Ingrid Haas, professor in the Department of Political Science, will give the talk, "The Political Psychology of Uncertainty: Implications for Decision Making and Democracy," at 5:00 p.m. Nov. 4 in the Jackie Gaughan Multicultural Center's Ubuntu Room (Room 202).
The event is free and open to the public and will be livestreamed on Zoom. Register for the link. Her talk continues this academic year's CAS Inquire series, "Uncertainty."
Haas' work explores the implications of uncertainty for political cognition and decision making, examining outcomes like political tolerance and support for compromise, and considering implications of uncertainty for support of democratic norms more broadly. She also investigates the neural underpinnings of cognitive response to uncertainty and implications for political cognition. Her talk will give a psychological overview of uncertainty, discuss implications for social and political cognition, and think about implications for contemporary American democracy.
Ross Dixon, earth and atmospheric sciences, opened the series on Sept. 9, and Lisa Kort-Butler, sociology, continued the series Oct. 7. Two additional talks scheduled throughout the academic year will come from faculty members in modern languages and classics and religious studies, culminating in a panel discussion with the speakers in March 2026.
Students in the CAS Inquire program connect with college thought leaders and other inquisitive students to discuss ideas, using a college-wide series of public lectures as a focal point. The series launched in September of 2019, and themes have included the rise of the machines, finding common ground, and pain and pleasure. During the three-year program, CAS Inquire students take specialized courses, help with facilitating the program, and enjoy additional benefits. They can apply, or be nominated by faculty, for the program as freshmen.
