Forum: Tracking Trump and Hillary

bumper stickers for Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton

Have you been tracking the tweets, headlines and poll numbers of the presidential primaries? Fasten your seat belts and sign up for the inaugural Honors College Forum: Tracking Trump and Hillary (PLSC 399VH). The class will meet from 5-6 p.m. each Monday in Gearhart Hall 129 during the fall 2016 semester.

In this one-hour course students who zealously follow politics at the national level will join forces with faculty experts whose research touches on the presidency and the media. The format of the course is based on Keepin’ it 1600, a weekly podcast hosted by self-professed political junkies Jon Favreau and Dan Pfeiffer.

The first thirty minutes of Tracking Trump and Hillary will focus on the campaign week in review; the second half will feature faculty experts addressing different aspects of the election (labor, populism, debate, economics, internationalism, gender, race, immigration, regionalism, polling, etc.).

Additionally, Tracking Trump and Hillary will include guest appearances by key university administrators, nationally prominent political figures, media experts and the leadership of the Clinton School of Public Service in Little Rock.

The Honors College will host watch parties for the last debate (Oct. 19) and election night (Nov. 8) in the Honors Student Lounge (GEAR 130), open to all on campus, and class participants will travel to the Clinton School in Little Rock for a post-election post-mortem (trip optional).

What’s in it for you:

  • One hour of honors course credit
  • Deeply informed insight into an historic election
  • Participation in faculty research exploring the question: “Does Televised Presentation Style of Presidential Debates Influence Voters’ Perceptions?”

What’s required from you:

  • Track and report on presidential coverage in a media outlet (print journalism, Twitter, podcasts, comedy, cartoons, Facebook, etc.) during the fall semester
  • Watch the first debate (Sept. 26) in faculty lab and work with a faculty panel to interpret the gestural and psychological spaces produced by the debaters – and audience response
  • Read scholarly articles related to areas of expertise brought to the forum by faculty experts and political players
  • Contribute to a collective blog and Twitter feed for the Honors College

Interested? Apply here. Sorry, enrollment for this course has closed. Join the conversation in social media (more info coming soon) and come to the watch parties on Oct. 19 and Nov. 8!

Questions? Contact Noah Pittman.