UD Biden School’s SNF Ithaca Initiative will host Robert Putnam for a special discussion on social capital and community engagement from 4:30-6:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 26, at the Trabant Theater. Putnam’s presentation will be followed by a moderated conversation with Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Chair of Civil Discourse and Director of the SNF Ithaca Initiative Timothy J. Shaffer.

“It is a real honor for the University of Delaware to welcome Robert Putnam to campus as an SNF Ithaca Visiting Fellow,” Shaffer said. “From Making Democracy Work, Bowling Alone, and most recently The Upswing, Putnam has helped so many understand the importance of social capital and the role relationships play in building robust community life. If we want to find a way out of our deeply polarized and disconnected civic life, Putnam is a helpful guide through the dark.”

Raised in a small town in the Midwest and educated at Swarthmore, Oxford and Yale, Putnam previously served as dean of the Kennedy School of Government. The London Sunday Times has called him “the most influential academic in the world today.”

Join or Die, a documentary based on Putnam’s research, will be screened for the University community at 4:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 19, at the Trabant Theater, a week before his campus visit.

Residents of Sussex County can attend a screening of Join or Die at the Cinema Art Theater in Lewes on Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 2:30 p.m., organized by the Delaware Community Foundation.

Join or Die is a film about why you should join a club — and why the fate of America depends on it. This feature documentary follows the half-century story of America's civic unraveling through the journey of legendary social scientist Putnam, whose groundbreaking Bowling Alone research into America's decades-long decline in community connections could hold the answers to our democracy's present crisis. Flanked by influential fans and scholars — from Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg and Surgeon General Vivek Murthy to Eddie Glaude Jr., Raj Chetty, and Priya Parker — as well as inspiring groups building community in neighborhoods across the country, join Putnam as he explores three urgent civic questions: What makes democracy work? Why is American democracy in crisis? And, most importantly... What can we do about it?

Registration for all events is free. Pre-registration is encouraged.

About the SNF Ithaca Initiative

SNF Ithaca, an initiative of the University of Delaware's Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy & Administration, seeks to advance democracy by equipping students with the civil discourse and civic engagement skills necessary to navigate the mediated public square. Supported by the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF), SNF Ithaca is named after the home of Odysseus — one of Greek mythology's greatest heroes. For Odysseus, Ithaca represents not only the beginning of a journey but the ultimate destination. Likewise, the SNF Ithaca Initiative serves as both the beginning of the Biden School students' journey toward becoming engaged and effective citizens and as the ultimate destination for students across the country to come together and develop the civil civic engagement skills that will strengthen our democracy.

About the UD Biden School

Established in 1961 and named in 2018 for the University of Delaware’s most distinguished alumnus, the 46th president of the United States, the Joseph R. Biden, Jr. School of Public Policy and Administration prepares students with the knowledge and skills necessary to engage in research and public service activities to improve the quality of life in communities around the world. The Biden School’s faculty, staff, students and alumni create and use interdisciplinary, nonpartisan research, and empirically based analysis to inform effective decision-making and policy and to improve leadership and administration. The Biden School partners with organizations from all sectors to discover innovative and equitable solutions to the critical challenges of our time.

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