Anthony Nownes, a political science professor at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been recently selected as the 2025 Wayne G. Basler Chair of Excellence. During his semester-long position, Nownes will lead a lecture series on American politics and teach political science classes.
This semester, Nownes teaches two courses: American Political Thought and Interest Groups. His lecture series kicked off on Feb. 17 with “Reflections from the 2024 Election.”
The lecture, inspired by the recent election and President’s Day, offered a political scientist’s perspective on the election and the core elements of both candidates’ campaigns. “What have we learned about the determinants of election outcomes, and how can we apply those insights to this election?” asked Nownes.
The next lecture in the series, “Where Does All the Money Come From? Campaign Finance in the USA and Why It Matters,” will take place on Friday, March 7, at 3 p.m. in the D.P. Culp Student Center Forum. “I’m going to talk about campaign finance in the United States because students seem quite curious about this,” Nownes said.
During this talk, Nownes will explore topics such as the origins of campaign funds, how organizations can both help and hurt candidates and the amount of money involved in the process.
The third lecture, “Are Interest Groups Good or Bad?” will be held on March 31 at 7 p.m. in Rogers-Stout Hall, Room 102. This lecture will discuss the influence of interest groups and the positive and negative effects they have on American politics.
The series will conclude with “Do Celebrities Matter in American Politics? The Impact of Celebrity Endorsements in Elections” on April 22, at 4 p.m. in Ball Hall, Room 127. Nownes, whose research focuses on the influence of celebrities in politics, shared that this lecture is particularly informed by his own findings. “Celebrities have always been active, but now they seem more active than others,” said Nownes. “Celebrities matter, and I think we’d be foolish to think that they don’t.”
All students are encouraged to attend the lectures and discuss the topics. Nownes’ experience at ETSU has been positive, with engaging class discussions and positive student interactions.
“I feel like students are engaged,” said Nownes. “I’ve been pleased with the response I’ve got so far.”
