2008: A groundbreaking election

A symposium on the presidential election and the major issues of the 2008 campaign will feature CLAS faculty, Connecticut reporters and editors, and questions and comments from the audience.

The Presidential Election Symposium on Monday, Oct. 20 will be held at Konover Auditorium from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The public is welcome and invited to ask questions from the audience.

Four discussion panels will cover: 1) foreign policy, 2) race, gender, and age in politics, 3) The media's fairness and bias in campaign coverage, and 4) public opinion, polls, and emerging voting blocs.

Two public opinion polls will be released at 1 p.m. at the symposium. The Center for Survey Research and Analysis in the political science department in CLAS is conducting polls on UConn undergraduates' pick for president and what issues are important to them and on how Fairfield County residents are leaning in the 4 th Congressional District race between Chris Shays and Jim Himes.

Political science, history, journalism, and sociology professors will participate in the four panels, along with Connecticut journalists and former 2 nd District U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons.

Student representatives of the UConn College Republicans and College Democrats also will participate in a panel moderated by John Dankosky of WNPR.

The panel schedule is:
9 a.m., Foreign policy
10:10 a.m., The groundbreaking election (race, gender, age)
11:15 a.m.,The media (fairness and bias)
1 p.m., Release of polls
1:30 p.m., Public opinion and the electorate
2:30 p.m., Wrap-up