Marcus Messner

Excited to be at the AEJMC conference in San Francisco this week. I am chairing the search committee for the next director of the Robertson School of Communication at VCU. Please contact me if you are attending the conference and want to learn more. wittkieffer.com/positions/20...

Excited to announce our new VCU CHS Minor in AI Studies in Humanities and Sciences! Click on the images in this thread to see a list of courses that will be offered during the Fall 2025 semester. You can also read a VCU News story about the minor:
news.vcu.edu/article/2025...

The course examines the history of American democracy, the role of institutions, civic participation, political polarization, media influence, and issues of representation. Students will assess the current state of democracy and areas of unity and division through readings and discussions.

VCU students can register for HUMS 291-002 (as well as cross-listed courses in the CHS majors AMST, ANTH, ENGL, GSWS, HIST, INTL, MASC, PHIL, POLI, RELS, SOCY, WRLD). There are no prerequisites for the courses and it is open to all majors at VCU.

As the US anticipates the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026, this special topics course brings together faculty experts from a variety of disciplines in the College of Humanities and Sciences to lecture on topics relating to democracy.

REGISTRATION NOW OPEN! Excited to offer our special topics course “US DEMOCRACY UNITED/DIVIDED” again in Fall 2025 with my colleagues Dr. Amy L. Rector and Dr. Krista Scott at the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences.

You can read a VCU News story about the course here: 
lnkd.in/eTR3iq2C

It was an honor speaking to students at VCU today about my time in Congress, the future of our Commonwealth, and democracy.

Thank you for being engaged in the future of our Commonwealth!

Excited that we will be offering the class again this fall for 200 students, which is made possible by the lectures of more than 30 of our faculty experts in the College of Humanities and Sciences.

Thanks to my colleagues Dr. Amy Rector and Dr. Krista Scott for their partnership in developing and running our class and our Dean Dr. Catherine Ingrassia Ingrassia for her unwavering support!

We had invited both Democrats and Republicans this semester and were grateful for the congresswoman’s time. I was honored to ask our students’ questions during the one-hour session in our STEM Building at VCU.

We had a special guest in our “U.S. Democracy United/Divided” class at the College of Humanities and Sciences today. Former U.S. Representative and candidate for Virginia governor Abigail Spanberger joined us to discuss her views on American democracy.

Congratulations to all of our 2025 faculty and staff award winners in the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences! #embracetheand

Explore the Ethics of AI! Future-proof your skills with this course to heighten your understanding of AI and its implications in the workplace. Beginning March 24, the online course, developed by VCU’s Department of Philosophy, will offer a toolbox of AI guidance. Register today! ocpe.vcu.edu/ai

How Germany’s enduring East-West divide is pushing voters to the fringes Thirty-five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the early euphoria of reunification, enduring economic inequalities between East and West have hollowed out support for Germany’s major parties – and pushed more and more voters to embrace the far…

How Germany’s enduring East-West divide is pushing voters to the fringes

German election 2025: First projections show Friedrich Merz’s conservative alliance (CDU and CSU) has come out on top, followed by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).

Head to our blog for live updates: www.politico.eu/article/germ...

For the many layers of American democracy, new course taps into the many layers of VCU faculty expertise Nearly three dozen specialists in the College of Humanities and Sciences are collectively teaching U.S Democracy United/Divided this semester – and organizers think the concept will evolve.

Honored to have VCU News feature our new “U.S. Democracy United/Divided” course and grateful to have the support from our more than 30 faculty experts in CHS who support this course with their lectures. It's very exciting every week to work with the almost 100 students in the course.

AP sues Trump officials after being barred from some White House events The lawsuit says First and Fifth Amendment rights were violated.

The Associated Press has sued Trump officials after being barred from some White House events.

We had a great turnout on Friday for our faculty mentoring session “Classroom Strategies to Promote Responsible Use of Generative AI” at the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences. It was great to see so many CHS faculty interested in this important discussion.