About Pizza & Politics

Join us for great discussion and free pizza. Talk to nationally known experts, get your questions answered, and enjoy a personal size pizza from Arni’s.

These events are approved for the Civics Literacy Proficiency.

Become a Presenter

If you would like to present at this event, contact Cara Keyes, smit4800@purdue.edu

Civics Literacy Pathway

Pizza & Politics Hot Topics series is approved for the Civics Literacy Proficiency events pathway.

To learn more about the Civics Literacy Proficiency visit the Civics Literacy page.

Recent Topics

• Fall 2025
• NIL: House vs. NCAA
• Understanding Political Violence
• AI and the Public Trust Paradox

• SPRING 2025

• U.S. Supreme Court: Free Speech in the Digital Age
• Battleground States 2026: Key Governor and Senate Races
• Congress: The First 100 Days

• FALL 2024

• Echo Chambers and Radicalization
• Who’s Votes Count? Decoding the Electoral College
• Post Election Reflections Panel: What’s Next for the Nation?
•  

• SPRING 2024

• Dominating the Narrative in Elections
• Rise of AI-Powered Politics
• Clicks & Ballots: Social Media in U.S. Politics

• FALL 2023

• Gerrymandering & Elections: When Politicians Choose the Voters
• Weaponization of Information in Politics
• Divided States of America: Media and Politics

• SPRING 2023

• Ethics, Policies, and the AI Revolution
• Tech Policies and National Security
• Tech Diplomacy: A New Era of International Policies

• FALL 2022

• Race for the Midterms: State, Local, and National Races
• Beyond the Ballot: Voting and Redistricting in the Midterms
• The Money Behind the Midterms

Previous Guest Speakers

• Aashna Aggarwal
• Ph.D. candidate, Counseling Psychology
  Profile
• David Atkinson, Ph.D.
• Associate Professor, History, specializing in American foreign relations and migration; international history; American and British imperial history
  Profile
• Robert X Browning Ph.D.
• Professor, Political Science, Director of C-SPAN Archives, & Faculty Director of Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement
• Kathryn Brownell, Ph.D.
  Professor, History, specializing in U.S. Political History.
  Profile
• Michael Brzezinski
  Vice President, Global Partnerships and Programs
  Profile
• Craig Caplan
• Capital Hill Producer, C-SPAN
  Profile
• Virak Chan, Ph.D.
• Clinical Assistant Professor, Literacy and Language, specializing in language and education policies
  Profile
• Jesse Crosson, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor, Political Science and Co-Director of the Purdue Program on American Institutional Renewal (PAIR) 
  Profile
• Eric Dietz, Ph.D.
  Director, Purdue Homeland Security Institute and Professor, Computer and Information Technology
  Profile
• Fin Gomez
  Political Director, CBS News
  Profile
• Matthew Hannah, Ph.D.
  Professor, Political Science, specializing in digital humanities, media studies and political conspiracy
  Profile
• Jennifer Hoewe, Ph.D.
  Professor, Communication, specializing in political communication and media psychology
  Profile
• Dan Kelly, Ph.D.
  Professor, Philosophy, specializing in philosophy of mind and cognitive science, moral theory, and evolution.
  Profile
• Matthew Klein
• House and Governors Analyst, The Cook Political Report
• Profile
• Keith Krach
  Former U.S. Undersecretary of State and Chairman and Co-Founder, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue
  Profile
• Sheila Krumholz
  Executive Director, OpenSecrets
  Profile
• Dave Levinthal
  Deputy Washington Bureau Chief, Insider
  Profile
• David Maraniss
• Pulitzer Prize-winning author, journalist, and editor, The Washington Post
  Profile
• Anna Massoglia
  Editorial and Investigations Manager, OpenSecrets
  Profile
• James “Jay” McCann, Ph.D.
  Professor, Political Science, Fulbright Fellowship, specializing in American and comparative politics and public policy
  Profile
• JP Messina, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor, Philosophy, specializing in moral and political philosophy, the ethics of data science, the history of practical philosophy
  Profile
• Aaron Navarro
  Digital Politics Reporter, CBS News
  Profile
• Grace Panetta
  Senior Politics Reporter, Business Insider
  Profile
• Jon Pelson
  Author and Advisory Council Member, Krach Institute for Tech Diplomacy at Purdue
  Profile
• Yvonne Pitts, Ph.D.
  Associate Professor, History, specializing in U.S. History, U.S. legal and constitutional History, History of Sexuality
  Profile
• Neal Rothschild
  Editor and political data, Axios
  Profile

• Daniel Schiff, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor, Political Science, specializing in AI Policy and ethics
  Profile

• Kaylyn Jackson Schiff, Ph.D.
• Assistant Professor, Political Science, specializing in technology and local politics
  Profile
• Mychael Schnell
• Congressional Reporter, The Hill
• Profile
• Swati Srivastava, Ph.D.
  Associate Professor, Political Science, specializing in international relations and global politics of big tech
  Profile

• Phillip VanFossen, Ph.D.
  Professor and Interim Dean, Education
  Profile

• Eric Waltenburg, Ph.D.
  Professor, Political Science, specializing in American and comparative politics
  Profile
• Melissa Will, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor and Director of Undergraduate Studies, Political Science, specializing in foreign policy and intelligence
  Profile
• Scott Wong
  Senior Reporter, The Hill
  Profile
• Diana Zulli, Ph.D.
  Assistant Professor, Communication, specializing in political communication, digital technology and crisis communication
  Profile