Public Engagement and Advocacy
MPSA’s Top 10 Blog Posts from 2018
As the calendar year begins to wind down, we take a look back at our most-read articles from 2018. We encourage you to take a quiet moment for another look as you may have missed an article or may simply enjoy the re-read. Please take a moment to share what you would like to see more of in the new…
Call for #MPSA19 Conference Bloggers
Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash MPSA seeks bloggers to cover the most popular panels and events at the upcoming conference in Chicago. Bloggers will be expected to research, craft and edit articles that appeal to members of our community including political science scholars, social…
Magnify Your Voice: A Day Off for Democracy
By Betsy Sinclair of Washington University in St. Louis “Are you frustrated that you see a need in your community that isn’t met by government or industry? Do you believe that need could be remedied through purposeful action? Will you ask your family, friends and neighbors to help initiate change?…
MPSA Roundtable – Public Engagement: Mixing Academics and Practical Politics
In this public engagement roundtable from the 2018 MPSA conference, Michelle Kukoleca Hammes of Saint Cloud State University, Derrick Carter of Valparaiso University Law School, and Jared Wesley of the University of Alberta examine “pracademics” or the intersection of practical politics with…
Contributing Political Science Knowledge to our Collective Conscious
Post by Royal G. Cravens, Bowling Green University This post originally appeared on the Wiki Education blog. Dr. Royal G. Cravens, III is a Lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Bowling Green State University. He recently participated in our Wikipedia Fellows pilot, an opportunity for…
Finger on the Pulse: Alive and Kicking at MPSA 2018
By Harold "Harry" Young of Austin Peay State University At this year’s MPSA conference, I was on a mission to uncover what participants were so serious about as they hovered over laptops and chatted in small groups. My personal interactions revealed groups generally mystified and frightened by the…
The Public Expert: How Academics Can Break the Ivory Tower Stereotype #MPSA18
By Alex Ellison In the professional development track at the Midwest Political Science Association Conference in Chicago, IL, there were a couple of sessions on using social media in academia and sharing research in more easy-to-digest ways with the general public. In higher education, there is…
The 2018 MPSA Conference Is Here: What Have You Done for Me Lately?
By Harold Young of Austin Peay State University “Expectations should not always be taken as reality; because you never know when you will be disappointed.” ― Samuel P. Huntington I must admit I am sometimes coy in responding to the question, "So, what do you do?” When I say I am a professor of…
Members of Congress respond to more than money – sometimes
By Jan Leighley, American University and Jennifer Oser, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Does citizen activism really affect the actions of elected officials? Despite the ubiquitous role of money in campaigns, elections and policymaking, some citizens clearly still believe in the power of…
Recap of #MPSAchat with COSSA's Julia Milton
This month’s MPSA Twitter Chat featured a conversation with the Consortium of Social Science Association (COSSA)'s Assistant Director for Public Affairs/Government Relations Associate Julia Milton on public engagement and advocacy including prepping for Congressional meetings and best practices…