Drew alum, professor each tackle big topics
October 2020 – Hot-button topics were front and center in a series of virtual events last week at Drew University.
The presentations, both available below, were delivered by Julian Wamble C’11, assistant professor of political science at George Washington University, and Carlos Yordan, associate professor of international relations at Drew.
Drew’s Law, Justice and Society program hosted Wamble as part of the program’s Series of Conversations on Race and Justice, annual lectures focused on issues of race, justice, equality, and human dignity, inspired this year by the current racial justice movement and conversations initiated by Drew students over the summer.
In his talk, “The Identity Politics/Post-Racialism Paradox,” Wamble covered the current racial climate and movements in the U.S., the place race and identity hold in the political sphere, and determining who needs to change in order for the country to “move past” race.
The following evening, Yordan delivered a presentation of his own on the role of social media in politics today. In his talk, “What Donald Trump and Joe Biden’s Twitter Feeds Can Teach Us,” he covered how political candidates can utilize social media to change a conversation, set their preferred agenda, mobilize their coalitions, and raise money.
Focusing specifically on the disparities and strategies of the two 2020 presidential candidates, Yordan spoke about their composing their own Tweets, spreading misinformation through retweets and shares, and “using Twitter as a megaphone” for their messaging.
The Series of Conversations on Race and Justice event was cosponsored by the Dept. of Political Science and International Relations, the Ross Traphagen Distinguished Alumni Speaker Series Funds, the Black Students Union, and Roosevelt Institute. Prof. Yordan’s talk was presented by the Office of Alumni and Parent Communities.
