Instructor: Evan Smith
This course focused on the 2024 election cycle — both the primaries (the first half of the semester) and the general election (the second half). Each class was built around the central ideas of the moment in politics as well as the handful of issues atop of the campaign season's agenda.
Big-name guests visited the class each week, in person and virtually, to discuss what's really going on: in races and in parties, in the halls of government, from one end of the state to the other, and along the treacherous path from Texas to D.C. This class put students in the intimate company of some of the most powerful and celebrated figures in politics and policy.
Spring 2024 Speakers
Jane Bland, Texas Supreme Court Justice
Joaquin Castro, U.S. Representative (D-San Antonio)
Victoria Neave Criado, State Representative (D-Dallas)
Sarah Eckhardt, State Senator (D-Austin)
Josè Garza, Travis County District Attorney
Craig Goldman, State Representative (R-Fort Worth)
Tony Gonzales, U.S. Representative (R-San Antonio)
Roland Gutierrez, State Senator (D-San Antonio)
Brian Harrison, State Representative (R-Midlothian)
Julie Johnson, State Representative (D-Farmer's Branch)
Jeff Leach, State Representative (R-Plano)
Michael McCaul, U.S. Representative (R-Austin)
Mike Morath, Texas Commissioner on Education