MEDIA RELEASE

CSUN Professors to Tackle Issues Surrounding the Presidential Election

(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., April 24, 2008) — Faculty from Cal State Northridge’s Department of Political Science will tackle the issues surrounding this year’s presidential race next week in the first of a series of panel discussions planned between now and the general election in November.

The first panel will take place from 2 to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, in the Whitsett Room (room 451) of Sierra Hall on the west side of the campus located at 18111 Nordhoff St. in Northridge.

"This is just the first of a series of discussions that will provide a detailed analysis of the 2008 election cycle, including both procedural components of how the different state primaries impact the eventual selection of the next president of the United States as well as how the election outcome affects issues critical to the nation and our region," said Matthew A. Cahn, chair of the Department of Political Science.

Tuesday’s panel will be divided into two sessions, with open discussions following each session. All the panelists are political science professors at Cal State Northridge.

The first session will feature Lawrence Becker, an expert on American political institutions and author of "Doing the Right Thing: Collective Action and Procedural Choice in the New Legislative Process," who will talk about "Mapping the Election: Where are We Today?" Christopher Shortell, who specializes in Constitutional law and is the author of "The Presidency and the Law: The Clinton Legacy," will talk about "Florida and Michigan: What Will Happen?" Sylvia Snowiss, a Constitutional law specialist and author of "The Legacy of Justice Black," will talk about "Culture, the Economy and the Courts," and Martin Saiz, an expert on urban politics and local political parties, will talk about "The Latina(o) Vote."

The second session is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. and will feature Jane Bayes, director of CSUN’s Institute of Gender, Globalization and Democracy, who will talk about "Gender and Race in the Election." John Evans, an expert in public law and political theory, will talk about "Religion and the Election," and Kristy Michaud, an expert on public opinion and environmental policy, will talk about "The Election and the Environment."

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact CSUN’s Department of Political Science at (818) 677-3488.