photos courtesy of the University of South Carolina – Columbia and Furman University

The Department of Political Science will present the annual Samuel C. Waters Lecture Series in Political Science on April 26, 2018, at 6 p.m. The event will take place in Kuhne Auditorium in Neville Hall.

Emmy Award-winning University of South Carolina professor Charles Bierbauer and Furman University professor C. Danielle Vinson will serve on a panel during the series. This year’s topic is “Partisan Polarization in Today’s Media: The Impact of Fragmentation & Selective Exposure on Civil Discourse and Political Consensus in America.”

“This should be a wonderful opportunity for the members of the campus and local community to hear and engage in discussions with some of today’s leading political scholars from a wide range of political and policy issues,” said Booker T. Ingram, Chair of PC’s Political Science Department.

More About the Panel

Bierbauer joined the USC College of Information and Communications as dean in 2002 after a more than 30-year-career in journalism. He stepped down as dean July 31, 2017, and is now a member of the faculty. Bierbauer is the host of SCETV’s weekly public affairs show, “This Week in South Carolina.”  Bierbauer has lived in seven different countries and reported from many others. He received a 1996 news and documentary Emmy for CNN coverage of the Olympic Park bombing.

A professor of politics and international affairs at Furman, Vinson is the author of Congress and the Media: Beyond Institutional Power. In the volume, Vinson goes back in history four decades to examine how members of Congress have increasingly embraced media relations as a way to influence national policy-making and politics. Vinson’s teaching and research interests focus on institutions in American government with a particular emphasis on Congress and the media. She teaches courses on Congress, the Presidency, Media and Politics, and American Government and regularly directs the Department’s Washington internship program. Her writing and scholarship include articles and chapters on Congress and the media, political parties and the media, religion and politics in the media, and communication and spending in political campaigns.

A Reception to Follow

A 5:30 p.m. reception with food and beverages will be held in the Lobby of the Cornelson Center prior to the start of the event.  The event is open to the public.

The Samuel C. Waters Lecture Series in Political Science aims to highlight both the value and relevance of the study of politics and contemporary issues. The lecture series hosts notable political scholars as guest lectures, who through their research and writings, enrich the academic experience for PC students as well as engage the local community.

Learn More about Political Science at PC

The Samuel C. Waters Lecture Series in Political Science is just one of the many opportunities for you to learn political science at PC. Check out our Political Science page for more.