Demographics and Disinformation: The Future of American Democracy

This event will be hosted by Middlesex County College.

The United States as a country is becoming more diverse every day. The impact of certain demographic trends such as race, ethnicity, gender, and education cannot be understated in the elections of the past decade. Nor can we overlook the consequences of falsehoods, spread on the information delivery mechanism of social media which exacerbates the efficacy of extremist propaganda and greatly impacts the democratic process. This panel will discuss these two key variables, demographics and disinformation, and the historic changes they have brought about in recent elections, and also what their impact will have on future elections. Our panel brings together diverse opinions and expertise with presenters consisting of faculty from Middlesex College representing the fields of Political Science, Sociology, Philosophy, and History as well as a special guest panelist: Ashley Koning, the director of Eagleton Institute for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers.

Attendees are also invited to return to “In the Weeds,” a sequel ZOOM event planned for the following week, designed to provide space to dialogue about the real-life application of the “big picture” concepts explored in Demographics and Disinformation: The Future of American Democracy.

About DCP

Launched in January 2021, the Democracy Conversation Project (DCP) is an initiative designed to provide opportunities for community discussions about topics like the democratic process, the electoral college, voter suppression, civic engagement, and other areas related to democracy. Administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils and funded by Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the reach and impact of the DCP will be furthered by collaboration. Eight colleges across the state will convene these public discussions. Faculty and community members will come together to offer this conversation series in March and April.

Panelists:

-Professor Nicholas Archer (Political Science)

-Professor Andrew Dzurisin (Sociology)

-Professor Franklin Halprin (History)

-Ashley Koning, Director of the Eagleton Institute for Public Interest Polling at Rutgers

-Professor Giuseppe Rotolo (Philosophy)

FAQ

Will this event be recorded? Yes

Will receive log-in information for this online event? Yes, it will be emailed to you the in the days leading up to the conversation.

Who do I contact with questions? Contact the New Jersey Council for the Humanities at 609.695.4838 or info@njhumanities.org