December 2020 Newsletter
Greetings!
Our flagship election year event, Views from the U: The Political Science of Election 2020, was a huge success! Hundreds of alumni, students, and faculty tuned into the virtual event that covered topics ranging from a presidential election unlike any other in our history, voter suppression and gerrymandering, and the future of the Supreme Court to the George Floyd killing and aftermath. Participants posed a number of provocative questions that kept our panelists busy right up until the very end of the webinar.
We enjoyed the event very much and look forward to returning to campus for our Views from the U event that will cover the 2022 midterm elections. One benefit of doing this event virtually was we were able to record it. You can now watch Views from the U without having to leave your home.
Carrying on during the pandemic has been difficult, but everyone has pushed ahead with admirable results. The faculty have moved heaven and Earth to deliver high quality instruction to our students. Our students have worked very hard and done their best under trying circumstances.
Please take some time to read some of these wonderful stories in this newsletter. And if you’re able, please consider making a gift to our department that will support stories like these for years to come.
Sincerely,
Paul Goren
Professor and Chair
“It just comes together at the end...it really does,” emphasizes recent political science alum Elise Eckert. She reflects on finishing an honors thesis and graduating during the transition to remote learning and discusses her future career plans.
“One of my aims...is to clarify unwritten history on issues that have received little attention,” explains political science PhD candidate Farrah Tek. She received the UMN Graduate School’s Leadership, Equity, Inclusion, and Diversity Fellowship. She discusses her thesis and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in political science.
Read "First-Gen Grad Student Farrah Tek on Expanding Diversity in Poli Sci"
“The findings in both papers [about this research] show how the rules of the game can change behavior,” explains Morse Alumni Distinguished Professor Timothy Johnson on how the switch to telephonic arguments from in-court arguments during COVID-19 has changed attitudes and actions alike in the US Supreme Court.
