Askew Lecture Series
The Reubin O'D. Askew Department of Government presents the Askew Lecture Series.
Askew Lecture Series
The Askew Lecture Series is a downtown community talk on current political issues and public policy topics. The lecture honors the legacy of the late Governor of Florida, Reubin O’D. Askew, the department’s namesake. Governor Askew was known for tackling vital public policy issues of the day and as a champion of civic engagement in politics. Each lecture brings in a renowned scholar to discuss a contemporary topic with a member of the UWF faculty from the department.
April 1, 2024 | After Liberalism - Patrick J. Deneen
The UWF College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities and the Reubin O'D. Askew Department of Government recently hosted an installment of the Askew Lecture Series in conjunction with the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series with Professor Patrick J. Deneen speaking at the Museum of Commerce in downtown Pensacola.
The event was a huge success, with attendees from all walks of life engaging in a thought-provoking and timely discussion about the future of political theory. Professor Deneen, a renowned political commentator and author of Why Liberalism Failed and Regime Change, delivered a fascinating lecture on "After Liberalism." He criticized the current political theory that has been the backbone of the international order for the last 500 years and sparked a conversation about what could emerge to take its place.
This installment of the Experience UWF Downtown Lecture Series was sponsored by the College of Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities, the Reubin O’D. Askew Department of Government, the John C. Pace Symposium Series, the Askew Lecture Series, and the Panhandle Tiger Bay Club.
*The Askew Lecture Series is a downtown community talk on current political issues and public policy topics. The lecture honors the legacy of the late Governor of Florida, Reubin O’D. Askew, the department’s namesake. Governor Askew was a champion of civic engagement known for tackling vital public policy issues of the day.
Biased Coins, Cruises and Crashes: A Study of Elections in Four Countries
June 23, 2023, the department welcomed Distinguished University Professor Alfred G. Cuzán and two guest scholars to present "Biased Coins, Cruises and Crashes: A Study of Elections in Four Countries."
Using concepts from statistics (the normal curve), physics (exponential decay), and politology (cost of ruling), professors Alfred G. Cuzán and Richard J. Heggen developed models that approximate the results of 2,000 state or provincial elections in Australia, Canada, Germany, and the United States. Professors Cuzán and Heggen have a long history of unusual collaboration across two disciplines, political science and civil engineering, respectively. It began in the 1970s when they taught at universities in New Mexico, Heggen in Albuquerque, and Cuzán in Las Cruces. In nearly half a century, they have made original contributions to the study of socially efficient government, the Nicaraguan Revolution, and U.S. presidential elections (a subject in which professor C. Mike Bundrick of UWF also collaborated). In the last two years, Heggen and Cuzán have turned their attention to “the cost of ruling,” the loss of support that the political party in control of government incurs during its time in office.
During this talk, they presented partial results of these ongoing investigations. Professor Joseph Colomer of Georgetown University critiqued the presentation in light of his own work.