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.
College on the Radio
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 15 AT 5:40 PM | LION’S PAUSE, BUNTROCK COMMONS
KYMN RaDIO, AM 1080 AND FM 95.1 NORTHFIELD
Join us for a special, live, on-stage edition of College on the Radio – an evening of big ideas, engaging conversation, and live music.
Featuring:
Allison Luedtke – Associate Professor of Economics
Louis Epstein – Professor of Music, Musicology
Anne Gothmann — Associate Professor of Environmental Studies and Physics
Seth Kimbrell – Visiting Professor of Physics
Student Musicians
Folkish
Wilson Derry
James Williams
Conference: Polarization and the Changing Media Landscape
MAY 1
Aaron Sharockman
Executive Director of Politifact
Gretchen Morgenson
Senior Financial Reporter | NBC
RonNell Andersen Jones
Distinguished Professor |University of Utah
Scott Libin
Senior Fellow | University of Minnesota Hubbard School of Journalism & Mass Communication
Where: Buntrock Commons Crossroads West
St. Olaf Students from across disciplines will present their research.
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.
MAY 2
Ben Hovland
Visual Journalist | MPR News
Renee Jones Schneider
Photographer | Star Tribune
Lea Zora Scruggs
Journalist and Documentary Filmmaker | CBS News
David Montgomery
Data Journalist and History Podcaster | YouGov
Anna Palmer
Founder and CEO | Punchbowl News
Mukhtar Ibrahim
Founder and Principle Consultant | Sayid Group
Sean McPherson
Podcast Host | City Cast Twin Cities
Catharine Richert
Correspondent | MPR News
Matt DeLong
Audience Editor | Star Tribune
Dan Myers
Associate Professor of Political Science | University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Isaac Saul
Founder and Executive Editor | Tangle News
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.
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