William Antholis, Don Baer, Peter Baker, Laura Barrón-López, Bob Bauer, Joshua Bolten, Meena Bose, Valerie Smith Boyd, Robert Bruner, Stephen Burns , and more
Leading scholars, journalists, and key practitioners, drawn from both Republican and Democratic administrations, diagnose the problem with the American presidency on day one of this two-day discussion.
Prudence Layne, Roosevelt Montás, Josiah Ober, Carol Geary Schneider, Trygve Throntveit
Scholar-teachers discuss promising national initiatives to revitalize democracy learning, help students explore alternative conceptions of the democratic promise, and give precollegiate learners from underserved communities meaningful access to studies that foster humanity, expression, civic inquiry, and social power.
Andrew Block, Kara Fitzgibbon, Charles Hartgrove, Deborah Jonas, Bertrall Ross, Jennifer Rouse
In early 2023, the City of Virginia Beach asked UVA’s Weldon Cooper Center for Public Service to solicit residents’ feedback and carry out a first-of-its-kind independent review of election systems. Learn more about their findings.
Jacqueline Arthur-Montagne, Emily Burrill, Christopher Carter, Oludamini Ogunnaike, Kristina Richardson, Jhanisse Vaca-Daza
How are practices and concepts related to democracy articulated in different cultural contexts? Faculty members gather to discuss three specific examples: the classical ancient world, indigenous Latin America, and Islamic societies.
Sarah Milov, Saket Soni
"The Great Escape" is a stunning book about 500 Indian workers who were held in forced labor camps then escaped, and the yearslong campaign for justice that followed. The book’s author, Saket Soni, discusses that labor fight.
Jonathan Alger, Kourtney Bradshaw-Clay, Ronald A. Crutcher, Riley Davis, Rebecca Russo, Rachel L. Wahl
What is the impact on college students when they participate in structured dialogue across political differences? The featured speakers lead campus and national initiatives to make “bridge building,” “deliberative dialogue,” and “engagement with viewpoint diversity” a higher-education priority.
Guy-Uriel Charles, Jennifer Lawless, Michael Morley, Spencer Overton, Bertrall Ross
Large election participation gaps remain in the United States based on race and gender. What is at the core of these challenges, and what are the best ways to respond?
Michele Claibourn, Daniel Fairley II, Misty Graves, Lee LeBoeuf, Sherica Jones-Lewis
Communities need locally relevant data to inform policymaking and to hold local governments accountable. How can the collaboratively produced Stepping Stones report about the community well-being of the Charlottesville area promote shared understanding across the country at a local level?
Ebony Hilton, Karen Johnston, Irène Mathieu, Matthew Meyer
Experts consider direct impacts of climate change on public health, and how communities, health care systems, and clinicians can adapt.
Bo Seo
Journalist, author, and two-time world debating champion Bo Seo leads a workshop on how to navigate disagreement constructively so that we can have enlightening and productive discussions.
Charles Ansell, Catherine Copeland, John Lane, Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Jeff Rosen, Janna Vice
A movement for universal civic learning is gaining both policy leadership and campus-level commitment across all sectors in postsecondary education. But can it prevail against a dominant narrative that sees higher education as “job-skills” only?
Alexis Ohanian, Deb Roy, Kara Swisher
Technological advances have drastically changed the political and cultural landscape. How will the rapid expansion of AI and the increased influence of social media shape American democracy going forward?
Jacob Fay
Participants review the prepare-support-intervene (PSI) approach, which gives educators the tools to prepare students, support them during conversation, and intervene if de-escalation is required.
Eliza O’Neil
Student leaders review the PSI (prepare-support-intervene) approach, a model created by the Constructive Dialogue Institute that gives leaders the tools to prepare their communities for dialogue, support them during conversation, and intervene if de-escalation is required.
Mattie Parker, Evan Smith, Levar M. Stoney
In the United States and across the world, mayors are taking on increased political importance as they combat complex governance challenges. How are mayoral decisions impacting those within and beyond their city limits?
Carrie Billy, Arne Duncan, Aimee Rogstad Guidera, James E. Ryan
Experts in education discuss the critical influence of civic learning on workforce development, the role two-year institutions of higher education play, and what it means to educate whole citizens.
William Antholis, Don Baer, Peter Baker, Laura Barrón-López, Bob Bauer, Joshua Bolten, Meena Bose, Valerie Smith Boyd, Robert Bruner, Stephen Burns , and more
Leading scholars, journalists, and key practitioners, drawn from both Republican and Democratic administrations, focus on how to fix problems with the American presidency on day two of this two-day discussion.
Danielle Allen, Martha Kanter, Ace Parsi, Lena Morreale Scott, Nancy Shapiro, Stephanie van Hover
What strategies are educators using to bring high-quality civic learning to 60 million students in 100,000 schools by 2030? Experts in education explore Maryland’s efforts to align K-12 and postsecondary civic learning.
Philip Gorski, Walter Kim, Esau McCaulley, Micah Schwartzman, Amanda Tyler
How does the fringe Christian nationalist movement endanger American democracy? Scholars and faith leaders come together for a conversation that explores the underpinnings of its ideology and what it means for the future.
Jonathan Colmer, Kirsten Gelsdorf, David Leblang, Kayly Ober
There is a climate refugee crisis. What are the current patterns, opportunities, and challenges to humanitarian aid—and how will the future be impacted by what we know today?
Theresa Castor, Ashley Finley, Dreama Montrief Johnson, Connie Jorgensen, Ashwin Vaidya
For most college students, their chosen major is the centerpiece of college and an envisioned route to future careers. Now many institutions are changing their approach by emphasizing cross-disciplinary questions and courses along with a focus on practical problem-solving in real-world settings.
Krystal Appiah, Anne Coughlin, Timothy Denevi, Robyn Gigl, Amy Woolard
Book bans are proliferating throughout the United States. This discussion focuses on the history of bans, their legal status, their politics, and their functions.
Danielle Allen, John Bridgeland, Tiana Epps-Johnson, Elizabeth Green, Kristin Hansen, Ian H. Solomon
More Perfect is leading the charge to unify America around a shared vision for democratic renewal and to realize the shared goal of a more perfect union.
Undergraduate students from the University of Virginia pitch their ideas for civic engagement to a panel of their peers from the Karsh Institute of Democracy’s Student Advisory Council. Winners will be awarded funding to bring their ideas to life.
Earl Pomeroy, Peter Roskam, Craig Volden, Alan Wiseman
What does it mean to be an effective lawmaker in the United States Congress and American state legislatures? And how essential is effective lawmaking to a functioning democracy?
Derrick P. Alridge, Laurent Dubois, Bobbie Laur, Tia Brown McNair, Jeremy C. Young
An examination of the nation’s racial learning landscape and the actions that educators can take to help all students fully explore our nation’s past and, going forward, contribute to societal choices about racial healing.
Qian Cai, Nichole M. Flores, Hamilton Lombard, Meghan Murray
In the United States, an aging population that is predominantly white and an increasingly diverse youth population have fueled a sense of anxiety, insecurity, or even fear about who is the majority, who has the power, and whose democracy it will be.
Margaret Low, Evan Smith, Lauren Williams, Kimi Yoshino
A panel of media veterans explores innovative news models, the role public media plays in sustaining an engaged democratic culture, and the future of journalism in America.
Ben Allen, Harold Folley, Pace Lochte, Cristine Nardi, James E. Ryan, Ridge Schuyler
Panelists discuss how the University of Virginia has worked collaboratively to address key challenges to civic participation, including housing, workforce development, educational opportunities, and access to health care.
Melody Barnes, Daniel Darling, Conor Friedersdorf, Cecilia Muñoz, Annise Parker
What does it mean to be an American? In this time of deep polarization, is it possible for all sides to embrace a shared national identity?
Peter Baker, Laura Barrón-López, Elaina Plott Calabro, Mike Emanuel, Judy Woodruff
This panel of esteemed journalists—moderated by PBS News’ Judy Woodruff—offers its insights on what it takes to report on the innerworkings of the White House, especially in times of crisis.
Barbara Brandon-Croft, Laurent Dubois, Jeffrey Koterba, Pedro Xavier Molina, Rayma Suprani
A panel of esteemed editorial cartoonists discusses how accessible—and often humorous—illustrations can be used to comment on culture, corruption, censorship, and democratic norms.
Michael Abramowitz, Susan B. Glasser, Amna Nawaz, Michael Powell
Vibrant societies and healthy democracies rely on the free flow of ideas, but ensuring a free press is a constant struggle. For this session, a panel of journalists and experts explores the state of freedom of the press in the United States and around the world—and what it means for the future of democracy.
Emily Burrill, Samhita Sunya, Siva Vaidhyanathan, Jennifer Weiss-Wolf
Jennifer Weiss-Wolf of "Ms." magazine and UVA cinema expert Samhita Sunya join a live recording of the Karsh Institute’s "Democracy in Danger" podcast. Weiss-Wolf’s work is featured in the new book "50 Years of Ms." Sunya studies film, feminism, and gender dynamics in South Asia and the Middle East.
Adam Harris, J. Michael Luttig
Judge J. Michael Luttig, one of the most celebrated legal minds of his generation, is joined by The Atlantic’s Adam Harris for a conversation about the politicization of the rule of law, the importance of institutions, and the future of American democracy.
Jamelle Bouie, Larry Sabato, Tara Setmayer, Sean Trende
Larry Sabato brings together leading political analysts on stage to discuss new insights, emerging trends, and potential outcomes of the 2024 general election.
Molly Harlow, Charles Hartgrove, Siri Russell
The Local Government Equity Clinic participants discuss the role of local government in facilitating equity in the community—and what has made the clinic a success.
Jeffrey Goldberg, Adam Kinzinger
In his recently released book "Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in our Divided Country," former congressman Adam Kinzinger tells the inside story of the January 6 Committee, examining the forces that led to the attacks on the Capitol.
