Former Union political science professor Richard L. Fox returns to campus Wednesday, Oct. 7, to discuss his latest book, “Running From Office: Why Young Americans Are Turned Off to Politics.”
His talk, at 5 p.m. in the Nott Memorial, is free and open to the public.
Fox is a professor of political science and associate dean for undergraduate admissions at Bellarmine College of Liberal Arts, Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He co-wrote the book with Jennifer L. Lawless ’97, a professor of government at American University, where she is also the director of the Women and Politics Institute.
Drawing on extensive interviews and surveys of more than 4,000 college and high school students, the authors “find that young Americans feel completely alienated from contemporary politics and express little ambition or aspiration to run for office in the future. The overwhelming majority see nothing particularly noble about those currently in office, viewing most as dishonest, self-interested, and disinterested in helping their constituents.”
To read a review in the Washington Post, click here.
Before joining Loyola, Fox taught at Union in the 1990s. The author of several books, Fox and Lawless also co-wrote 2010’s “It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office.”
His work has appeared in such journals as Political Psychology, The Journal of Politics, American Journal of Political Science, Social Problems, PS and Politics and Gender. He has also contributed op-ed articles to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
A graduate of Claremont McKenna College, Fox earned his M.A. and Ph.D from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Fox’s talk is sponsored by the Political Science and Sociology Departments, and the American Studies Program.