June 1, 2012

Restoring Faith in Government: Marquette Law School conference to address the political divide

Event Information:
Date: Friday, June 8, 2012
Time: 8 a.m. registration, 8:30 a.m. start
Place: Marquette Law School, Eckstein Hall

Do we agree on anything? Perhaps only this: We live in polarized times, and discussion of a long list of big issues is marked by acrimony and heated debate, often to the point of deadlock. At the end of the week in which Wisconsin will conduct its first-ever statewide recall election and with the political divide at an all-time high, the Marquette Law School Restorative Justice Initiative will host a conference to examine how public discourse got to this point and how we can move forward beyond it. “Restoring Faith in Government: Encouraging Civil Public Discourse,” will take place Friday, June 8, at Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan St. The event is $20 for non-Marquette students and employees, and includes continental breakfast and lunch. Registration is required and can be completed online.

Presentations will include:

•    “Political Discourse 101: Why Do Campaigns Look and Sound the Way They Do?” – Leading political strategists on both sides of the aisle and academic experts including Dr. Charles Franklin, director of the Marquette Law Poll, will offer their perspectives on how campaigns are waged today, their consequences and whether change is in order;
•    “Civic Participation or Recreational Hostility: Policing the Blogosphere?” – Panelists from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Chicago Tribune, Marquette’s Diederich College of Communication and local government will share their perspectives on the Internet as a powerful venue for spreading news or voicing hate, anger or anonymous personal attacks, and the challenge of managing reader comments online;
•    “From Demoralizing Rhetoric to Respectful Difference: Suggestions for Public Policy Mediators.” – Nationally recognized panelists will talk about their experience with public policy mediation and opportunities for and challenges to using these approaches to controversial issues;
•    “Name Calling and Personal Attacks on Candidates and Elected Officials – What’s the Impact?” – Current and former elected officials on both sides of the aisle will discuss how the current tenor of the political world affects who decides to run for office, how they run for office, and, ultimately, how they can govern; and
•    “The Future: Is the Next Generation Optimistic?” – Students from the Marquette University Les Aspin Center for Government will discuss why they want to pursue public service work.

Keynote speaker John Avalon, senior columnist for Newsweek and The Daily Beast, CNN contributor and author of Independent Nation: How Centrism Can Change American Politics and Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe Is Hijacking America, will give a presentation about his views on healing the polarization in America.

A full conference schedule and list of panelists is available online.

Media interested in attending should contact Brigid Miller in the Office of Marketing and Communication at (414) 288-7445 or brigid.miller@marquette.edu.