Professor Mark Petracca

On January 21, 2009 the Libraries' Speaker Series will feature a timely talk by UCI's Mark Petracca on the 2008 presidential election and what we can discern from the results. Scheduled for the day after the presidential inauguration, Petracca's talk will also examine our new president's inaugural speech and what sort of prospects he'll have for success.

Professor Petracca is an expert on American governmental institutions and an astute observer of presidential politics. A prolific writer and commentator, he regularly publishes work in political journals, appears on television, and is a frequent contributor to the commentary pages of newspapers around the country.

Petracca is Associate Professor of Political Science and of Planning, Policy, and Design at UCI where he also serves as Chair of the Department of Political Science. He is the author of dozens of scholarly articles and books on a wide range of topics involving American politics, political theory, constitutional reform, and public policy.

Professor Petracca is an expert on American governmental institutions and an astute observer of presidential politics.

Beyond academic writing, Petracca is a frequent contributor in the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Dallas Morning News, Orange County Register, and Sacramento Bee (among many others) and wrote the "Man Bites Dogma" column for the OC Weekly. He is a regular panelist on KOCE's "Real Orange" and is a frequent guest on radio talk shows. He also provides election commentary on regional and national television, and lectures extensively to educational, business, civic, and political organizations.

The talk will begin at 5:30 p.m. in Langson Library, followed by a reception. Free and open to the public. For further information about the event or to make a reservation, please call the Library Development Office at 949.824.4651 or email partners@uci.edu.