Democracy in Troubled Times is a campus-wide initiative led by faculty in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences in collaboration with the many sponsors and partners listed below. The initiative features a number of speakers and events focused on issues related to democracy in the U.S. 

This initiative aims to address the challenges democracy faces in the U.S. and elsewhere, examining both enduring struggles and new challenges. It combines opportunities to learn about the history, theory, and practice of democracy, reflect on old and new challenges facing democracy, and act to strengthen and enrich democratic politics.  

As a campus, we are a microcosm of the polarized national and international debates carrying out around us. Indeed, we are facing our own troubled times in striving to uphold the democratic ideals we hold dear as a university on open and critical dialogue, free speech, and the right to peaceful dissent.

We hope this series will contribute to the significant efforts already underway to address these issues across our campus. By shining a light on the challenges of democracy across different contexts, we hope to provide participants with resources to navigate in times of democratic contention.

SPONSORS & PARTNERS

Office of the Chancellor • Office of the Provost • Office of Equity and Inclusion • Student Affairs and Campus Life
College of Humanities and Fine Arts • College of Natural Sciences • Isenberg School of Management
Manning College of Information and Computer Science • UMass Libraries • Institute for Social Science Research
Community, Democracy, and Dialogue • UMass Faculty for Open Inquiry and Civil Dialogue • The Migration Working Group
Center for Justice, Law, and Societies

ORGANIZING COMMITTEE