2006 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

PaperPaperPaperDisc.poised to become the dominant force fostering politicalparticipation.Tilting Conservative: Religion and Political Participation inAmericaHenry E. Brady, University of California, BerkeleySidney Verba, Harvard UniversityKay Lehman Schlozman, Boston CollegeOverview: Religious involvement affects politics by shapingpeople's fundamental beliefs about issues such as gay rights andby mobilizing people to political action. Using "tilt analysis" weshow how these factors can work together or against oneanother.Political Participation of Muslim AmericansGuliz Dinc, University of Massachusetts, AmherstOzge Kemahlioglu, Princeton UniversityOverview: This paper aims to determine the factors that affectthe type and level of political participation of MuslimAmericans by applying the resource and mobilization modelsusing survey data from 2001 and 2004 administered by ZogbyInternational.A Study of the Political Behavior and Attitudes of BlackUrban PastorsAlexis B. Sherman, Georgetown UniversityOverview: Few scholars have examined the political behaviorand attitudes of Black urban pastors. This paper will examinehow and why they participate politically, specifically focusingon informal modes that go beyond the realm of electoralpolitics.Gregory A. Petrow, University of Nebraska, Omaha24-14 THE WEB OF THE MEDIA: INTERNETEFFECTS AND POLITICAL PROCESSESRoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Fri 1:45 pmGirish J. Gulati, Bentley CollegeUnderstanding Society Through Online Communities:Posting Boards and Massive Multi-Player Online RolePlaying Games (MMORPGs)Jessica L. Beyer, University of WashingtonOverview: In this paper I examine the IGN posting boardsystem and World of Warcraft (a MMORPG with around twomillion players), and argue that over time posting boards andMMORPGs develop into intricate social systems that create andrecreate themselvesNetting Information: New Media and Political KnowledgeWilliam T. Horner, University of Missouri, ColumbiaOverview: This study is an examination of the informationalvalue of several different forms of media, including television,radio, newspapers, magazines, and the Internet across severalpresidential and off-year federal election cycles.Did 2004 Online News Do a Better Job of Informing YoungVoters than 2000?Karon R. Speckman, Truman State UniversityOverview: This study compares 2000 and 2004 online electioncoverage of Yahoo News and MSNBC to determine whethernews focused on youth issues; youths as voting unit; or youthsas sources.The Effect of the Internet on Political KnowledgeShinya Wakao, University of Texas, AustinOverview: I investigate the relationship between politicalknowledge and the Internet usage with Simultaneous EquationsModel. I find that those who have high political knowledge usethe Internet as a political information resource.Girish J. Gulati, Bentley College25-10 WOMEN ON THE BENCH: JUDGING ANDBEING JUDGED (Co-sponsored with JudicialPolitics, see 36-20)RoomChairPaperPaperPaperPaperPaperDisc.TBA, Fri 1:45 pmJudith A. Baer, Texas A&M UniversityJudging Gender: Press Coverage of Male and FemaleSupreme Court JusticesMargaret M. Young, Albion CollegeOverview: The author uses content and textual analysis ofarticles about Supreme Court Justices to identify differences inthe coverage of male and female judges. These are detectable--although not always obvious and sometimes surprising.Federal Appellate Courts, the FMLA, and Judicial GenderElaine Martin, Eastern Michigan UniversityBarry Pyle, Eastern Michigan UniversityOverview: We examine U.S. appellate cases on the FMLA tobuild an integrated decision-making model controlling for twosets of variables - personal attributes of judges, includinggender, and political environment - utilizing logit analysis.Revisiting Gender Effects in the U.S. Courts of AppealsSusan Haire, University of GeorgiaLaura Moyer, University of GeorgiaOverview: Using a dataset of 2880 cases decided with publishedopinion by the U.S. Courts of Appeals between 1997 and 2002,we test for direct effects of gender on judicial decision-makingin criminal, civil rights/liberties, and economic/labor decisions.Descriptive Representation and the Supreme CourtMargaret S. Williams, James Madison UniversityMary Outwater, University of OklahomaOverview: Using a survey of the American public conductedafter the announcement of O'Connor's retirement, we explorethe extent to which O'Connor raised a gender consciousnessamong women.Gender and the U.S. Supreme Court: The Emergence of aFeminine Perspective?Katherine F. Scheurer, University of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeOverview: This paper empirically examines the influence ofgender on the voting behavior of the U.S. Supreme Court. Thisresearch also explores whether or not a feminine perspectiveemerges in the behavior of the court of last resort.Jilda M. Aliotta, University of HartfordJudith A. Baer, Texas A&M University26-12 RACE, ETHNICITY AND POLITICALTRUSTRoomChairPaperPaperPaperTBA, Fri 1:45 pmSarah Allen Gershon, Arizona State UniversityGovernment Trust and the African American ElectorateMaurice Mangum, Southern Illinois University, EdwardsvilleOverview: Several scholars allude to the low levels of trust ingovernment displayed by African Americans. Moreover, manyaccounts present evidence that suggests that African Americansare less trusting of government than white Americans.Rust Never Sleeps: Latino Political Trust - Evidence fromthe NESJames P. Wenzel, University of Texas, Pan AmericanRobert D. Wrinkle, University of Texas, Pan AmericanJerry Polinard, University of Texas, Pan AmericanOverview: Using pooled data from the 1990-2004 NationalElection Studies we test alternative models of the formation andmaintenance of trust in government among Latino-Americans.Among the effects tested is the "corrosive effect" ofacculturation on trust.What's Trust Got to Do with It? Examining Trust Levels ofAfrican-AmericansMichele Gilbert, Kent State UniversityRonald E. Mathews, Jr., Kent State UniversityOverview: As the debris of Hurricane Katrina is being sweptaway, social life continues to be characterized by racialdiscrimination and stratification. This paper examines how trustlevels affect the public policy process.164