Hop Talks

A room full of people attending a panel discussion

Hop Talks is a series that enhances the community’s understanding of complex political and social issues, develops participants’ ability to engage in constructive dialogue and discussion, and encourages participants to collaboratively develop strategies to address issues that are important to them, and consider how these issues may affect the campus community.

Program Structure

Each event features 1–3 experts who will present differing perspectives on pressing issues such as the 2024 presidential election, identifying and combating misinformation, gentrification in Baltimore City, and other political and social challenges. After the presentations, participants will engage in facilitated small group conversations to delve deeper into the topics at hand, share their views, and collaboratively strategize solutions.

Upcoming Sessions

Stay tuned for upcoming events!

Past Sessions

AI: Humans, Polarization, and Misinformation

In this Hop Talk, we had an engaging conversation with Dr. Ezekiel Dixon-Román, Professor of Critical Race, Media, and Educational Studies and Director of the Edmund W. Gordon Institute for Urban and Minority Education at Teachers College, Columbia University. He discussed how racism affects AI development and its implications for diversity and inclusion in higher education, particularly in this election season. Our other guest, Dr. Ziang Xiao, Assistant Professor at the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, addressed how AI contributes to political polarization and its effects on public discourse.

What is Project 2025?

This conversation focused on understanding the context behind the Project 2025 document. Special guests included Dr. Karsonya “Kaye” Wise Whitehead, Professor at Loyola University and radio host of Today with Dr. Kaye; Joel Payne, a CBS News political contributor; and Dr. Lester Spence, Political Science Professor at Johns Hopkins University.

Voter Suppression

In this Hop Talk, students watched clips from the 1619 Project on voter suppression and continued the conversation with Dr. Keneshia Grant, Associate Professor of Political Science at Howard University, and Lawrence Grandpré, Director of Research at Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle.

Learn about more Center for Social Concern programs.