her new book, Wrong: How Media, Politics, and Identity Drive our Appetite for Misinformation was published in October 2023.