Emily Kurtz
267 19th Ave S
Minneapolis,
MN
55455
I am a fifth year PhD student in political science at the University of Minnesota and a population studies graduate trainee at the Minnesota Population Center. My general research interests are in the area of American Political Economy, and my dissertation looks at how industry death in communities (particularly in the industries of manufacturing, mining, and farming) impacts political behavior, even, and especially, generations after the fact. My theory combines more traditional economic explanations - job trends over time - and identity and cultural explanations - the rise of "institutions" like museums, monuments, and even family stories commemorating the old industries - in predicting political behavior at the mass level. I am particularly interested in explaining communities' behaviors like resistance to retraining and direct investment in green energy.
I have a quantitative background, which plays a significant role in both my research and my teaching. On the latter point, I originally was motivated to pursue a PhD because of my interest in teaching college students, especially women students, math and statistics. On the former point, much of my research utilizes machine learning, computational, and other statistical techniques. My dissertation and current projects have used time series data, clustering algorithms, survey experiment design, and web scraping.
In my normal life, I am an avid gardener, gamer, and traveler, a reluctant jogger and biker, and a proud resident of the humbler twin city, St. Paul.
Educational Background
- M.A.: Political Science, University of Minntesota, October 2023
- M.S.: Statistics, University of Minnesota, May 2022
- B.A.: Mathematics, Environmental Studies, Wellesley College, May 2015
Specialties
- American Political Economy
- Political Methodology
- Political Geography