A Nov. 13 event sponsored by the College of Arts and Sciences will feature reflections on the political and social context and consequences of the COVID epidemic.

“In COVID’s Wake: How Our Politics Failed Us,” features a keynote by Frances Lee, professor of politics and public affairs at Princeton University, who co-authored the bestselling book of the same name with fellow Princeton Professor Stephen Macedo. The book offers a comprehensive – and candid – political assessment of how U.S. institutions fared during the pandemic. Audience members will have the chance to ask questions after Lee’s talk.

The talk will take place from 5:30-7 p.m. in the Hollis E. Cornell Auditorium, Room 132, Goldwin Smith Hall. It will also be livestreamed as a keynote talk on eCornell.

“Frances’ important work explores what we collectively misjudged about COVID‑19 and, crucially, what lessons we should apply in the future,” said Peter John Loewen, the Harold Tanner Dean of Arts and Sciences. 

Lee is also the author of “Insecure Majorities: Congress and the Perpetual Campaign” (2016) and "Beyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship in the U.S. Senate" (2009). She is co-author of “The Limits of Party: Congress and Lawmaking in a Polarized Era” (2020), “Sizing Up the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation” (1999) and a textbook, “Congress and Its Members.”

Her research has appeared in the American Political Science Review, Perspectives on Politics, American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly and other outlets. In 2019 she was elected a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Lee’s visit will also include an afternoon workshop with faculty from Cornell and other universities, where scholars will share reflections and research related to the pandemic, particularly focusing on messaging and communications, closure policies and institutional responses.

“Five years down the road, this is an opportunity for scholars at Cornell and beyond to conduct a clear-eyed exam of what went well and what went wrong during the pandemic,” said Loewen, adding that he hopes the research arising from the day can be compiled for publication.

Kathy Hovis is a writer for the College of Arts and Sciences.