Last modified: Tuesday, September 16, 2008
IU Branigin Lectures to feature experts on presidency, elections
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 16, 2008
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- The Indiana University Institute for Advanced Study, in cooperation with the IU Center on Congress, is presenting a Branigin Lecture Series, "Thinking about the Election," on the presidency, elections and politics.
Prominent historian Robert Dallek, the author of numerous presidential biographies, will lead off the series. Dallek has been a professor of history at Boston University, Columbia, UCLA, Dartmouth and Stanford. He has won many awards for his scholarship and teaching, including the Bancroft Prize in 1980.
Robert Dallek
His books include An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963; Harry S. Truman: The American Presidents Series: The 33rd President, 1945-1953; Lyndon B. Johnson: Portrait of a President; and Franklin D. Roosevelt and American Foreign Policy, 1932-1945. His recent book, Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power,draws on newly declassified archives to describe the relationship between President Richard Nixon and Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during the tumultuous years of the Nixon presidency.
Dallek will speak at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, in Rawles Hall 100 on the IU Bloomington campus. His topic will be "The Making and Unmaking of American Presidents."
In addition to Dallek:
- Charles H. Franklin will speak on "The Shape of the Campaign: Composition and Dynamics in the 2008 Election," at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 30, in Woodburn Hall 120.
- Gary C. Jacobson will speak on "The Bush Legacy and the 2008 Elections" at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 15, in Woodburn Hall 120.
Charles H. Franklin is professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and is an expert on statistical methods, elections and public opinion. He has published articles in major journals on partisanship, public opinion, the Supreme Court and U.S. Senate elections. His current research focuses on Bayesian (probabilistic) models of election campaigns and polling data.
Gary C. Jacobson is professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego. His research areas include congressional elections, American politics and U.S. political parties. Among his books are: Politics of Congressional Elections; A Divider, Not a Uniter: George W. Bush and the American People; and Money in Congressional Elections. His current research focus is the electoral basis of partisan polarization in Congress.
The Institute for Advanced Study is Indiana University's leading center for the pursuit of new knowledge and new directions in all fields of study; it fosters intellectual exchanges that are primarily collaborative and interdisciplinary. The Institute's Branigin Lecture Series is supported by an endowment from the estate of IU Bloomington alumna Gene Lois Porteus Branigin.
For more information, contact the Institute at 812-855-3658 or Director John Bodnar at Bodnar@indiana.edu.
