Listeners in 85 countries heard Duke faculty members and student political leaders discuss Barack Obama's historic election Wednesday as part of "The World Today," the British Broadcasting Company's (BBC) signature world news program.
Chloe Hadjimatheou, BBC World Service producer, said the "Talking America Tour" stopped at Duke as a follow-up to its six-week, cross-country series portraying the mood in America during and after the campaign.
"We're interested in what this election means to the people of the southern states of America. We're making stops between Washington, D.C., and Birmingham, Ala. Duke University is our first stop on the final leg of the tour, and we're using your professors and students to paint a profile of the political landscape of the South."
Appearing on the broadcast were Duke political scientists Michael Munger, who ran for governor of North Carolina on the Libertarian ticket; Peter Feaver, who served as a special adviser for strategic planning in the Bush administration; and Kerry Haynie, whose areas of research include African American politics and legislative politics in North Carolina.
BBC presenter Max Pearson asked the faculty members whether Obama's election represents a new, changed America. They also discussed what Feaver termed the president-elect's "daunting to-do list."
Pearson also spoke with student leaders of two campus political groups: Ben Bergmann, who heads Duke Democrats, and Vikram Srinivasan, chair of Duke College Republicans.
Bergmann said student involvement in this year's election was extraordinary. "People have the perception that students are too busy concentrating on other things to get involved with politics," Bergmann said. "That's not been the case this year. Duke students put in hundreds of volunteer hours and organized lots of political events."
Srinivasan also said student interest was far greater than usual. "There's been a history of political apathy on campus, with students not getting engaged in the process," he said. "This election upset that perception. I think part of the change was the early-voting station on campus. This made voting much more accessible to students."
For audio of the program on the BBC World Service site, click here.