CoursesThe Future of Conservatism and the GOP
PSCI 398-303

The Future of Conservatism and the GOP

This course — the first Penn in Washington course to be delivered on campus — will give students the opportunity to explore both the roots and the evolution of conservative thought by engaging with readings and directly with the prominent leaders on the right.

Instructor(s)
  • Deirdre Martinez
  • Evan McMullin
Semester

Fall 2021

Register
Fridays 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM

In addition to faculty, a range of guest speakers will be invited to join discussions. Students will explore their own political philosophy and compare and contrast this with the core principles of a principled conservative viewpoint, and may be surprised to find more commonalities than differences. Example assignments include the development of a platform for a reformed Republican Party or new party that rises on the right to challenge it. Students may also construct policy proposals on some of our most pressing problems using the conservative principles they study and develop. Acquiring cognitive empathy by engaging with thoughtful scholars and practitioners and developing solutions from a perspective that they might not share builds useful muscles, both for practical career purposes and for personal growth.

Example Syllabus [PDF]

Related Content

Other Courses of Interest

ENGL 0765 - 301

Podcasting

Instructor(s)

  • Chris Mustazza

Semester

Fall 2025

Podcasting has become one of the most popular ways of disseminating the voice, supplanting radio. It has even been a primary driver of the growth of music streaming services like Spotify. This creative-critical seminar situates the podcast historically, analyzes current instantiations of the genre, and teaches hands-on skills to create your own podcasts. The course also frames podcasts as a form of asynchronous dialogue that can be critically engaged with and utilized as a mechanism to comment on societal issues.

Learn More
ANTH 3100/ANTH5100

Middle Passages and Returns (NEW)

Instructor(s)

  • Deborah Thomas

Semester

Fall 2025

This course will engage students in questions of slavery, indentured labor, migration, and repair through the conceptual frameworks of middle passages and returns. We will collectively investigate the routes and roots through which and from which people have traveled back and forth between African, Asian, and American sites in order to ask complicated questions about travel, conscription, labor, spirituality, and self-narration. How do we think about the complex trajectories that brought Africans and Asians to the Americas?  How do we excavate lesser known inter- and intra-continental circulations? In what ways is return theoretically and methodologically im/possible? How has repair been envisioned?

Learn More