Related Events

Voter Registration Drive

Thursdays and Fridays through October 26, 2012, 3:00pm on Thursdays and noon on Fridays

Location: Kansas Union

With this being an election year, it’s important for students to be informed and engaged in the process. SUA will have a table at Tea @ 3 and Tunes @ Noon, providing voter registration forms to students and Lawrence residents.

Politics as Symbol/Symbol as Politics

July 17 - January 27, 2013

Location: 20/21 Gallery Conversation Wall, Spencer Museum of Art

Politics is simultaneously about substance and symbol. If art is in part spectacle, there is no political spectacle to match an American presidential election. Each such contest produces thousands of images and scenes, almost every one planned and executed like a work of art, be it a poster, portrait, or performance. This exhibit includes works ranging from buttons to historic photographs to highly politicized prints to abstract art. They are mostly not about presidents or presidential elections; rather, they explore the relationship between politics and image, emphasizing more the symbol than the substance. But perhaps that captures one essence of politics in general, and U.S. politics in particular.

This exhibition is curated by Burdett Loomis, professor of political science at the University of Kansas, and has been organized with the Andrew W. Mellon Department of Academic Programs at the Spencer Museum of Art.

Second Presidential Debate

Tuesday, October 16, 2012, 8:00pm - 9:30pm CST

Location: Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York

Each presidential debate will be broadcast live on C-SPAN, ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC, as well as all cable news channels including CNN, Fox News and MSNBC among others. Each debate will also be streamed live online by a variety of media outlets, including YouTube.

Election 2012: An Inside Look

Wednesday, October 17, 2012, 4:00 p.m.

Location: Dole Institute

Dole Institute Fall Fellows, Republican strategist, Nancy Dwight, and former Obama Deputy National Campaign Manager, Steve Hildebrand, will discuss the electoral map week by week as the campaign roller coaster takes us to Election Day.

KU Students Overseas: An International Look at American Politics

Wednesday, October 17, 2012, 7:30pm

Location: Dole Institute

Join us as we visit with KU students around the world and discuss American politics from a global viewpoint. This event is sponsored by the Dole Institute of Politics Student Advisory Board (SAB).

Third Presidential Debate

Monday, October 22, 2012, 8:00pm - 9:30pm CST

Location: Lynn University, Boca Raton, Florida

“The Victory Lab: ‘Moneyball for Politics’"

Tuesday, October 23, 2012, 7:30pm

Location: Dole Institute

You’ve seen it before in sports, and now journalist and author, Sasha Issenberg, shows how cutting-edge social science and analytics are reshaping the modern political campaign and how President Obama and Governor Mitt Romney are putting them to use. This event includes a book sale and signing.

"From Hope to Audacity: The Evolution of President Barack Obama's Rhetoric and the 2012 Presidential Campaign"

Wed., October 24, 2012, 7:30pm - 9:00pm

Location: Woodruff Auditorium, Kansas Union

Barack Obama built a reputation as the most eloquent public leader since Ronald Reagan, beginning with his Keynote Address at the 2004 Democratic National Convention and culminating with a series of moving addresses in the 2008 presidential campaign, in which he promised to bring both Hope and real Change. But as President, Obama has faced both a devastating economic crisis and intractable opposition, leaving some to conclude that he had lost his rhetorical magic. Yet KU Professor of Communications Robert Rowland argues that Obama's rhetoric has just evolved: the arc has moved from impassioned appeals that created a new sense of Hope, to an audacious call to reaffirm basic fairness in American economic life and therefore save the American Dream.

Campaign 2012 with Bill Lacy & Special Guests

Thursday, November 1, 2012, 7:30pm

Location: Dole Institute

Join Dole Institute Director, Bill Lacy, and special guests as they discuss and forecast the 2012 election.

Research Corner Talks

Friday, November 2, 2012, 10:00am - 11:30am

Location: Watson Library, Third Floor West

The following speakers will discuss research activities in the study of campaign rhetoric:
Robert (Robin) Rowland, Professor, Dept. of Communication Studies
Michael Lynch, Assistant Professor, Political Sciences Dept.

Election Watch Party

Tuesday, November 6, 2012, 5:00pm - 11:00pm

Location: Kansas Union Lobby, Level 4

Whichever party you belong to, come watch history unfold. SUA will stream live coverage of the election results as they happen and provide refreshments for those who attend.

An Evening with Newt & Callista Gingrich

Wednesday, November 14, 2012, 7:30pm

Location: Dole Institute

Callista and Newt Gingrich will discuss what it’s like as a couple on the campaign trail, living on the road and being in the spotlight. This event will include a book sale and signing.

Post-Election Conference

Thursday, December 6 and Friday, December 7, 2012, Time TBA

Location: Dole Institute

Political insiders from both parties will analyze and discuss the 2012 presidential election.