Polis: Center for Politics is committed to increasing our understanding of politics locally, nationally, and globally.
We aim to promote powerful politics research, to foster rich political discourse, and to help a new generation of leaders find on-ramps to public service.
Projects & Programs
The Civil Discourse Project
The Civil Discourse Project (CDP) sponsors courses, events, and scholarship that promote civil discourse through modeling or teaching the capacities and virtues necessary to engage in healthy exchange across difference. At CDP, we aim to create, both inside and outside the classroom, intellectually diverse communities of friends who will both support and challenge each other in a collective pursuit of truth and knowledge—enabling all to become better thinkers, people, community members, citizens, and leaders. We maintain that such community requires freedom of thought, inquiry, and expression for faculty and students alike.
Polis Distinguished Fellows
The Polis Distinguished Fellows Program honors extraordinary leadership in politics and public service. Fellows are prominent figures who bring expertise and experience from their roles as practitioners in politics and governance, campaigns, activism, journalism, media, etc.
The AY25-26 Polis Distinguished Fellows are John Hillen, former US Assistant Secretary of State; Michael S. Regan, 16th Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and Danny Werfel, former Commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
The Polis Student Committee
The Polis Student Committee (PSC) is a community of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at Duke University who share an interest in politics, democracy, and public service. The PSC aims to promote greater understanding of—and engagement with—politics at the local, state, national, and global levels. PSC members are official members of the Polis community who participate in the center’s events and activities, gain access to special perks and unique opportunities, and play a valuable role in helping to shape Polis’s programs.
Project Citizen
Polis: Center for Politics serves as the Campus Partner for Project Citizen, an Experiential Orientation program designed to give students the skills to be informed, active, and compassionate citizens within Duke campus and our local, national, and global communities.
|
250 Years of American Enterprise
July 3, 2026
The most revealing measure of U.S. competitive power isn’t found in military operations against Iran or a looming $1.5 trillion defense budget. It’s in our private economy. SpaceX closed with a market cap larger than the gross domestic product of most nations on June 12, its first day of public trading. In the prior two weeks, Anthropic and OpenAI filed to go public, both chasing $1 trillion valuations.
The Military and the Republic: What America’s Armed Forces Can—and Cannot—Do for Democracy
July 3, 2026
Celebrations of America’s founding and reflections on its ideals often overlook the central role of civil-military relations. This is a mistake. In the Declaration of Independence, a chief complaint was that King George III “affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.” George Washington himself worried about this abuse of power and went to great pains to avoid it in his own career.
Deondra Rose on How Education Can Save Democracy
July 1, 2026
In this conversation, Sanford School of Public Policy professor Deondra Rose reflects on the power of education and why learning to engage across differences is essential for the next generation of leaders. Drawing from her own journey, Rose shares how educators and families can help students develop the skills needed to make a meaningful impact.
The Polis Team
Learn more about the Polis leadership team
Polis Student Committee
Your one-stop shop for student opportunities
Research
Cutting-edge research on the politics of public policy
Duke Votes
Promoting student voter participation
Sign Up For Our Newsletter
to receive the latest news from Polis