Cornell’s Adult University hosting 2020 election seminar

Cornell’s Adult University (CAU) is hosting free and pay-to-view live online seminars open to the public this fall, beginning with “The 2020 Presidential Election – an Online Seminar,” Oct. 30 and 31 and Nov. 7.

Registration is open for all offerings at CAU, which is part of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions.

For the seven-session election seminar, faculty will discuss the politics and possible outcomes of the Trump and Biden campaigns. The discussions will feature four professors from the College of Arts and Sciences:

  • Glenn C. Altschuler, the Thomas and Dorothy Litwin Professor of American Studies in the Department of History;
  • David Bateman, associate professor of government;
  • Douglas Kriner, the Clinton Rossiter Professor in American Institutions in the Department of Government, and;
  • Noliwe Rooks, the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of Literature in the Africana Studies and Research Center.

The Oct. 30 and 31 seminars will include lectures on voting rights; the outlook for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives; political implications of the coronavirus; social justice issues; and what to look for on election night.

On Nov. 7, the panel will discuss election results and explore the outlook for 2021 and beyond; they also will host a post-election discussion panel for participating teens and adults interested in issues impacting youth.

The live and interactive seminar is $300 per household for all seven sessions. Register online here; deadline is Oct. 16.

On Nov. 16, CAU will present “Chinatown: The Citizen Kane of The ’70s Film,” at 2 p.m. EST. Jonathan Kirshner, the Stephen and Barbara Friedman Professor of International Political Economy Emeritus and author of “Hollywood’s Last Golden Age: Politics, Society and the Seventies Film in America,” will discuss the 1974 film, followed by a Q&A with participants. Participants are asked to view the film in advance.

Kirshner’s seminar is free and open to the public; register here.

CAU also offers more than a dozen free, prerecorded webinars that feature Cornell faculty addressing topics including climate change, natural history, the impact of COVID-19 and nutrition.

Shelley Preston is the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions’ communications and marketing specialist.

Media Contact

Rebecca Valli