Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics: Past Events

Past Events

FALL 2009

11/12/09
USC Critical Issues Forum, GOING FOR BROKE: GOVERNANCE & THE FISCAL CRISIS
School of Policy, Planning, and Development Dean Jack Knott and VP of Government and Community Relations Thomas Sayles hosted the inaugural USC Critical Issues Forum featuring a panel of distinguished guests.

11/11/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: Election 2010: The Governor’s Race
Featuring Dan Loeterman, Daily Trojan; Micah Scheindlin, student representative from the USC College Democrats; Jordan Goh, student representative from the USC College Republicans. Moderated by Alex Comisar, Editor-in-Chief, USC Daily Trojan; and Dan Schnur, Director of the USC Unruh Institute of Politics.

11/05/09
The New Civil Rights State: The Changing Nature of Civil Rights Litigation and Implementation
Boston College's R. Shep Melnick spoke about trends in civil rights litigation and implementation. R. Shep Melnick is the Tip O'Neill Chair of Politics at Boston College. He has written extensively on the intersections of law, politics and public policy — particularly in the areas of the interpretation of environmental statutes, welfare rights and special education. Melnick's book Between the Lines remains the standard study of political construction of statutory rights, which Martin Shapiro described as "The best work so far in integrating the study of courts into the general study of the politics of the American policy making process." During his visit to USC, Melnick discussed a new project on the changing nature of civil rights litigation and implementation. He was joined at this event by USC Political Science Professor Jeb Barnes and USC Gould School of Law Professor Kareem Crayton, who facilitated discussion of Melnick's findings and arguments about the evolving nature of the "civil rights state" in the United States.

Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Passage of the Unruh Civil Rights Act
Featuring Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks; Congressman Mervyn Dymally; Marvin L. Holen, who worked with Jesse M. Unruh on the Unruh Civil Rights Act; Ange-Marie Hancock, Associate Professor of Political Science at USC and author of The Politics of Disgust and the Public Identity of the "Welfare Queen"; Ruthee Goldkorn, Disability Rights Activist; R. Shep Melnick, Thomas P. O'Neill, Jr. Professor of American Politics at Boston College; Michelle Lee, USC student majoring in Political Science and Sociology, minoring in Human Rights; and Araceli Ruano, President of the LA County Arts Commission and trustee of the Mexican American Bar Foundation.
Click here to see the video: http://capture.usc.edu/college/Viewer/?peid=21fc713c9e6b45c4a7d08bde1426b56e
Click here to see the event flyer: 50th_Anniversary_Event_flyer.pdf

10/23/09
Crime, Punishment & Rehabilitation: The Politics & Policy of California's Prisons.
Featuring L.A. District Attorney Steve Cooley; Vice President of Prison Fellowship Ministries, Pat Nolan; USC Law Professor, Jody Armour; and student representatives.
Click here to see the video: http://capture.usc.edu/college/Viewer/?peid=477dbceb45d84124ba55f5c921f1cd1b

10/21/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: California's Prison Crisis.
Featuring Pat Nolan, Vice President, Prison Fellowship Ministries; Nina Salarno-Ashford, National Administrator, Corrections USA; Kirsten Rice, USC CALPIRG representative; and a student representative from the USC College Republicans. Moderated by Dan Loeterman, Managing Editor, The Daily Trojan; and Dan Schnur, Director of the USC Unruh Institute of Politics.

10/20/09
The Role of the First Lady
Featuring Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics; Alison Renteln, USC Political Science Professor; and moderated by Parker Hevron, POIR Ph.D. candidate. Co-sponsored by the Academic Culture Assembly.

10/6/09
Balancing Concerns: Do Human Rights Matter in a Global Recession?
Featuring Dick Castner, Western Regional Director, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; David Kang, USC International Relations Professor, Director of the USC Korean Studies Institute; Alison Renteln, USC Political Science Professor, Expert on cultural rights; Adam Weissman, USC, Class of 2010; and Christian Whiton, Former Deputy Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea.
Click here to see the video: http://capture.usc.edu/college/Viewer/?peid=0961450b1e6a4d849fa16689170285e3

9/30/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: Obama and Climate Change: Energy, the Environment, and Congress' Next Challenge.
Featuring Sarah Leonard, Vice President, Glover Park Group and Senior Adviser for Gore for President 2000; Alex Pugh, Senior Public Policy Manager, Energy, Environment and Water Committee, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce; Bobby Almeida, President, USC College Democrats; and Nick Bradvica, Student Representative, USC College Republicans. Moderated by Alex Comisar, Editor-in-Chief, USC Daily Trojan; and Dan Schnur, Director of the USC Unruh Institute of Politics.

9/14/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: Obama and Afghanistan: Should we stay or should we go?
Featuring Eileen Padberg, Director of Women’s Initiatives for Rebuilding Iraq and a member of the International Women’s Forum; Andre Pineda, Obama campaign advisor; and Samantha Foley, US College Democrats. Moderated by Dan Loeterman, Managing Editor, The Daily Trojan and Dan Schnur, Director of the Unruh Institute of Politics.

9/9/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: Health Care Reform.
Featuring Lisa Kalustian, Chief Deputy Director of Governor Schwarzenegger's Los Angeles office, and Former Deputy Associate Secretary for the CA Health and Welfare Agency; Kristina Schake, Senior Advisor of California Endowment, Advisor to the Hillary Clinton, Howard Dean and John Kerry for President campaigns, and Co-Founder of Griffin/Schake; James Ellias, Student Representative, USC College Republicans; and Micah Scheindlin, Student Representative, USC College Democrats. Moderated by Alex Comisar, Editor-in-Chief, USC Daily Trojan; and Dan Schnur, Director of the USC Unruh Institute of Politics.

8/30/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: Obama Overview: How's he doing?
With panelist Andrea Jones Rivera, the former Executive Director of ABC.

SPRING 2009

5/21/09
USC in DC: One Hundred Days: Experts assess the first 100 days of the Obama Administration.
Click here to see the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UaU4Hc4tiQQ

2/25/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: New President, New Challenges - Obama's First 100 Days: Measure B, the Solar Energy & Job Creation Program

2/24/09
President Obama's Address to Congress. The USC Annenberg Center on Communication Law and Policy, the USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, and the Unruh Institute of Politics presented a public viewing of President Barack Obama's first address to a joint session of Congress. The address this year was held in place of the customary State of the Union address. The speech was preceded by a discussion led by Dan Schnur, Director of the Unruh Institute of Politics, and included Geneva Overholser, Director of the Annenberg Journalism School, and Torey Van Oot of the Daily Trojan.

2/22-2/24/09
The 2009 Sacramento Legislative Seminar. 28 USC undergraduates joined other college and university students from around California for a weekend-long seminar providing students with the opportunity to meet and interact with the executive and legisltive leaders who shape the laws and policies of California. Seminar panelists included members of the Senate and the Assembly, lobbyists, reporters, and legislative and executive branch staff. Sponsored by the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and several other California colleges and universities.

2/19/09
The Death Penalty: Shifting Public Opinion and the Question of Innocence. The USC Unruh Institute of Politics and the USC Gould School of Law present a panel with Frank Baumgartner, Professor of Political Science at Penn State University, and author of "The Deadline of the Death Penalty and the Discovery of Innocence", and Jody Armour, Professor of Law and expert in criminal defense and prosecution, racial profiling, personal injury claims and sexual predator cases. Moderated by Professor Ange-Marie Hancock.

2/18/09
The Obama Stimulus Plan: Can it Fix a Broken Economy? The USC Unruh Institute of Politics and the USC Department of Political Science sponsored a discussion about the status of our economy with CA State Treasurer Bill Lockyer, LA City Councilman Greig Smith, and President of the California Foundation for Commerce and Education, Loren Kaye, as wel as other political leaders and economic experts.

2/11/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: New President, New Challenges - Obama's First 100 Days: Closing Guantanamo Bay: What Comes Next?

2/4/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: New President, New Challenges - Obama's First 100 Days: Energy & the Environment

1/28/09
USC Orange County Distinguished Speaker Series presents: Dan Schnur - "What Comes Next? Challenges for the New President and the New Congress on a New Landscape." Launching its 11th Annual Distinguished Speaker Series, Dan Schnur, Director of the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics, addressed the economic and foreign policy challenges awaiting President Obama, including the hurdles he faces working with a new Congress. Can Obama chart a new course, or will he be thwarted by entrenched interests in Washington? Schnur led a discussion about what to look for as Obama confronts a changing environment in policy and politics.

1/28/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: New President, New Challenges - Obama's First 100 Days: "Fiscal Stimulus Package & The Economy"

1/21/09
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: "Obama's Challenges, Our Challenges"

1/20/09
Inauguration Watch. USC students gathered to watch US President No.44, Barack Obama, take office, and participated in post-speech analysis and discussion with Unruh Institute Director Dan Schnur and journalism professor Robert Suro. Co-sponsored by the USC Annenberg School for Communication, the Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, the USC Political Science Department, and the Unruh Institute of Politics.

FALL 2008

11/21-22/08
ELECTION '08: Deconstructing the Campaign and What it Means for the Future. The Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics and The USC College of Letters, Arts & Sciences, in association with POLITICO, hosted a two-day post-election conference featuring top strategists from the Obama and McCain presidential campaigns. The conference featured panel discussions consisting of representatives from each campaign, moderated by POLITICO reporters and editors. Panels concentrated on the primary and general election seasons, in addition to future campaign strategies, and challenges facing the new administration. A panel of professional journalists also offered analysis on the events and decisions that shaped the 2008 election.

Conference webcasts:
Day 1
Day 1 lunch session
Day 2

11/12/08
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: "Challenges Facing the New Administration"

11/6/08
What Happened and Why? A Post-Election Conversation about Candidates, Strategies and Ballot Measures in the Race of '08. Featuring Kareem Crayton, USC Law Professor, Dan Schnur, Director of the Unruh Institute of Politics, and John Matsusaka of the Initiative & Referendum Institute. The panel discussed: How did the presidential victor win the election, and what impact will the win have over future governance? Which ballot measures lost/won, and what are the broader implications? Who voted, and what impact did it have on the presidential race, ballot measures, and other races?

11/3/08
Election Night: Watching the events as they Unfold. The USC Annenberg School for Communication, the Center on Communication Leadership, and the Unruh Institute of Politics invited students, faculty and friends to watch a telecast of election returns, as well as the results for statewide offices and ballot propositions. Dan Schnur, Director of the Unruh Institute, provided led discussion throughout the evening.

10/29/08
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back: Time to Choose

10/22/08
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students Talk Back on Higher Education

10/15/08
Debate Watch 2008: McCain-Obama Presidential Debate. The USC Annenberg School for Communication, the Center on Communication Leadership and the USC Unruh Institute of Politics invited students, faculty and friends to watch a telecast of the presidential debate between Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois). Discussion led by Unruh Institute director Dan Schnur and professor of communication Tom Hollihan.

10/14/08
Political Careers Panel. Dan Schnur, Director of the Unruh Institute of Politics moderated a discussion panel on political careers co-sponsored by the Unruh Institute and the Career Planning & Placement Center. Panelists included Paul Vizcaino, Pacific Strategies (former advisor to Mayor Villaraigosa and Miguel Contreras); Mike Madrid, the California League of Cities (former political director for the California Republican Party); NII-Quarterlai Quartey, Consensus Consulting group; Julie Soderlund, Wilson-Miller Communications (former spokesperson for Governor Schwarzenegger); and Erin Ross, City Year (LA Director).

10/8/08
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students talk back on Healthcare

10/7/08
Debate Watch 2008: McCain-Obama Presidential Debate. The USC Annenberg School for Communication, the Center on Communication Leadership and the USC Unruh Institute of Politics invited students, faculty and friends to watch a telecast of the presidential debate between Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois). Discussion led by Unruh Institute director Dan Schnur.

10/2/08
Debate Watch 2008: Biden-Palin Vice Presidential Debate. The USC Annenberg School for Communication, the Center on Communication Leadership and the USC Unruh Institute of Politics invited students, faculty and friends to watch a telecast of the vice-presidential debate between Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska) and Sen. Joe Biden (D-Delaware). Discussion led by Unruh Institute director Dan Schnur.

10/1/08
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students talk back on Social Issues

9/26/08
Debate Watch 2008: McCain-Obama Presidential Debate. The USC Annenberg School for Communication, the Center on Communication Leadership and the USC Unruh Institute of Politics invited students, faculty and friends to watch a telecast of the presidential debate between Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois). Discussion led by Unruh Institute director Dan Schnur.

9/24/08
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students talk back on Jobs & the Economy

9/17/08
Brown-bag Lunch Series: Students talk back on the Environment & Energy

9/23/08
Campaign Update: Obama
with Mitchell Schwartz, California State Director for the Obama campaign 2008.
Mr. Schwartz has served on nearly every presidential campaign since 1984, including a pivotal role in 1992 as Governor Bill Clinton's New Hampshire State Director. He founded the Bomaye Group, a public affairs firm in Los Angeles which coordinated the grassroots and online campaign surrounding An Inconvenient Truth and assisted the Save Darfur Campaign. Schwartz has served as an adviser to a number of California's elected officials, including Senator Boxer, Governor Davis, and Mayor Villaraigosa.

9/9/08
Campaign Update: McCain
with Adam Mendelsohn, Sr. Campaign Adviser for McCain 2008.
Mr. Mendelsohn has 14 years of experience in strategic communications and public affairs, and formerly served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He is a veteran of numerous California State Assembly and Senate campaigns, and he has also advised numerous Fortune 500 clients on media and public affairs campaigns.

9/4/08
Convention Watch: McCain Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech
Prof. Geoffrey Cowan of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism, political communication expert Prof. Tom Hollihan, and Dan Schnur, Director of the Unruh Institute and former communications director for John McCain.

8/28/08
Convention Watch: Obama Presidential Nomination Acceptance Speech
Prof. Geoffrey Cowan of the USC Annenberg School of Journalism, political communication expert Prof. Tom Hollihan, and Dan Schnur, Director of the Unruh Institute and former communications director for John McCain.

SPRING 2008

4/28/08
Provost's Distinguished Visitors Lecture
with Akiko Ito, Chief of the United Nations Global Programme On Disability

4/14/08
Women and Politics with Mary Hartnett
Ruth Bader Ginsburg

4/10/08
Affirmative Advocacy: Race, Class and Gender in Interest Group Politics
with Professor Dara Strolovitch

3/25/08
Democratic Governance
with Professor Mark Bevir

3/24/08
The Justice Department and American Politics
with Professor Matthew Holden

3/24/08
Redefining America:
Key Findings From the 2006 Latino National Survey

3/10/08
John Chiang
California State Controller

3/5/08
The Age of Apology: Facing Up to the Past
with Jean-Marc Coicaud

3/3/08
Tiger Woods Inc.: Race, Golf, and Money in the Age of the Global Superstar
with Orin Starn

2/27/08
Knight Chair forum with Amy Sullivan
Sponsored by USC Knight Chair in Media and Religion, USC Center for Religion and Civic Culture, the Jesse M. Unruh Institute of Politics

2/25/08
Barack Obama: The New Face of American Politics
Unruh Author Series with Martin Dupuis

2/11/08
Election Post-Mortem: The Presidential Primaries
cosponsored with the Political Student Assembly

1/28/08
Unruh Author Series with Elisabeth Bumiller
Condoleezza Rice: An American Life

1/28/08
Professor Dale Jamieson
What's Wrong With Climate Change?
Cosponsored with the Levan Institute for Humanities and Ethics

FALL 2007

11/27/07
20th Anniversary Lunch & Conversation Series
with District Attorney Steve Cooley

11/13/07
Book Release & Signing
Big Daddy: Jesse Unruh and the Art of Power Politics
with author Bill Boyarsky

11/7/07
Unruh Institute Author Series with Professor Marion Just
We Interrupt This Newscast: How to Improve Local News and Win Ratings

11/2/07
20th Anniversary Lunch & Conversation Series
California State Senator Tom McClintock

10/22/07
Professor Martin Shapiro
Rule of Law, Due Process and the High Resource Criminal
(Gangs, Corporations and Terrorists)

10/15/07
Unruh Institute Author Series with Professor Dowell Myers
Immigrants and Boomers: Forging a New Social Contract for the Future of America

9/26/07
20th Anniversary Lunch & Conversation Series
with Robin Kramer, Chief of Staff, Los Angeles Mayor Villaragosia
hosted by Bill Boyarsky, Unruh Fellow and former L.A. Times Editor

9/24/07
Unruh Institute Author Series with Richard Dekmejian
Spectrum of Terror

9/19/07
Human Rights and the Business of Tainted Gold:
Corporate Responsibility in a Global Economy
Anneke Van Woudenberg, senior researcher, Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
Arvind Ganesan, Business and Human Rights Division, Human Rights Watch
Earl Allen, fair trade jeweler and owner, 1700 Ocean
Moderator: Douglas Becker, coordinator, Peace and Conflict Studies Program
USCRemarks: Jennifer Wolch, director, Center for Sustainable Cities, USC

9/12/07
Reflections on U.S. Attorney Firing Scandal and Suggestions for Future Reform
George Newhouse, Attorney & Adjunct Professor
formerly Federal Prosecutor, Los Angeles U.S. Attorney’s Office

Spring 2007

4/26/07
Women and Politics
with California Secretary of State Debra Bowen

4/25/07
Blood and Land: Ethno-nationalism, Culture, Identity
with Dr. Tok Thompson

4/19/07
Proverbial Rhetoric in Decisive Moments of American Politics
Professor Wolfgang Mieder

4/12/07
The End of Government ... As We Know It: Making Public Policy Work
Dr. Elaine Kamarck

4/4/07
Plunder: The Dark Side of the Rule of Law
Professor Laura Nader

4/2/07
Women and Politics
with Assemblywoman Mimi Walters

3/22/07
Race and the Legal System: The Japanese American World War II Cases
with Dale Minami

3/21/07
Screening of Mr. Conservative: Goldwater on Goldwater

3/20/07
Mary Robinson
Former President of Ireland
Former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
Taking Stock of Human Rights in the 21st Century

2/25-27/07
Sacramento Legislative Seminar 2007

2/26/07
Cara Mia DiMassa
Journalist, Los Angeles Times
News & Public Policy: The Case of Skid Row

2/12/07
Peter Zuckerman
Journalist, Oregonian
Investigative Journalism for an Informed Citizenry

1/31/07
Nelson Polsby
Professor of Political Science, UC Berkeley
How Congress Evolves

1/25/07
Screening & Panel: Jesus Camp
Cosponsored with Knight Chair in Media and Religion

1/22/07
Unruh Author Series with Joe Mathews
Los Angeles Times journalist and author of
The People’s Machine: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Blockbuster Democracy

Fall 2006

9/11/06
Unruh Author Series
Diabesity: The Obesity-Diabetes Epidemic That Threatens America--And What We Must Do to Stop It
Francine Kaufman, USC Keck School of Medicine

9/18/06
Human Rights Forum
Jane Olson, Chair of the Board of Human Rights Watch

9/19/06
Simpsons’ Family Values
Mike Reiss, Producer and Writer for the Simpsons

10/10/06
Waxman on Welfare
Congressman Henry Waxman
Cosponsored with USC California Social Welfare Archives

10/16/06
Mainstreaming Muslims: Rethinking Integration Policy in France and Germany
with Sylvia Maier, Assistant Professor of International Affairs at the Georgia Institute of Technology's Sam Nunn School of International Affairs

10/17/06
Movie Screening: Shadow Company and the Changing Politics of War
Cosponsored with the Center for International Studies

10/23/06
Unruh Author Series
Managing Diversity: Toward a Globally Inclusive Workplace
Professor Michàlle Mor Barak, USC School of School Work

10/24/06
Ralph Nader
Don't Waste Your 20's! Take on the Little Things & The Big Things

11/1/06
Human Rights Forum
"The Intelligence of Knowledge: The Next Wave"
With Jean-Marc Coicaud, Head of the United Nations University, Office at the United Nations, New York

11/8/06
Human Rights Forum
Doctors Without Borders: Humanitarian Action and the Plagues of Poverty
With Jeanne Cabeza, MD

11/13
Women and Politics
Muslim Women Political Leaders; Their Work and Lives
with Marilyn Evans

11/15/06
Election Post Mortem
State Election & Initiatives Panel
National Election Panel

11/27/06
Unruh Author Series
Democracy’s Promise: Immigrants and American Civic Institutions
Professor Janelle Wong

12/4/06
Screening: Blood Diamond
Cosponsored with Peace and Conflict Studies