The Monroe Group

Congress to Campus at the University of Reading
2019-03-08 14:00 - 16:00 (Europe/London) | Edith Morley G25, University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Reading
Congress To Campus
On Friday March 8th 2019, the Monroe Group, in conjunction with the US Embassy in London, as well as both the Rothermere American Institute and Eccles Centre for American Studies at the British Library, will be hosting Congress to Campus. The event will bring two former Members of Congress, Charles Boustany (R-Louisiana) and Donna Edwards (D-Maryland) to the University of Reading to talk all things American politics and government, sharing their real-life experiences as candidates and office holders.
Charles Boustany

Republican Congressman Charles Boustany served 12 years in the House of Representatives (2005-17), representing Louisiana’s 7th Congressional District, which later became Louisiana’s 3rd Congressional District. In Congress, Boustany served on the influential House Committee on Ways and Means, chairing the Subcommittees on Tax Policy, Oversight, and Human Resources, establishing himself as an expert and leader on tax, trade, health care, and entitlement policy. He successfully led the effort to increase funding for ports and waterways, passed several bills to benefit veterans, and co-authored and passed the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorisation Act of 2015 and the PROTECT Act, strengthening enforcement of US international trade laws. He also led efforts to pass trade promotion authority and helped to lift the ban on crude oil exports as well as expanding liquefied natural gas exports.
Donna Edwards

Donna F. Edwards is the first African-American woman to take part in the Congress to Campus scheme. From 2008 to 2017 she served as Democratic Representative for Maryland’s 4th Congressional District, defeating her 2008 Republican opponent with 85% of the vote and becoming the first woman to represent Maryland in the US Congress. During her time in office, Edwards served on the Committee on Science, Space and Technology, where she supported funding for NASA and pushed for increased federal funds to boost math and science and education. She also served on the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, where she supported mass transit legislation and projects to improve rail traffic in the Washington metropolitan area. Edwards earned a reputation as a leading progressive and passionate activist, working as a strong advocate for protecting women from domestic violence and passed an appropriations bill amendment guaranteeing after-school meals for low-income students.
Programme:
2-2.30: Mark Shanahan to speak on the co-edited publication ‘The Trump Presidency: from Campaign Trail to the World Stage’
2.30-4.00: Q&A session with the former congressmen
Location:
Edith Morley G25, University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus

Departmental Seminar by Dafydd
2019-02-06 16:00 - 19:00 | University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Reading
On Wednesday 6th February, our very own Dr Dafydd Townley will be giving a seminar as part of the University of Reading History Department’s Seminar Series. It is entitled ‘The Year of Intelligence: A History Lesson for Donald Trump’, and is based on his doctoral research, looking at how Trump could learn from Gerald Ford’s handling of the congressional investigations of 1975 into the US intelligence community.

Annual APG Colloquium - Eccles Centre, British Library
2018-11-09 10:30 - 17:00 | British Library
The annual APG colloquium is, this year, being held on Friday 9th November 2018 at the British Library. The day-long event is a good opportunity for academics, postgraduate students, researchers and teachers. International experts will discuss questions such as what’s current in US politics and what effect will Donald Trump’s presidency have on the mid-term elections?

Digital Book Launch
2018-10-08 08:00 - 2018-11-09 17:00 | The Monroe Group website
The Monroe Group’s new book, The Trump Presidency: From Campaign Trail to World Stage, edited by members Mara Oliva and Mark Shanahan, is now available and the digital book launch begins on Monday 8th October 2018. The launch will involve an exciting series of blogs by the contributors of the collection. Read more here.

Inaugural APG Postgraduate and Early Career Researcher Conference
2018-07-04 | University of Reading, Whiteknights Campus, Reading
The inaugural postgraduate and early career conference of the American Politics Group (APG) will take place at the University of Reading on 4th July, 2018. The theme of the conference, ‘The American Moment, Past, Present, and Future’ was chosen to encourage a diverse number of approaches to American politics. The conference was made possible by the generous funding of the Political Studies Association ‘Pushing the Boundaries’ initiative. The event will be hosted by the University of Reading’s Department of History and has attracted an international field of historians and political scientists whose research engages with the US democratic process.
The purpose of the conference is to provide an opportunity for postgraduate and early career researchers to share and gain feedback on their research in a friendly and supportive atmosphere. The day has been designed with the growing diverse postgraduate community of the APG at its centre, and the support of established APG scholars. Such intent is underlined by the deliberate absence of any keynote speaker. Instead, the conference will consist of three panels of speakers entitled ‘The Conservative Moment: Past, Present and Future’, ‘Domestic Concerns of US Politics’, and ‘US Foreign Policy and its Consequences’. The day will conclude with a roundtable discussion that will offer attendees advice intended to help further their careers. Themes engaged during the discussion will be grant awards, publications, and job applications.
Registration is available through the University of Reading website https://registration.venuereading.com/Registration/Welcome.aspx?e=93E09DF49AF8B0D5DB487F09B3303347 and closes on Monday 17th June. Please contact conference organiser, Dafydd Townley (d.townley@reading.ac.uk), with any queries.
