The late author and essayist Christopher Hitchens began our Winter/Spring 2008 seminar series, critiquing political journalism (click photo for video); Gen. Colin Powell spoke about media and foreign policy to our Fall 2008 Class; and Jonathan Karl, ABC News senior political correspondent, and Kevin Madden, press secretary, Romney 2008, addressed our Fall 2011 students on presidential campaigns.

Seminar Speakers, Fall 2011
The Politics & Journalism Semester

"Political Reporting: Past, Present and Future" Kevin Merida, national editor, Washington Post, with the Post's Robert Pierre and T.W. Farnam, WCPJ alumni	"Reporting Federal Election Commission Finance Records" Patricia Klein Young, FEC assistant dir. public disclosure, and Judy Ingram, press officer	"American Political Parties" Terry Michael, former press secretary, Democratic Nat. Com., and exec. director, The Politics & Journalism Semester
"Congressional Party Committees and Campaigns" Nathan Gonzales, deputy editor, Rothenberg Political Report	"Major Donor Fund-Raising" Debbie LeHardy, former deputy finance director, Republican Nat. Com.	"Politics: A Class Discussion" A discussion of political current events.
"Interest Group Politics" Terry Michael, director, Politics & Journalism Semester...thanks to Jonathan Rauch, for his informing book "Government's End"	"Campaign Management" Cheri Jacobus, Capitol Strategies, Republican manager and communications strategist	"Strategic Communication in Campaigns and Governance" Terry Michael, exec. dir., The Politics & Journalism Semester
"Voting in America" Curtis Gans, director, Center for Study of the American Electorate	"Mail and Internet Fund-Raising" Frank O'Brien, president, O'Brien McConnell and Pearson, former DNC direct mail director (with Emily Holden, LSU)	"Politically Correct Medicine" Dr. Sally Satel, fellow, American Enterprise Institute, author of "PC, M.D."
"Presidential Powers, Real and Imagined" Gene Healy, vice president, Cato Institute, author of "The Cult of the Presidency"	"Costa Rica & Liberal Democracy" Muni Figueres, Costa Rica's ambassador to the U.S. (with Laura Barron-Lopez, Cal. State-Fullerton)	"Media and World Affairs" Maria Armoudian, Pacifica Radio host and author, "Kill the Messenger: The Media's Role in the Fate of the World"
"Presidential Politics: Running for the Nomination" Terry Michael, dir. of commun., 1988 Simon for President--see his paper on Presidential Nominating Process	"Presidential Politics: Facing Voters in November" Terry Michael, exec. dir., The Politics & Journalism Semester--see his "Why Political Journalism Fails..."	"Political Polling and Research" G. Evans Witt, CEO, Princeton Survey Research and co-author "Journalist's Guide to Polls"
"Presidential Leadership" Terry Michael, director, The Politics & Journalism Semester	"Turning Ideas Into Policy" Grover Norquist, president, Americans for Tax Reform	"Media in Campaigns and Governance " Anita Dunn, SKDKnickerbocker (Democratic consultants); former White House commun. director
"Racial and Other Group Identity Politics: Affirmative Action, Diversity, and Multi-Culturalism" Class discussion. Book links: Content and Liberal Racism	"Political Economics in the Great Recession" Steve Moore, editorial writer, The Wall Street Journal (with Ellen Larson, U. of Tennessee)	"The State of Our Political Process, Parties, Press and Leadership" Terry Michael, director, The Politics & Journalism Semester
"Running and Covering Presidential Campaigns" Jonathan Karl, ABC News political correspondent, and Kevin Madden, press secretary, Romney 2008; JDA Frontline