Michael A. Smith
Fighting to Preserve the College Experience
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Where have all the posters gone? This past academic year, my colleagues and I experienced a major restructuring at Emporia State University. I have strong opinions on these events, but this is not the place for a…
Is This the Post-Trump Era? Nope, Not Yet
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Every year, the MPSA Annual Meetings convene at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago. Just a few blocks away, the Trump International Hotel and Tower looms, the former President’s name clearly visible from down…
Direct Democracy: Still Mad as Hell After 45 Years
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Author’s Note The following passage is an excerpt from the project “Political Science Undercover” by Chapman Rackaway, Kevin Anderson, and me. The first iteration of this project will be presented at the upcoming…
The Trump-Biden Era in U.S.-China Relations
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Are we in the midst of the Trump-Biden era? This question seems absurd at first glance. The antipathy that the current and former President have for one another, and that their supporters have for one another, are…
From Soaking and Poking to Breaching Empathy Walls: Qualitative Research after Fenno
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University It is hard to say goodbye to Richard Fenno (1926-2020). He was truly one of a kind. Fenno called his style of qualitative research “soaking and poking.” More formally, it is known as participant observation. Many…
No, we are not More Divided Than Ever
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University The other day, I was grading a student project when I noticed that they had written something that seems widely believed these days. The student argued that Americans are more divided along party lines than ever before.…
Thoughts on the Future of Political Science
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Well, #MPSA2022 is in the books. From my perspective, the first in-person MPSA conference since 2019 was a success. As I noted in my previous blog post, the political science conference is likely to see permanent changes…
The Future of the Political Science Conference
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University The MPSA’s in-person conference is back! After being canceled entirely in 2020 and held virtually in 2021, this year’s conference has returned to Chicago’s Palmer House Hilton. Old haunts like the Parlor, State and…
First Things First When Teaching Civic Education
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Between 10 and 15 years ago, Political Science experienced a renewed interest in civic education. The National Conference on Civic Learning and Democratic Engagement (NCCLDE) produced a report in 2012 featuring numerous…
Think Congressional redistricting is hard? Wait until we get to state and local offices.
by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Congressional redistricting is in the news–and in my inbox. Every day, I get a dose of emails from both sides reminding me of the critical importance of redistricting. Most of these focus on Congressional districts,…