Meet your local City Council candidates!

This event has been postponed. Please stay tuned for a rescheduled date. We look forward to welcoming U.S. Rep. Jeff Jackson to Duke's campus!

Click here to register

Click here for the full agenda and registration. 

REGISTER The Polis Student Committee (PSC) is a community of undergraduate, graduate, and professional students at Duke University who share an interest in politics, democracy,… Continue Reading Polis Student Committee 2023 Kickoff

Does access to reliable news drive citizen engagement in our democracy? What role can clergy play in facilitating civil discourse and bridging the partisan divide?… Continue Reading Democracy In America: An Interdisciplinary Exploration Of How To Strengthen Democracy

Students and faculty at Duke University were invited to join a respectful conversation touching all sides of a challenging issue — specially selected by Duke students… Continue Reading Braver Angels Debate: Does QuadEx Strengthen Duke’s Campus Community?

From April 6-8, Professors Deondra Rose and Manoj Mohanan took students from PUBPOL 155 (Public Policy Analysis) and PUBPOL 301 (Political Analysis for Policymaking), as well as members of the Polis Student Committee, to… Continue Reading 2023 Washington D.C. Trip with PUBPOL 155 & 301

“Mayor Bibb’s enthusiasm for Cleveland and for U.S. cities generally was contagious. He reminded us future policymakers that local governments are essential in driving change… Continue Reading A Conversation with Justin M. Bibb, The Mayor of Cleveland

Students elected the first ever PSC Executive Board after hearing various candidate speeches for Graduate and Undergraduate Co-President, Vice President of Events and Membership, and… Continue Reading Polis Student Committee Executive Board Election

Polis hosted Duke Alumni guide J.J. Johnson (’88) of Fidelity Investments to meet with students across Sanford and Duke University including a class visit to Professor Deondra Rose’s PUBPOL301 class… Continue Reading Class Visit And Dinner With Polis Alumni Guide J.J. Johnson (Duke ’88)

Photos by Brittany Gabriel (MPP '24) Described as a "rising star" in politics, Mayor David Holt (R) is the youngest mayor that Oklahoma City has had in… Continue Reading Changing The Game: Politics, Policy, And 21st Century Leadership With Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt

Directly following a Duke faculty Midterm Election briefing, 6 Polis Student Committee (PSC) members were interviewed by international journalists through the organization of the State Department.… Continue Reading PSC Press Briefing on the 2022 Midterm Elections

Polis held a Midterm Election watch party (with pizza!) as results rolled in during the evening of November 8th. Students also submitted "ballots" for a… Continue Reading Polis Midterm Election Watch Party

In this "Fireside" chat, the audience will engage with Rev. Peter Storey on the ethical frameworks that challenge the legal normalization and the dominant social… Continue Reading Gathering Power and a Counter-Narrative: Rebutting the Normalization of Racialized Injustice

Rosa Golchin (Trinity '24) is majoring in Political Science and Biology. She enjoys studying energy and environmental policy and hopes to work in shaping energy… Continue Reading PSC Dinner & Discussion: NC Midterm Election

Few decisions are more important—and few expenses more significant—than the ones we face concerning our health. How much should the government be involved in providing… Continue Reading Discourse for Democracy: Discussing our Health

On October 28th, the North Carolina Young People's Voting Alliance and Duke Votes teamed up to host a Duke Democracy Day to motivate students to vote in the upcoming… Continue Reading Democracy Day: State of Democracy Discussion with Michael Steele

Inflation, taxes, unemployment, supply chain: economic concerns affect everyone. What factors push and pull the drivers of our economy? Are we still experiencing economic effects… Continue Reading Discourse For Democracy: Discussing Our Pocketbooks

On October 13th, Polis kicked-off the inaugural Polis Student Committee with ice breakers and trivia. PSC members are students all across Duke University with an… Continue Reading Polis Student Committee Kick-Off

Are you wondering how Gen Z will influence the upcoming election cycles? Meet one of America’s premier thought leaders on Gen Z and the role… Continue Reading Gen Z and the Politics of 2022 and 2024: An Evening with John Della Volpe

What are fair and equitable ways for the nation to place limits on itself, its members, and outside actors? Managing immigration and our borders. Setting… Continue Reading Discourse for Democracy: Discussing our Boundaries

Title IX changed the face of higher education. It remediated the exclusion of education from the earlier Civil Rights Act and made sex discrimination in education… Continue Reading Title IX @ 50: Talking About Gender Equity

Who in America can reliably expect the right to vote? From the earliest days of our nation, the right to vote has been upheld as… Continue Reading Discourse for Democracy: Discussing our Right to Vote

This event brought together leading social justice and civil rights scholars to discuss the intersection of voting, civil disobedience, and environmental justice. Included were civil… Continue Reading Casting your Ballot for Environmental Justice

Anita Dunn, partner and founding member of SKDK, will join Prof. Bill Adair's Lying in Politics class. One of the nation's premier communications and political strategists,… Continue Reading A Conversation with Anita Dunn

On April 6th, students debated the question: “Should college campuses disinvite speakers whose ideas can be construed as “cancellable?” The debate was sponsored by Polis:… Continue Reading Braver Angels Debate: Should College Campuses Disinvite Speakers Whose Ideas Can Be Construed as “Cancellable”

Polis and DUU hosted an American politics-themed trivia night at the Devil’s Krafthouse on Thursday, March 31st.

Fostering economic development and revitalization in rural communities represents one of the most important challenges facing North Carolina and the nation. Scholars, practitioners, and advocates… Continue Reading Politics, Policy, And A New Economic Strategy For Rural North Carolina

From March 21st-22nd, the Duke Sexual and Gender Minority Health Program is hosting the virtual 2022 Sexual and Gender Minority Health Symposium. Experts from around… Continue Reading 2022 Sexual and Gender Minority Health Symposium: Transgender Policies, Care Practices, and Wellbeing

Join the conversation about empowering diverse leaders with John Rice, Founder and CEO of Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT), and Professor Deondra Rose, for this… Continue Reading Leveling Up Leadership: Building Diverse Leaders Today for Tomorrow

Polis hosted former U.S. Congressman Bob Inglis (Duke ’81) to discuss domestic political challenges, the effects of political polarity, and steps to address current problems… Continue Reading Bob Inglis: Conservatives and Climate Change

Please join Harvard Professor Michael J. Sandel for a conversation with Duke faculty on his award-winning book The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good? Professor Sandel will be… Continue Reading The Tyranny of Merit: What’s Become of the Common Good?

Showcasing the importance of young political leaders for democracy, Polis welcomed Anjali Boyd, Bettina Umstead, and Nida Allam to speak on the importance of youth… Continue Reading Discourse for Democracy: Local Politics & Democracy

Join fellow Duke students, Professor Deondra Rose, and Polis Director’s Fellows for burritos and a guided conversation about recent elections, political discourse at Duke, and… Continue Reading Discourse over Dinner: Chipotle Chat

Join the Unify Challenge! It’s a guided video conversation that you’ll take with another American who may vote differently than you or be different than… Continue Reading Unify Challenge

Join Polis for a fireside chat with Durham Mayor Steve Schewel (Duke '73) as he prepares to transition out of the role of mayor. We will… Continue Reading Discourse for Democracy: Mayor Steve Schewel

Join us as we kick off Polis's theme for this academic year, Discourse for Democracy, with a panel of experts and innovators who are striving to bridge… Continue Reading Discourse for Democracy

The next decennial redistricting cycle, which is already underway in North Carolina and other states, will have profound implications for the course of our nation… Continue Reading Redistricting And American Democracy

Stanley Litow, visiting professor of the practice in the Sanford School of Public Policy, will discuss his new book, “Breaking Barriers: How P-Tech Schools Create… Continue Reading Breaking Barriers Book Discussion

Join Polis and the Duke Space Initiative (DSI) in a kick-off event highlighting interdisciplinary perspectives, resources, and opportunities on outer space at Duke. Ritika Saligram,… Continue Reading Perspectives on Space: Introducing the Duke Space Initiative