Preserving Democracy

Penn State has experts in political science, communications and social sciences who can examine democracy from multiple angles, including the impact of misinformation and the erosion of trust in news media and other institutions. ​Our faculty have extensive experience speaking with the media on a variety of topics related to democracy and the factors that erode or make it stronger.

  • Matthew Jordan

    Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Film Production and Media Studies

    Journalism & Media, Digital Media Technologies

  • Christopher Beem

    Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy

    Politics & Policy

  • Bradford Vivian

    Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences

    Politics & Policy

  • Joseph Wright

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    Politics & Policy

  • Ray Block

    Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies

    Civil Rights, Politics & Policy, Digital Media Technologies

  • Boaz Dvir

    Journalism & Media, Civil Rights, Education

Americans on both sides of the aisle say the U.S. is at risk of losing its democracy depending on who wins the 2024 presidential election, according to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The erosion of trust in institutions, including the media, elections and rule of law, has contributed what Gallup found is a record-low percentage of U.S. adults who are satisfied with democracy.

  • Faculty in the McCourtney Institute for Democracy research issues of rhetorical education, democratic deliberation and forms of dissent and investigate questions of democratic governance and public policy.
  • As part of its Land-Grant mission, Penn State launched its News Literacy Initiative to teach strategies to students and citizens to help them distinguish news from misinformation.
  • Penn State experts can speak on topics such as how dictatorships are formed, how humor and satire can be used to topple dictatorships, free speech, rhetoric and misinformation.
Matthew Jordan

Matthew Jordan

Associate Professor and Head of the Department of Film Production and Media Studies,
Director, News Literacy Initiative

Expertise:

  • Journalism & Media
  • Digital Media Technologies

Focus Areas:

  • Fake News
  • News Literacy
  • Media Studies

Contact Matthew Jordan with questions about: Misinformation, news literacy and what that means for democracy

Christopher Beem

Christopher Beem

Managing Director of the McCourtney Institute for Democracy

Expertise

  • Politics & Policy

Focus Areas:

  • Politics
  • American Politics
  • Elections
  • Democracy

Contact Christopher Beem with questions about: The state of U.S. democracy and democratic virtues

Bradford Vivian

Bradford Vivian

Professor of Communication Arts and Sciences,
Director of the Center for Democratic Deliberation in Penn State's McCourtney Institute for Democracy

Expertise:

  • Politics & Policy

Focus Areas:

  • Politics
  • American Politics
  • Ethics Education
  • Historical Commemoration
  • Campus Free Speech

Contact Bradford Vivian with questions about: how holidays shape public memory; rhetoric and public memory; rhetoric and political theory.

Expertise

  • Politics & Policy

Focus Areas:

  • Comparative Politics
  • Dictatorships

Contact Joseph Wright with questions about: Dictatorships and the conditions that lead to rise and fall of autocratic regimes.

Ray Block

Ray Block

Associate Professor of Political Science and African American Studies

Expertise:

  • Civil Rights
  • Politics & Policy
  • Digital Media Technologies

Focus Areas:

  • Politics
  • Social Justice Movements
  • Diversity
  • American Politics
  • Elections
  • Voting Behavior
  • Misinformation and Disinformation

Contact Ray Block with questions about: racial and ethnic group politics, voting behavior, and public opinion.

Expertise

  • Journalism & Media
  • Civil Rights
  • Education
  • Politics & Policy

Focus Areas:

  • Racism
  • Social Justice Movements
  • Diversity
  • Education Policy
  • Middle East
  • Documentary Filmmaking
  • Ethics in Filmmaking

Contact Boaz Dvir with questions about: storytelling and teaching difficult topics.

Need help finding an expert?

Penn State expertise spans far beyond those that we have currently featured on the site. Call us at 814-865-7517 or contact a member of the media relations staff

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