University of Richmond student Alafair Cutler, ’24, sits down with Jepson Leadership Forum speaker Alice Evans, senior lecturer at King’s College London and author of the forthcoming book "The Great Gender Divergence," prior to her Jepson Leadership Forum presentation "Ten Thousand Years of Patriarchy." 

The 2023-24 Jepson Leadership Forum focuses on "Masculinity in a Changing World." The last few decades have seen rapid changes in gender relations and norms—in the household, in the workforce, and in government.invites speakers to discuss masculinity in the context of these recent cultural changes. Specific topics include the role of hormones in gender identity and behavior, status competition and violence, challenges facing men as a result of the changing nature of the family and the economy, Black masculinity in the United States, and the past and future of patriarchy globally. 

Take 5 is a series of informal interviews with the scholars and experts who present as part of the lecture series. March 5, 2024

Take 5 with Alice Evans

The Gary L. McDowell Institute welcomes Danielle Allen, James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at Harvard Kennedy School's Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation, to the Jepson Leadership Forum for her presentation "Justice by Means of Democracy.”  

The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart? Join us as we search for answers to this and other questions.

This event was presented by the Jepson Leadership Forum, the Gary L. McDowell Institute, the Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, and the School of Arts and Sciences. 
September 12, 2024

Justice by Means of Democracy

The Jepson Leadership Forum presents Christopher Bail, professor of sociology, political science, and public policy at Duke University; associate of the Duke Initiative for Science and Society; and founding director of the Polarization Lab at Duke University, for a discussion on "Bridging Divides with Generative AI." Oct. 1, 2024

Bridging Divides with Generative AI

Jepson student Kate Chasin, ’26, sits down with Jepson Leadership Forum speaker Christopher Bail, professor of sociology, political science, and public policy at Duke University; associate of the Duke Initiative for Science and Society; and founding director of the Polarization Lab at Duke University, prior to his Jepson Leadership Forum presentation "Bridging Divides with Generative AI."

The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart? 

Take 5 is a series of informal interviews with the scholars and experts who present as part of the lecture series. Oct. 1, 2024

Take 5 with Christopher Bail

The Gary L. McDowell Institute at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies presents Barton Swaim, editorial page writer at The Wall Street Journal, for a discussion on "The Zero-Risk Society." November 13, 2024

The Zero-Risk Society

The Jepson Leadership Forum presents Eric Klinenberg, author and Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University, for a discussion on "How 2020 Shaped 2024." 

The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart? Nov. 19, 2024

How 2020 Shaped 2024

Jepson student Mariana Panariello, ’27, sits down with Jepson Leadership Forum speaker Eric Klinenberg, author and Helen Gould Shepard Professor of Social Science and director of the Institute for Public Knowledge at New York University, prior to his Jepson Leadership Forum presentation "How 2020 Shaped 2024."

The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart? 

Take 5 is a series of informal interviews with the scholars and experts who present as part of the lecture series. Nov. 19, 2024

Take 5 with Eric Klinenberg

The Jepson Leadership Forum presents Peter Bearman, founding director of the interdisciplinary institute Incite at Columbia University and Jonathan R. Cole Professor of Social Science at Columbia University, for a discussion on "Class, Status, and Party: Polarization Dynamics and Our Fragile Democratic Experiment." March 4, 2025

The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart?

Class, Status, and Party: Polarization Dynamics and Our Fragile Democratic Experiment

The Gary L. McDowell Institute at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies presents Brad Wilcox, professor of sociology at the University of Virginia, for a discussion on "Mammon or Marriage? How to Maximize Happiness in Life and Love." March 27, 2025

Mammon or Marriage? How to Maximize Happiness in Life and Love

The Jepson Leadership Forum presents education writer Natalie Wexler for her presentation "Curriculum Wars: Why K-12 Education Reflects Our Divisions and How It Can Help Us Overcome Them." Wexler is author of "The Knowledge Gap: The Hidden Cause of America's Broken Education System - And How to Fix It." April 15, 2025

The 2024-25 Jepson Leadership Forum invites scholars and experts to discuss how division and polarization affect American democracy. We will explore how and why divisions have manifested historically and currently in the United States, focusing on their impact on justice, education, politics, culture, technology, and class. Are division and the struggle to find common ground making us stronger or tearing us apart?

Curriculum Wars: Why K-12 Education Reflects Our Divisions and How It Can Help Us Overcome Them

As the nation’s first-ever undergraduate school of leadership studies, the Jepson School takes "leading the way" very seriously.

That’s why we educate tomorrow’s leaders with a world-class program, preparing them for positions that drive real change in their communities and the world.

Through a rigorous curriculum, opportunities for outside experience, and support that extends far beyond their time at Jepson, our students find a leadership journey unlike any other.

Recently named the "Jewel in the Crown" of the University of Richmond’s academics by College Gazette, the Jepson School of Leadership Studies investigates leadership not only as a position, but also as a process and a relationship among people.

Class, Status, and Party: Polarization Dynamics and Our Fragile Democratic Experiment

Jepson School of Leadership Studies

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