The Institute of Politics (IOP) welcomed six new Fellows to campus for the winter quarter. During their time on campus, the Fellows will lead weekly 75-minute seminars focusing on the 2016 presidential campaigns, ranging in theme from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the impact of sports on politics.
The Fellows this quarter include: Gaza-based NBC News Producer Wajeh Abuzarefa; Republican political strategist Alex Castellanos; New York Times columnist Juliet Macur; Democratic political organizer, campaign strategist, and CNN political contributor Patti Solis Doyle; Republican political strategist, media consultant, and writer Stuart Stevens; and Democratic campaign strategist, media consultant, and Fox News Channel contributor Joe Trippi.
“The newest part about the fellows program [this quarter] is the emphasis on the race to the White House, and that’s reflected in our four Democratic and Republican strategists,” said second-year IOP Fellows intern Kennedy Green.
In their seminar “The 2016 Shake-Up: How Demographics, Party Identification & Social Media are Changing our Politics,” Solis Doyle and Castellanos will examine winning strategies from political campaigns of the past 20 years. They will focus on how changes in the relative power of America’s racial and ethnic groups and the emergence of social media might affect governance.
In “Election 2016: Joe and Stuart’s Wild Ride,” Trippi and Stevens will follow the race for the 2016 presidential nominations, beginning with their first seminar “How the Hell Did We Get Here?” Both seminars will aim to provide students with a variety of perspectives on the upcoming election.
Macur’s seminar, “The Power and Politics of Sports: Why Games Aren’t Just Games Anymore,” will trace the evolution of the sports world from a fun pastime to a big business with political influence. Macur will look at use sports to explain some of today’s most pressing political issues, including corruption, the gender gap and geopolitics.
In his seminar “Gaza from the Inside: The Israeli-Palestine Conflict and the Politics of the Arab World,” Abuzarefah will draw on his 30 years of experience as a Palestinian journalist covering the events on the Gaza Strip. He will discuss living and reporting in Gaza, Hamas, the Arab spring, the rise of Islamic Fundamentalism, governing tensions, and the future of the region.
For those who cannot make the weekly seminars, the Fellows also plan to interact with the university community in other ways.
“Sometimes you’ll see them in classes, they’ll be moderating mock debates, and they’ll be around campus trying to get to know us as a community in whichever ways their schedule allows,” Green said.
According to second-year Fellows Ambassador Grace Hauck, the Fellows Ambassadors are hoping to organize additional events that draw on each Fellow’s particular abilities. She mentioned a possible collaboration between Stevens and Maroon T.V. or some film RSOs on campus because of his experience as a film and T.V. writer and media consultant.
The Fellows will also hold weekly office hours that students can sign up for at the IOP.
Editor’s Note: Grace Hauck is an arts editor for the Maroon.