FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, February 13, 2019
STEPHENVILLE, Texas —Tarleton State University and the humanities division of Tarrant County College are teaming up for a second year to address political polarization.
Set for Thursday, Feb. 21, the symposium features four sessions led by academic presenters and a lunchtime discussion with members of the Fort Worth media, including Bud Kennedy and Cynthia Allen of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and Anthony Mariani of Fort Worth Weekly. Harvard Kennedy School professor Thomas Patterson will deliver a keynote lecture that evening.
The symposium takes place at TCC Trinity River, 300 Trinity Campus Circle, in downtown Fort Worth. The event is free and open to the public.
Here’s the schedule.
Session 1: “The Many Faces of Polarization”
9-10:15 a.m.
Room 4008, Energy Auditorium
Session 2: “Immigration through the Ages”
10:30-11:45 a.m.
Room 4008, Energy Auditorium
Session 3: “Political Polarization and the Contemporary News Media”
Noon-2 p.m.
Action A, Fourth Floor
Session 4: “Sociologists Tackle Polarizing Issues
2:15-3:30 p.m.
Room 4008, Energy Auditorium
Session 5: “Political Polarization: Ideology and Philosophy”
3:45-5 p.m.
Room 4008, Energy Auditorium
Keynote Lecture with Dr. Patterson: “How America Lost Its Mind: The Assault on Reason That’s Crippling Our Democracy”
5:30 p.m.
Action A, Fourth Floor
Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at the Harvard Kennedy, Patterson is author of Informing the News: The Need for Knowledge-Based Journalism, The Vanishing Voter, and Out of Order, which received the American Political Science Association’s Graber Award as the best book of the decade in political communication.
The American Association for Public Opinion Research named Patterson’s first book, The Unseeing Eye,one of the 50 most influential books in the past half-century. He is also author of Mass Media Election: How Americans Choose Their President, and two American government texts: The American Democracy and We the People. His articles have appeared in Political Communication, Journal of Communication and other academic journals.
Patterson contributes frequently to newspapers, online publications, and television and radio programs.
Tarleton,founding member of The Texas A&M University System, provides a student-focused, value-driven education marked by academic innovation and a dedication to transform today’s scholars into tomorrow’s leaders. It offers degree programs to more than 13,000 students at Stephenville, Fort Worth, Waco, Midlothian, RELLIS Academic Alliance in Bryan, and online, emphasizing real-world learning experiences that address societal needs while maintaining its core values of tradition, integrity, civility, excellence, leadership and service.
Contact: Phil Riddle, News and Information Specialist
817-484-4415
priddle@tarleton.edu
