2007 Conference Program - Midwest Political Science Association

Paper The Policy Preferences and Priorities of Voters vs. Non-voters,
1972-2004
Jan E. Leighley, University of Arizona
Jonathan Nagler, New York University
Overview: We analyze the policy preferences and priorities of
voters and non-voters in U.S. national elections using ANES data
from 1972 to 2004.
Paper Party Mobilization and Social Class: Inequalities in the
American Democracy
Carly Schmitt, Southern Illinois University
Overview: Class biases in turnout and political participation has
continually existed in the American political system. My research
analyzes whether parties are contacting potential voters of the
various economic levels at the same rate.
Disc. Brad Gomez, University of Georgia
Betsy Sinclair, California Institute of Technology
27-8 POLITICAL COMMUNICATION THROUGH
ENTERTAINMENT
Room Clark 1, 7 th Floor, Fri at 12:45 pm
Chair Craig L. Brians, Virginia Tech University
Paper Living With War in the Public Sphere: Neil Young’s
Discourse of Dissent
Jamie Warner, Marshall University
Daniel Mistich, Marshall University
Overview: Neil Young’s recent protest album troubles the neatly
drawn lines around what counts as the “rational-critical” discourse
that Habermas holds up as the democratic ideal. Music can work
to expand the boundaries of the contemporary public sphere.
Paper The Influece of Popular Music on Public Opinion
Jessica E. Timpany, University of California, Santa Barbara
Overview: This paper advances part of a larger study which holds
that the relationship between music and politics is derived from
the ability of political music to influence the way people perceive
the climate of general public opinion.
Paper The "O" Factor: The Impact of Bush and Gore's Appearances
on Oprah
Carrie A. Cihasky, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee
Overview: Did Bush and Gore's appearances on Oprah in 2000
influence viewers and if so, how? Given Oprah's power of
persuasion and viewers' opinion she is a trusted source, her show
may serve as a beneficial boost for presidential campaigns.
Disc. Craig L. Brians, Virginia Tech University
Lester K. Spence, Johns Hopkins University
28-205 INFORMAL ROUNDTABLE: WHO'S CALLING
THE SHOTS? WOMEN COACHES IN DIVISION 1
SPORTS
Room State, 4 th Floor, Table 7, Fri at 12:45 pm
Presenter Who's Calling the Shots? Women Coaches in Division 1
Sports
Susan Welch, Pennsylvania State University
Lee Sigelman, George Washington University
Overview: Examining the 331 Division 1 institutions with
women’s sports programs, we consider three explanations for the
current minority role of women’s coaches: competence,
discrimination, and candidate pools.
28-206 INFORMAL ROUNDTABLE: WOMEN AND
REPRESENTATION IN COMPARATIVE
PERSPECTIVE
Room State, 4 th Floor, Table 8, Fri at 12:45 pm
Presenter A Politics of Equality vs. a Politics of Difference: Do
Constitutions Matter?
Priscilla Lambert, Western Michigan University
Druscilla Scribner, University of Wisconsin, OshKosh
Overview: Should women's rights advocates pursue a politics of
difference or a politics of equality? We compare countries with
constitutions that emphasize women's different needs to those that
emphasize equality or gender neutrality.
29-7 RACE, CLASS, AND ECONOMIC EQUALITY
Room Clark 7, 7 th Floor, Fri at 12:45 pm
Chair Armando Xavier Mejia, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Paper Credit Cards, Race and the Expropriation of Wealth: Policy
Alternatives
Adrian J. Lottie, Eastern Michigan University
Overview: As the use of credit cards has become widespread,
credit company practices have had a negative impact on the
African American community . Similar to redlining, these
practices call for agressive public policy solutions.
Paper Structural Changes in the Economy and the Lives of Minority
People
Bumsoo Kim, Seoul National University
Overview: This study compares the postwar experience of the
Korean minority in Japan (zainichi) with that of Black Americans,
and shows that structural changes in the economy play a
significant role in determining the overall situations of minority
people.
Paper Race, Concentrated Poverty and Policy: Empowerment Zones
in Urban Areas
Michele A. Gilbert, Cleveland State University
Overview: This paper demonstrates that Empowerment Zones
have had a significant impact on socioeconomic outcomes
compared with high poverty areas not served by the program.
However, this effect is conditioned on the racial composition of
the neighborhood.
Paper The American Dream: A Family's Financial Nightmare
Susan L. Gaffney, Governors State University
Overview: This research will attempt to determine what affect
offering homeowners 40 year mortgages has on housing
foreclosures in predominately African-American municipalities
located in south suburban Cook County.
Paper Does Race Matter? An Exploratory Analysis of Race,
Managerial Networking, and Performance Outcomes
Bettie C. Ray, Texas A&M University
Overview: Scholars have ignored the idea that managers are more
likely to network with actors who share similar descriptive
characteristics. This paper argues that a manager's race influences
their ability to interact with other actors in a given system.
Disc. Martin Urbina, Howard College
Marisa Abrajano, University of California, San Diego
30-3 POSTMODERNITY AND ANTIQUITY
Room Dearborn 1, 7 th Floor, Fri at 12:45 pm
Chair Michael A. Gillespie, Duke University
Paper Political Order and Philosophical Disruption: Reading Plato
with Heidegger
Timothy Dale, University of South Carolina, Upstate
Overview: This paper explores the complex and contentious
relationship between Heidegger and Plato, with a focus on the
relationship that each has toward pre-Socratic philosophy, and on
the problem of philosophical disruption in political order.
Paper Strauss's Athens: On Part of Strauss's Response to Heidegger
Alexander S. Duff, University of Notre Dame
Overview: Strauss's revival of classical philosophy is not strictly a
return to the ancients. The peculiarities of his reconsideration of
"the problem of Socrates," as may be found in his studies of
Xenophon, respond to problems bequeathed by Heidegger.
Paper The Legacy of Isocrates: Derrida and Postmodern Political
Theory
Jamie R. Muir, University of Winnipeg
Overview: Western political philosophy may be more diverse than
its supporters or critics have allowed in recent scholarship.This
paper argues that similarities between Isocrates and Derrida help
us to better understand both the political thought of both thinkers,
Paper Lucretius and the Comedy of Politics
Benjamin T. Lundgren, Michigan State University
Overview: In a reading of Lucretius, I contend that his materialism
leads to a radically different outlook than contemporary theorists
'because, besides diminishing our greatest fears, more importantly,
Epicureanism saves us from our greatest hopes.
Disc. Richard G. Avramenko, University of Wisconsin, Madison
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