2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

aims at a sensible idea of the saeculum that addresses the
dilemmas raised by church/state questions in liberalism.
Paper A Genealogy of Republicanism in Christian Thought
Jim S. Josefson, Bridgewater College
Overview: I explore the influence of republicanism on Christian
political thought from Augustine to the Reformation. I identify a
tension within Christian thought between idealism and a
republican concern for communal practices.
Disc. Joanna V. Scott, Eastern Michigan University
54-2 GLOBALIZATION, BORDERS, IDENTITIES:
ANTHROPOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES
Room Sandburg 1, 7 th Floor, Thur at 12:45 pm
Chair Cyrus E. Zirakzadeh, University of Connecticut
Paper The Absorption Differences of Russian and Ethiopian
Immigrants in Israel
Allison P. Sheren, University of Michigan
Overview: Immigrants are absorbed differently depending on their
area of origin. The state policy under which an immigrant is
absorbed is unequivocally the most important factor leading to
successful absorption.
Paper Globalizing Culture: Thick Description of a Tahitian Danceform
in Hawaii
Subir K. Kole, University of Hawaii, Manoa
Mamta Panwar, East West Center
Overview: How globalization affects culture? We examine
Tahitian dance as a site of globalization that is eroticized,
sexualized and commoditized to meet the neoliberal capitalist
interest of drawing tourists for sustaining the political economy of
the State.
Paper When Nationalists Are Not Separatists: Discarding and
Recovering Academic Theories while Doing Fieldwork in the
Basque Region of Spain
Cyrus E. Zirakzadeh, University of Connecticut
Overview: This paper explores how scholarly preconceptions can
both impede and enrich anthropological research in general and
the firsthand study of grass-roots/local politics in particular. The
case revolves around the phenomena of Basque nationalist
activists.
Disc. Dvora Yanow, Vrije Universiteit
55-1 BIAS AND ACTIVISM IN THE CLASSROOM
Room PDR 7, 3 rd Floor, Thur at 12:45 pm
Chair Bruce E. Caswell, Rowan University
Paper Teaching Politics in Political Science Classes: Problem or
Propaganda? A Survey of Undergraduate Political Science
Chairs
Joseph Losco, Ball State University
Ione DeOllos, Ball State University
Overview: This paper presents the results of a survey administered
to political science chairs at primarily undergraduate institutions
of higher education regarding the extent to which they believe
political bias in the classroom is a problem.
Paper Just How Dangerous Are We? : Political Science and
Academic Freedom
Christopher D. DeSante, Vanderbilt University
Tyler J. Zimmer, Vanderbilt University
Overview: Where would political bias affect teaching more than
our political science classrooms? Nowhere. This poster
presentation examines the Academic Freedom movement and
David Horowitz’s book “The Professors, the 101 Most Dangerous
Academics in America.”
Paper Assessing the Impact of Curricular Strategies on Student
Political Activism
Robert C. Bradley, Illinois State University
Erik Rankin, Illinois State University
Overview: This analysis, which is based on 'pre' and 'post' 2006
election surveys given to around 1000 respondents, will examine
the impact of different curricular tactics on college students' levels
of political interest, efficacy, and involvement.
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Paper Bridging Politics and Psychology in an Internet Course on
Hate
Paul Kriese, Indiana University, Richmond
Randall E. Osborne, University of Texas, San Marcos
Overview: Our proposal attempts to develop a common language
for bridging the gap between political science and psychology.
Given the visibility given by the media to hatred, hate crimes, and
terrorist activities, more people than ever before are aware of such
atrocities.
Disc. Steven Jones, Indiana University Purdue University,
Indianapolis
Johnny Goldfinger, Indiana University Purdue University,
Indianapolis
59-1 THE HRC-HUNTER DATA ARCHIVE: FIRST
RESULTS
Room PDR 8, 3 rd Floor, Thur at 12:45 pm
Chair Che Tabisola, Human Rights Campaign
Paper A Comparative Study of Counter-Mobilization: The
Responses to Judicial Policy-Making in Same-Sex Marriage in
the United States and Canada
Scott E. Lemieux, Hunter College, CUNY
Shauna Fisher, University of Washington
Overview: An examination of whether changes in policy resulting
from judicial action produce a greater backlash than policymaking
by other institutions.
Paper You Can Choose Your Friends…But Can You Change Their
Minds?
Kenneth Sherrill, Hunter College, CUNY
Patrick J. Egan, Princeton University
Overview: HRC and Hunter College have entered into a
partnership to analyze over 120 surveys and private polls on the
subject of Americans' opinions toward lgbt-related issues. This
paper analyzes the first results of this project.
Paper Public Opinion Trends: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and Gays in the
Military
Charles Tien, Hunter College and the Graduate Center, CUNY
Overview: Using the HRC-Hunter College database, this paper
describes trends in public opinion about gays in the military, with
a focus on the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
Paper Some Longitudinal Trends in Attitudes Toward LGBT Issues
Jason Young, Hunter College, CUNY
Overview: The Hnter-HRC data archive provides a rich
opportunity to examine patterns of attitudes toward various LGBT
issues from 1987 to 2006. This study explores how attitudes
toward some of these issues have changed over time, especially in
light of different political administrations in Washington.
Paper Race, Religiosity, and Opposition to Same-Sex Marriage
Michael Philip Fisher, Hunter College-CUNY/ Rutgers the State
University of New Jersey
Overview: TBA
Disc. Doug Strand, University of California, Berkeley
62-1 POLITICAL PARTICIPATION
Room Parlor J, 6 th Floor, Thur at 12:45 pm
Chair James R. Simmons, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh
Paper Publishing in Public Administration: The Representation of
Women
Donna M. Handley, University of Alabama, Birmingham
Kamna Lal, University of Illinois, Chicago
Overview: This study evaluates the representation of the women
publishing in Public Administration. A 10 year study helps to
characterize how women “fit” into the research, and how their role
is evolving in mentorship, publications, and allied academic areas.
Paper Gay Marriage: The Evolution of an Issue in Massachusetts
John C. Berg, Suffolk University
Overview: The evolution of the gay marriage debate from the
Goodridge decision in 2003 through the current attempts to
overturn the court decision by amending the state constitution,
considered as a case study of state action leading public opinion.