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Historic 2024 Election Sparks Campus Discussions

Any way you look at it, Election Day 2024 will go down as historic.

One of the most polarizing and closely divided contests for the White House ever, the race between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump has raised questions about campaign strategy, tactics and electoral trends that may change modern understanding of U.S. politics.

University of Utah faculty have been studying it all—from campaign ads to disinformation, calls to abolish the Electoral College and young voter behavior.

On Nov. 4, the Academic Senate adopted guidelines for faculty to follow when engaging in post-election discussions with their students.

“We are living in a highly polarized and divisive political environment. It is likely that students will have strong views and emotions surrounding the election, regardless of the outcome, and worries about what the election results portend for their future,” the letter from Senate leaders said. “No doubt, the election aftermath will offer many learning opportunities and as faculty we should be prepared to manage them appropriately and with civility and de-escalate any inappropriate conduct.”

University of Utah political science faculty also are speaking to local media, sharing their expertise about issues raised in the 2024 election, including:

Faculty Expertise

Other faculty election experts include:

In the days and weeks to come, their knowledge will be shared to explain how the 2024 election unfolded.

“There are ways to mitigate the existing political polarization. One way to do this is through civil discourse,” said Juliet Carlisle, professor in the Department of Political Science and the Environmental and Sustainability Studies Program. “Civil discourse builds civic trust, mutual respect and can provide an opportunity for folks to come together and find common ground on issues that are of public concern.”

Civil discourse is the practice of deliberating about political matters with an effort to expand knowledge, promote understanding in order to build civic trust and mutual respect, she said.

“An important component of civil discourse is subjecting our own beliefs to critique or criticism. This can cause people to feel threatened or attacked and uncomfortable,” Carlisle said. “It does not mean we silence folks who disagree with us. By not participating in this process and instead stifling or avoiding certain topics, we hurt our community and our democracy. Reasonable people can and should disagree. A strong democracy requires it."