CCPS Barbara Sinclair Lecture featuring Vanderbilt University Political Science Professor Alan Wiseman

On November 10 at 6:00 pm, Vanderbilt Political Science Professor Alan Wiseman will deliver the 2026 Barbara Sinclair lecture, an annual event honoring the late political scientist who was a renowned expert on Congress. Professor Wiseman will deliver a talk entitled "Effective Lawmaking in a Polarized Congress."

Wiseman's research agenda addresses the impact of political institutions on political actors' behavior and strategies, focusing substantively on legislative, electoral, and bureaucratic and regulatory politics in the U.S.

Featured Speaker:

Professor Alan Wiseman is the Cornelius Vanderbilt Professor of Political Economy; Associate Provost of Strategic Projects, and Professor of Political Science and Law at Vanderbilt University. Professor Wiseman has research and teaching interests in American political institutions and positive political economy, focusing on legislative politics, regulation and bureaucratic policymaking, and business-government relations. He is the author of The Internet Economy: Access, Taxes, and Market Structure (Brookings Institution Press, 2001), and Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress: The Lawmakers (2014, Cambridge University Press; coauthored with Craig Volden); and he has published research in journals including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly and the Journal of Theoretical Politics. His current projects focus on the causes and consequences of legislative effectiveness in the United States Congress and other American state legislatures.

He is co-director of the Center for Effective Lawmaking: www.thelawmakers.org.

Know Before You Go:

Driving:

The American University main campus only has one address: 4400 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016. American University’s main campus is positioned at Ward Circle where Massachusetts and Nebraska Avenues in northwest Washington, DC intersect.

Parking:

American University offers flexible parking options for individuals who do not hold a parking permit. Pay-As-You-Go parking is available in hourly or daily increments ($2/hour, or $16/day). Parking is available in the Katzen Arts Center garage, the School of International Service garage, and the east campus parking lot.

The Katzen Arts Center is located on Massachusetts Avenue NW across from our main campus. When you arrive at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue NW and Glover Gate (main entrance to the AU campus), turn into the Katzen parking facility, and proceed to level P2.
The second garage is underneath the School of International Service (SIS). This facility is located at the intersection of Nebraska and New Mexico Avenues NW. There is a traffic light at this intersection. (Note, you cannot turn left off of Nebraska Ave. into the SIS parking garage).
The third area is a surface lot located near Constitution Hall and accessible from Nebraska Avenue NW. This parking area is located on American University’s East Campus. (Note, the only legal way to enter the lot is a right turn from Nebraska Ave into the entrance next to AU’s Constitution Hall).

Public Transit:

American University is also serviced by the DC Metro. The Tenleytown-AU stop is on the red line. You can take the free AU shuttle from the corner of Albemarle and 41st Streets NW. The Blue Route Shuttle will stop in front of the Kogod School of Business, which is the shuttle stop closest to the Mary Graydon Student Center.

The D90 and C81 bus routes also have stops near the School of Public Affairs on Nebraska Ave NW, which is a short walk to the Mary Graydon Student Center.