Where: Montgomery Community College (Rockville Campus) – Humanity Building (HU), Conference Room 009 (Get Directions, Campus Map )
Language: Farsi
Synopsis:
In this presentation, Dr. Hessami will discuss two basic questions regarding the presidential elections in the United States:
1- How do we choose our presidents here in America?
2-Why do we choose him/her this way?
No other country in the world chooses their head of government the way Americans do. This system is known as the Electoral College. Dr. Hessami will first discuss this electoral process and some of the history behind it. He will then discuss why we do use the simple majority of popular vote for this election. He will critically examine whether or not the Electoral College is democratic and whether or not there is a possibility of changing this system to the popular vote.
He will argue that the Electoral College is quite democratic and that it serves this country better than the alternative of popular vote; in addition, He will argue that the possibility of changing the current system to the simple popular vote is almost none.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Aram Hessami is a professor of Political Science and Philosophy at Montgomery College in Rockville Maryland. He is a native of Iran and immigrated to the United States in May of 1979. He received his BA, MA, and Doctorate in Political Science & Philosophy from The George Washington University in 1993. Dr. Hessami’s specialization is in Western Political Thought and Post-modern philosophy. His research and publications are focused on Democratic Transition, Discourse Theory and Social Change. He also has numerous published articles ranging from topics such as Iran’s Nuclear Discourse to Globalization and Social Change. He co-edited Contemporary Social Discourse in Iran. His papers and articles have been published and presented in various colleges and universities including University of Massachusetts, University of Boston, University of South Carolina, University of Maryland Baltimore County, Baltimore School of Law, and The George Washington University in topics such as “Power and Control: The Plight of Women in Iran,” “Federalism: The Ultimate Check on Usurpation of Power,” “The Public and the Private Spheres: The Limits of Government,” “Morality, Amorality, and Politics,” “You Can Tweet Your Way to a Revolution, but You Cannot Tweet to Democracy: Lessons From Egypt. Since September 2001, Dr. Hessami has been appearing in various media outlets such as CNN Radio affiliates WRNR, BBC Persian, Voice of America on weekly basis. Dr. Hessami is on the Board of Directors and a vice-president of Iranian Academic & Professional Association. He is also the Executive Director of the Institute for Advanced International Studies in Rockville, Maryland.
For this lecture: light food and refreshment will be provided
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