Benjamin Khouri

Read Dean John Geer and Mary Catherine Sullivan’s recent piece in the Washington Post about the Vanderbilt Unity Index. The new measure of national unity examines shifts over decades, and tells a better story than you might think. Read More

As the nation grapples with the continuing tragedy of mass shootings, Vanderbilt University and the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy hosted a live virtual panel discussion, “Facts and Evidence: Navigating the Gun Debate in America,” on Tuesday, June 7, 2022, at noon to discuss the issue of gun… Read More

Vanderbilt students were invited this spring to express how they feel about unity and democracy through a new poetry contest held by the Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy in partnership with the Department of English and Master of Fine Arts Creative Writing program. The theme was “what unity… Read More

Watch the Event Here The Vanderbilt Project on Unity and American Democracy will host “Democratic Erosion and How to Prevent It,” an online panel discussion on April 28 at noon. Vanderbilt political scientist Josh Clinton and Professor Susan Stokes of the University of Chicago will explore… Read More

Employing straw man arguments in political debates signals we are not taking an opposing point of view and their reasons seriously because we misrepresented them from the outset.” Vanderbilt University’s Scott Aikin details the faults of a straw man argument in our most recent Democracy Minute. About the author:… Read More

Service-learning’s role in promoting active citizenship and unifying a community By Billy O’Steen, Associate Professor of service-learning at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand “It was the first time I was happy to see a group of university students coming down my street,” said a… Read More

The Vanderbilt Project on Unity & American Democracy today announced the formation of a 26-member advisory board spanning multiple backgrounds and fields-from former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and biographer Walter Isaacson to Grammy-winning artists Faith Hill and Tim McGraw-that is committed to the Project’s mission to elevate facts and evidence-based… Read More

WATCH EVENT For the first time since former Tennessee Gov. Bill Haslam granted clemency to sex trafficking victim and convicted murderer Cyntoia Brown Long, the two will sit down together for an event at Vanderbilt University to discuss criminal justice reform. The event, “Reform for Redemption: Cyntoia Brown Long… Read More

Watch Here Issues of climate change and sustainability have often been associated with liberal causes and voices. But researchers agree that taking steps to alleviate damage to the environment will require bipartisan action-and partnerships with private enterprises that transcend politics. Professor Michael Vandenbergh, who holds the David Daniels… Read More

https://www.tennessean.com/story/opinion/columnists/david-plazas/2022/02/02/how-americans-can-talk-what-about-what-happened-capitol-jan-6/9214118002/… Read More