This Fall the nation will continue to confront the implications of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-COV-2) which leads to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).  This speaker series will feature experts in politics and policy who will describe the implications of COVID-19 on

• Why do states and localities differ in their responses to COVID-19?
• What role does intergovernmental relations play in the politics of this issue?
• How does media and information impact these political decisions?
• How should we evaluate the responses by governments and on what outcomes (public health, economics, etc.)?
• What impact will this have on economic growth, higher education, state and local finances?

This speaker series will be facilitated by Eric Stokan, Ph.D. (UMBC, Political Science) and will take place virtually on Mondays from 12-1 p.m.  Webex links for each session will be posted here as the dates approach.

Schedule of Speakers

• September 14th: Dr. Eric Stokan, Assistant Professor at UMBC and Dr. Zoe McLaren, Associate Professor at UMBC:  Laying the foundations for the series and describing what is known and unknown on COVID-19 at this point. 

Politics

• September 21st: Hon. Steven M. Bieda, Former State Rep and Senator from MI:  Describing the politics of state legislative decisionmaking regarding COVID-19 in an intergovernmental structure.
• September 28th: Dr. Christopher Goodman, Assistant Professor, Northern Illinois University:  Describing the intergovernmental dimensions of COVID-19 policies and particularly state pre-emption of local decisions.
• November 16th: Dr. Susan Serett, Professor & Director, UMBC & Dr. William Blake, Assistant Professor, UMBC:  Understanding the constitutional dimensions and ramifications of COVID-19.

Data and Decision-making

• October 5th: Dr. Aaron Deslatte, Assistant Professor, Indiana University (Virtual ahead of time and then will call in for Q&A): Understanding citizen and bureaucratic perspectives through experimental studies.
• October 19th: Dr. Nick Hart, President of the Data Foundation: Using survey data to better understand citizen perspectives and implications for citizens.

Policy Implications

• October 12th: Gregory Simmons, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, UMBC: Implications of COVID-19 on higher education: Industry, Athletics, and Entrepreneurship
• October 26th: Jeff Finkle, President and CEO of International Economic Development Council:  Understanding the economic implications and role of economic developers in stabilizing communities due to the public health crisis.
• November 9th:  Alison Ciborowski, President of Leading Age Maryland: Understanding the public health impacts on our aged population and what actions are being taken to help this vulnerable population.
• November 23rd:  Bill Wells, Senior VP Baltimore Housing: Understanding the implications that COVID-19 might have on housing within Baltimore City.
• December 7th:  Meredith Cohn, Reporter, Baltimore Sun: Understanding COVID-19 disparities and the role of journalism in informing our policy-making process around this issue.

The Dresher Center for the Humanities, the Center for Social Science Scholarship,and the Center for Innovation, Research, and Creativity in the Arts, invite CAHSS faculty and advanced graduate students to participate in Fall 2020 online research writing support groups.

Participants will gather virtually with others who are eager to advance their research-related writing (books, articles, dissertations, statements, grant proposals, book proposals, artist statements, etc.). Given the challenging events of 2020 thus far, many are struggling to find time and space to devote to research-related writing this fall.

These ongoing research writing support groups will help you make time for writing and reflection and find a group of like-minded writers who can help you keep the momentum going while creating accountability and building community! As one of our participants from this past summer’s research writing bootcamp shared, it is a “gentle, recurring tap that reminds me to turn to my research for a few hours every week.

The support groups will meet via WebEx weekly at a mutually convenient time for approximately an hour of small group, cohort-based discussion of the writing process and shared reflection on your own writing. Drop in or out as your schedule permits, but you must register in advance and commit to participating most weeks with your small group.

This final week, in our discussion with the Association of Black Artists on Maurice Berger’s Race Stories, ABA Secretary and visual artist, Justin Okpara, has reflected on “On the Streets of Harlem, a Sense of Erase and Replace.” In his response, Justin reflects on the education system’s role in gentrification and deliberate disregard of Black narratives in core curriculum courses, redlining and gentrification in Baltimore, and his role as an artist to address racial issues in his work.

Check out his reflection here: tinyurl.com/yyuzxwm9

We would like to thank the Association of Black Artists for furthering this conversation about race in art and we’re looking forward to seeing and supporting all they continue to do on campus!