MichAEl munger
Populism and Democracy: A Public Choice View
February 26, 2026 | 3:45 PM
Viking Theater, Buntrock Commons
KURT WEYLAND
Democracy’s Resilience to Populism’s Threat
April 7, 2026 | 3:30 PM
Viking Theater, Buntrock Commons
Lilliana Mason
Polarization, Partisanship, and Political Violence
April 22, 2026 | 3:30 PM
Viking Theater, Buntrock Commons
Jamie Druckman
American Politics in the 21st-Century: Distrust, New Media, Polarization, and Dissatisfaction
May 1, 2026
Viking Theater, Buntrock Commons
Other Spring Events
Workshop: Naming and Framing Issues for Better Dialogue with Nicholas Longo
Wednesday, march 4, 2026 | 11:45 am – 12:45 pm | RNS 356
This one-hour workshop will share tips and strategies for successfully naming and framing issues that are important for better dialogue, advocacy, and organizing efforts. Nicholas Longo, inaugural director of the Rutgers Democracy Lab and professor in the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy at Rutgers University, will lead the workshop.
Conference: Polarization and the Changing Media Landscape
MAY 1
Jamie Druckman is the Martin Brewer Anderson Professor of Political Science at the University of Rochester. Druckman has published more than 200 articles and book chapters in political science, communication, economics, science, and psychology journals. He has authored, co-authored, or co-edited seven books, and served as editor of the journals Political Psychology and Public Opinion Quarterly as well as the University of Chicago Press series in American Politics. He currently is the co-Principal Investigator of Time-Sharing Experiments for the Social Sciences (TESS), the editor of the Cambridge Elements Series on Experimental Political Science, and a co-Principal Investigator of the Civic Health and Institutions (CHIP50) Project. He sits on the Board of Trustees for the Russell Sage Foundation, the American National Election Studies Board of Advisors, and the General Social Survey Board.
Civic Engagement Showcase
May 8, 2026 | 3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. | Tomson lantern, toh 280, toh 300
St. Olaf students, faculty, staff, and community members are invited to attend the Civic Engagement Showcase hosted by The Svoboda Center for Civic Engagement. Individual students and groups will present information about their academic and co-curricular civic and community engaged projects in hopes of educating others and sparking ideas for future community engagement.