James Madison Center for Civic Engagement: Democracy Matters

David Trouille, an Associate Professor of Sociology at James Madison University, discusses his new book, Futbol in the Park: Immigrants, Soccer, and the Creation of Social Ties. Dr. Trouille's ethnographic research helps us understand the nuances and complexities of the Latino immigrant experience and the importance of vibrant public spaces where people can gather and strengthen social ties. See t...

In this episode, we talk with Jim Biddle who graduated from JMU's College of Business in 2005. After completing ROTC training and commissioning into the Army, he joined the National Guard and deployed twice to Iraq.

In this episode, we talk with Lieutenant Colonel Nick Swayne, who served in the Army for 26 years and deployed to Bosnia, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. In 2001, he assumed the role of leading James Madison University's ROTC program and was a professor of military science. Dr. Swayne is currently the director of JMU's X-Labs.

"I was shocked by the speed at which the Taliban was able to retake control...It makes me wonder about political and military decisions that have been made over the last 20 years...It's agonizing to hear about the human rights advocates, military interpreters and even American citizens who were left behind. I appreciate the band aid needed to be ripped off eventually...Did we know all along that t...

"There are many ways to serve our democracy. Get informed, get educated, do something that matters to you." In this episode, Major Robert Kennedy, who deployed to Iraq, Afghanistan and Kosovo, shares his experiences serving in the Army. MAJ Kennedy was recently assigned to the Army G-3/5/7, where he assesses Army Readiness.

For Constitution Day 2021 and to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the 26th Amendment to the United States Constitution, we talk with Carolyn Quilloin Coleman who started her activism work as a teenager protesting segregation in Savannah, Georgia. In April 1969, she organized the NAACP-sponsored Youth Mobilization conference in Washington, D.C. The gathering brought together 2,000 young people f...

Lt. Col. Dan Maurer, a JMU alum, Judge Advocate, an Assistant Professor of Law at U.S. Military Academy at Westpoint and a Fellow with the Modern War Institute, discusses September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the U.S. response to the terrorist attacks and consequences for military justice and civil-military relations.

Dr. Terri Rodzevik served in the United States Army Nurse Corps from 2004-2009 with two deployments to Iraq, including to Tikrit and Baghdad. She currently serves in the United States Public Health Service as a Supervisory Research Nurse Practitioner for the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Diabetes, Digestive, and Kidney Disease in Phoenix, AZ and as a Supervisory Nurse Practi...

"In an era of high geographic polarization and historically low ticket-splitting, meaning that people know well in advance of an election who they are going to vote for, redistricting and how the lines are drawn matters a great deal. It's almost existential for election outcomes," says redistricting expert David Wasserman, Senior Editor, U.S. House of Representatives for The Cook Political Report....

How did the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States impact the criminal legal system? What are the challenges of litigating national security and terrorism cases? How did 9/11 and subsequent national security and terrorism cases impact how the legal system treats citizens and non-citizens convicted of terrorism offenses? Is torture justified under any circumstances? How have nati...

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United states and explored the consequences of the U.S. response, the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and JMU X-Labs have parterened to share and highlight the contributions of James Madison University alumni who commissioned through the ROTC and served in the Global War on Terror. In this episode, Lie...

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 extremist terrorist attacks on the United States driven by Usama bin Ladin. In this episode, we talk with Dr. Philip Zelikow, who served as the executive director of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, better known as the "9/11 Commission." The Commission's landmark report was published in 2004 and prov...

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and explore the consequences of the U.S. response, the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and JMU X-Labs have partnered to share and highlight the contributions of James Madison University alumni who commissioned through the ROTC and served in the Global War on Terror. In this episode, Maril...

In this episode we talk with Dr. Jon A. Krosnick from Stanford University about how we can make elections more fair. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at https://j.mu/news/civic/2021/07-27-democracy-matters-episode-71.shtml

In this episode, Terry Kessler shares his experiences, including two tours of duty as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Terry attended James Madison University where he was commissioned through ROTC as a Medical Service Officer in 2003. He was also a member of the Virginia Army National Guard from 1997 to 2003. Terry is now working for the Department of Veteran Affairs at the Martinsburg, WV VAMC w...

In this episode, we talk with Steven R. Shapiro, the former Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, the nation's oldest and largest civil liberties organization, founded over a century ago in response to the massive suppression of freedom of speech and the press by the government during World War I. Mr. Shapiro shares his legal experiences and expertise regarding the consequences for...

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and explore the consequences of the U.S. response, the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and JMU X-Labs have partnered to share and highlight the contributions of James Madison University alumni who commissioned through the ROTC and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this episode, Dr. Mark...

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and explore the consequences of the U.S. response, the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and JMU X-Labs have partnered to share and highlight the contributions of James Madison University alumni who commissioned through the ROTC and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this episode, we talk w...

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and explore the consequences of the U.S. response, the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and JMU X-Labs have partnered to share and highlight the contributions of James Madison University alumni who commissioned through the ROTC and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this episode, Gregory S...

To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States and explore the consequences of the U.S. response, the James Madison Center for Civic Engagement and JMU X-Labs have partnered to share and highlight the contributions of James Madison University alumni who commissioned through the ROTC and served in Iraq and Afghanistan. In this episode, Major Mic...

In the wake of the Supreme Court's Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee ruling, we are left asking what is a usual or unusual burden to voting and which voting restrictions might be more or less vulnerable to legal challenge. We talk with Michael Burns, the National Director for Fair Elections Center's Campus Vote Project, about the history of voting rights and the implications of the Supreme...

In this episode, Diego F. Salinas, a JMU alum and our 20-21 Woodson Martin Democracy Fellow, reads his essay on E-Carceration and the Price of the American Dream.

Julio Rank Wright, Deputy Regional Director for Latin America at the International Rescue Committee (IRC), joins us to discuss the growing humanitarian crisis in northern Central America (El Salvador, Honduras, and Guatemala) that continues to force thousands of people to flee for safety in neighboring countries and the United States, and durable policy solutions to address the crisis. See the sho...

For World Refugee Day, we talk with Jana Mason, Senior External Relations Advisor at the Washington, D.C. office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR-the UN Refugee Agency) about the root causes of forced migration and the global refugee crisis, and what we can do to take action on important issues facing refugees. See the show notes with links mentioned in this episode at h...

Why do we have to run an obstacle course when we go to vote every two years in federal elections? How can Congress strengthen American democratic institutions and the right to vote by implementing new policies and procedures that will protect voting rights, limit corruption, expose "Dark Money" in politics, and make the political process more transparent? What can be done to address systemic disen...