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Lecture & Discussion

Prof. William Chandler, UCSD
“The Race to the White House: Candidates, Platforms, Campaigns, and Swing States”
October 25, 2012 ▪ 10:30-12:00h ▪ Großer Vortragsraum, ULB

Presented by Anglistik II & The Americas - Las Américas - Les Amériques, in cooperation with the U.S. Consulate General, Düsseldorf.

In the final rounds of the 2012 US Presidential Campaigns, media reports leave us with a puzzling picture: National polls vary from predicting a near tie between both candidates to forecasting a landslide Obama win. Romney and Obama promise to stand for a clear-cut choice between two vastly different ideologies, yet many Americans in both camps seem to see their candidate merely as a rather unconvincing “lesser evil.”
What are the chances of an Obama or Romney victory? How much do their platforms really differ, and what would either candidate mean for the future of American politics? Join us for a discussion with political analyst William Chandler!

William M. Chandler is Professor of Political Science at the University of California, San Diego. His research has concentrated on the study of political parties, federalism and public policy. Publications include Public Policy and Provincial Politics, Federalism and the Role of the State and Challenges to Federalism: Policy-Making in Canada and West Germany, plus journal articles and book chapters on party government, party system change, European integration and immigration policy.

Welcome: Prof. Dr. Susan Winnett, Ang II - North American Studies

Organization & contact: Nadine Milde (Assistant prof. American Studies / The Americas coordinator). For further information, please contact: americasphil.hhude

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Lecture & Panel Discussion

"Beyond Borders, Out of Bounds?- The Mexican/American Drug War"

with U.S. Consul Whitney Wiedeman and Prof. Tanius Karam Cárdenas

Thursday July 5, 2012 • 14:15 h
Großer Vortragsraum • University Library • HHU Düsseldorf

Narco-trafficking, drug cartel violence, and violent counter-raids are some of the most pressing problems in Mexico today. But the so-called “Mexican Drug War” transcends Mexico’s borders: With weapons imported from the USA to Mexico and drugs exported from Mexico to the USA, the “Mexican” drug war is in reality a trans-American problem with increasingly global ramifications.
This lecture & panel debate addresses the Mexican / American drug war from a transnational and trans-disciplinary perspective, providing an introduction to its history & a discussion of the drug war’s role in current politics, its representation in the media, and the impact of discursive constructions of drug violence on potential solutions.

Featuring:
•    Introduction to background facts & dates: Lena Pletzinger & Isabelle Hauzeur, Master students, MA program The Americas.
•    “Insecurity and Violence in Contemporary Mexico: Understanding Some Features” – Prof. Tanius Karam Cárdenas, Literature, Media, and Cultural Studies; UACM, Mexico City.
•    Panel discussion with Prof. Karam Cárdenas and Consul Whitney Wiedeman,
Deputy Consul General, Head of Political and Economic Section, U.S. Consulate General NRW Düsseldorf; former consular officer in Ciudad Juárez.

Chair & organization:

Nadine Milde (Assistant prof. American Studies / The Americas coordinator)

For further information, please contact: americas@phil.hhu.de

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