Congress to Campus 2021

5pm on Wednesday 17 March via Zoom

This one-hour event, organised with support from the US Embassy, London, brings two former Members of Congress – one Democrat, one Republican – to the Institute (via Zoom) to discuss American politics and government with school students studying A-Level or IB History and Politics. The former Members of Congress offer local school and university students insights into how American democracy works through sharing their real-life experiences as candidates and office holders. You can read about last year’s in-person event here.

This year’s speakers will be former Rep. Ben Chandler (Democrat-KY, 2004-2013) and former Rep. Ann Marie Buerkle (Republican-NY, 2011-13). The event will be introduced by Professor Adam Smith, Edward Orsborn Professor of US Politics & Political History and Director of the RAI, and chaired by Professor Robert Lieberman, Winant Visiting Professor of American Government, University of Oxford, and Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Political Science at Johns Hopkins University.

Please register here. The virtual format makes it possible to welcome all to this edition, although the event remains tailored to sixth-form and undergraduate students. Students can sign up individually for this event and watch from home after school – there is no need for this event to be supervised by a teacher.

Please submit questions from students in advance to comms@rai.ox.ac.uk and we will also be encouraging students to ask questions via the Q & A during the live event. Teachers - please let us know if there are any particular topics you want us to cover and we will do our best! We hope this event might be used as a homework task for Y12 and Y13 students and as a useful learning resource when it is posted after the event on our YouTube channel.