Mending America: Overcoming Our Political and Cultural Divides
In light of the growing divisions among Americans, this panel will address the intersection of culture and politics in society, how we can better understand divisiveness, and find common ground.
- Geoffrey Cowan\xa0is an award-winning writer, television producer, and University Professor and Annenberg Family Chair in Communication Leadership at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. He is the author of several books, including\xa0Let the People Rule: Theodore Roosevelt and the Birth of the Presidential Primary,\xa0See No Evil: The Backstage Battle Over Sex and Violence on Television,\xa0and\xa0The People v. Clarence Darrow: The Bribery Trial of America\u2019s Greatest Lawyer.
- Elizabeth Currid-Halkett\xa0is\xa0the James Irvine Chair in Urban and Regional Planning and professor of Public Policy at the USC Price School of Public Policy, whose research focuses on arts and culture, the American consumer economy, and the role of cultural capital in geographic and class divides. She is the author of several books, including\xa0The Sum of Small Things: A Theory of the Aspirational Class\xa0and\xa0The Overlooked Americans: The Resilience of Our Rural Towns and What It Means for Our Country\xa0(forthcoming).
- Jeffery Jenkins\xa0is the Provost Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Law, Maria B. Crutcher Professor of Citizenship and Democratic Values, and director of the Political Institutions and Political Economy (PIPE) Collaborative at USC. His book,\xa0Republican Party Politics and the American South, 1865-1968, shows how the GOP evolved from a biracial party into one dominated by whites, with lessons that inform today\u2019s politics.
- Moderator:\xa0Robert Shrum\xa0is the director of the Center for the Political Future and the Carmen H. and Louis Warschaw Chair in Practical Politics at the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences.\xa0A legendary political strategist, he was once described as \u201cthe most sought-after consultant in the Democratic Party,\u201d by\xa0The Atlantic Monthly.\u202f