MPSA Blog - Midwest Political Science Association

Celebrating 90 Years of University of Michigan Press

by Shaun Manning, Publications Sales and Exhibits Manager, University of Michigan Press. What is your company’s history? What sets your company apart? University of Michigan Press was founded in…

#MPSAchat,Authors,Member Profiles,MPSA Blog,MPSA Conference,Research and Publishing,News,Conference,Shaun Manning

Geographical Coverage in Political Science Research

by Matthew Charles Wilson, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of South Carolina and Carl Henrik Knutsen, Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo. Political…

#MPSAchat,Authors,Matthew Charles Wilson,MPSA Blog,Research and Publishing,News,Carl Henrik Knutsen

Exhibitor Spotlight: Springer Nature

by Lorraine Klimowich, Senior Editor for Political Science, Economics, and Public Administration, Springer Nature What is your company’s history? What sets your company apart? Springer was founded by…

#MPSAchat,Member Profiles,MPSA Blog,Research and Publishing,News,Conference

Is the Preference for Chaos a Rational Decision?

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University The study of “fake news” and other rumors spread via social media are gaining steam. Recent work by political…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Authors,Michael A. Smith,MPSA Blog,Mass Media and Political Communication

Teaching Tactics: A Simple Hack for Maintaining Personal Connections to Students

By Matthew Charles Wilson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of South Carolina This blog was originally published by the Incubator for Teaching Innovation at…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Authors,Matthew Charles Wilson,MPSA Blog,Teaching and Learning

Adjusting/Adapting Assignments for Flexibility and Engagement in Online Instruction

By Diane E. Schmidt, Ph.D., California State University, Chico, Political Science Online instruction, especially with students who are unfamiliar with online learning, requires balancing teaching…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Authors,Diane Schmidt,MPSA Blog,Teaching and Learning

Measuring the Quality of Management of Federal Agencies

by James Thompson and Alejandra Medina, University of Illinois – Chicago In normal times, elected and appointed government officials pay relatively little attention to the question of how well…

Sticky#MPSAchat,James Thompson,MPSA Blog,Public Engagement and Advocacy,Alejandra Medina

Do Millennials Exist? Generations, Social Science and the Trouble With De-Bunking

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University The host of TV’s “Adam Ruins Everything,” Adam Conover is easy to identify by his quirky hairsyle and clothes,…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Michael A. Smith,MPSA Blog

NHA’s New Toolkit: Documenting the Impact of Your Humanities Program

By Cecily Hill, NEH for All Director of Community Initiatives As of this writing, colleges and universities around the nation have closed their doors; most have shifted to online learning. In-person…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Authors,Cecily Hill,MPSA Blog,Humanities

Coping with COVID-19: A Graduate Student’s Reflections

By James Steur, a Ph.D. student in political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign About one month ago, I wrote a blog post about strategies for networking at the 2020 MPSA…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Authors,James Steur,MPSA Blog,Work-Life Balance,Grad Life

Understanding and Reducing Biases in Elite Beliefs About the Electorate

by Miguel M. Pereira, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Political Science at Washington University in St. Louis. A central question in the process of representation is how elected officials…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Authors,Miguel Pereira,MPSA Awards,Electorate

How the Pandemic Became Partisan: A Story of Parties, Science and Professionals

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University How did the Coronavirus pandemic become partisan? The partisan divide on responses to the pandemic is only the latest…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Michael A. Smith,MPSA Blog

To Networking & Beyond: Strategies for Successful Networking

By James Steur, a Ph.D. student in political science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign As MPSA 2020 fast approaches, my colleagues have talked to me about the part of conferences…

Sticky#MPSAchat,James Steur,MPSA Blog,Networking,Professional Development,Resources for First-Time Attendees,#MPSA2020,MPSA Annual Conference

Study the Humanities: Articulating Career Pathways

By Scott Muir, Study the Humanities Project Director, National Humanities Alliance Commentators have offered a variety of explanations for the widely observed decline in humanities majors and…

Sticky#MPSAchat,MPSA Blog,Scott Muir,Humanities

Beyond the Hat: Will the Trump Coalition Hold in 2020?

by Michael A. Smith, Professor of Political Science, Emporia State University Will President Trump’s Coalition hold in 2020? Hardly anyone seems to be asking this question, at least in public these…

Sticky#MPSAchat,Michael A. Smith,MPSA Blog,Election 2020

Can Gerrymandering be Measured? Here Come the Mathematicians

By Brian Hollenbeck and Michael Smith of Emporia State University Just weeks ago, the U.S. Supreme Court acted to sharply limit the role of the courts with regards to partisan gerrymandering. In…

Michael A. Smith,Research and Publishing

A Moment to Take Stock (and Keep Advocating)

By Beatrice Gurwitz, National Humanities Alliance Photo credit: Morrison Photography For three years in a row, the Trump administration has called for the elimination of the National Endowment…

Public Engagement and Advocacy,Research and Publishing

Rethinking the Political Science Major – MPSA Roundtable (audio)

This roundtable Rethinking the Political Science Major (audio), chaired by John T. Ishiyama of University of North Texas and featuring J. Cherie Strachan of Central Michigan University, Whitney…

MPSA Podcasts,Professional Development,Selected Presentations,Teaching and Learning,#MPSA19

MPSA Member Profile: Ajenai Clemmons

Ajenai Clemmons is a Ph.D. Candidate in public policy with a concentration in political science at Duke University. Her academic research focuses on the most important factors that help and harm the…

Member Profiles,Grad Life

Show Me the Money: Securing Research Funding

By Charmaine N. Willis of University of Albany One of the most important parts of conducting any research project, regardless of its methodology, is securing research funding. The recent MPSA…

Charmaine N. Willis,Professional Development,Research and Publishing,#MPSA19,Grad Life,MPSA Annual Conference

Public Engagement: Simplify Without Being Simple

By James Steur at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign As a first-generation student, one of my primary goals as an academic is pursuing public scholarship. I want to write in a clear and…

James Steur,Professional Development,Public Engagement and Advocacy,#MPSA19

Keeping It Real: Political Science and Civic Engagement

By Michael Smith of Emporia State University Great #MPSA19 panel discussion regarding blogging, Twitter and podcasting w/@LaraMBrownPhD @NaymaQayum @JustinBullock14 @GreggRMurray and Michael Smith…

James Steur,Michael A. Smith,Professional Development,Public Engagement and Advocacy,#MPSA19

Fieldwork: Ethical Considerations, Funding, and Data Collection Methods

By Charmaine N. Willis of University of Albany The recent MPSA conference offered many valuable roundtables related to professional development for a variety of populations including graduate…

Charmaine N. Willis,Professional Development,Research and Publishing,#MPSA19

How to Thrive in Graduate School (Whatever That Means)

By Colleen Wood of Columbia University In addition to thematic panels, the 77th Annual MPSA Conference offered a wide range of roundtables on professional development including practical discussion…

Colleen Wood,Research and Publishing,Teaching and Learning,Work-Life Balance,#MPSA19,Grad Life

Biased Professors? Try Disclosure

By Michael A. Smith of Emporia University The allegation that professors are biased toward liberal, progressive, or even radical points of view has been part of American political discourse at least…

Michael A. Smith,Public Engagement and Advocacy,Teaching and Learning

Exploring Themes from “Advances in Physiology and Politics: Linking Physiology, Self-Reports, and Cognitive Responses” at #MPSA19

By James Steur of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign When I tell friends I’ve taken a class on the relationship between biology and politics, I generally get the same reaction: squinted…

James Steur,Research and Publishing,#MPSA19,MPSA Annual Conference

MPSA’s Standing ePanels: A Supportive Space for Feedback and Skill-Building

By Colleen Wood of Columbia University In the exhibition hall at MPSA, it is easy enough to get stuck in the book displays or free coffee stands. But for those who push past the publishing stands,…

Colleen Wood,Research and Publishing,Selected Presentations,#MPSA19,Grad Life,MPSA Annual Conference

The Examination of the “Other:” An Insight Into The Asian Pacific Islander Experience in the Prison Industrial Complex

By Michelle M. Hicks, Willamette University Who are the “others” inside the U.S. carceral system? According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the “other” is any race, which cannot be…

MPSA Awards,Research and Publishing,#MPSA18,#MPSA19

Organization, Flexibility, and Thoughtfulness (#MPSA19 Prep)

By Danielle King of University of Missouri in St. Louis The responsibilities of a graduate student feel daunting under the most benign of circumstances. This semester, I have added in the extra…

Danielle King,#MPSA19,Grad Life

Two Paths to the Palmer House: Planning for the #MPSA19 Conference

By Colleen Wood of Columbia University Being a first-timer at MPSA is often synonymous with attending and presenting at any political science conference for the first time. For those graduate…

Colleen Wood,Teaching and Learning,Work-Life Balance,#MPSA19,Grad Life

Previewing the 77th Annual MPSA Conference Program: A Selection of Professional Development Panels for Graduate Students

By Charmaine N. Willis of University of Albany, SUNY As panelists frantically completing their papers and presentations are acutely aware, the 77th Annual MPSA Conference is fast approaching. In…

Charmaine N. Willis,Professional Development,Research and Publishing,Resources for First-Time Attendees,Teaching and Learning,#MPSA19,Grad Life

First-Generation Findings: Eight Strategies for Success at Academic Conferences

By James Steur of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign As a first-generation college student and son of two hairdressers, I’ve spent most of my life far removed from the world of…

James Steur,Resources for First-Time Attendees,#MPSA19,Grad Life

Work, Well-Being, and Social Connections: Advice from a Graduate Student on Finding the Correct Proportions

By Kevin DeLuca of Harvard University “If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.” - Some wise person For academics, I think the saying is backward: “If you, an academic, love…

Kevin DeLuca,Work-Life Balance,Grad Life

Democrats Want to Get Rid of the Electoral College. It is Not Going to Happen (and Maybe that’s Best).

By Michael A. Smith, Emporia State University With the 2020 campaign season having already begun (ugh), Democrats are revving up to do away with the Electoral College. For them, the case is a…

Michael A. Smith,Election 2016,Election 2018

The Art of Networking: How to Maximize Your Doctoral Experience

By Francesca Gottardi of the University of Cincinnati When thinking about a doctoral program, the first image that comes to mind is likely to be that of a geeky student sitting at a desk, buried in…

Francesca Gottardi,Professional Development,Resources for First-Time Attendees,#MPSA19,Grad Life

Understand Department Culture, Perfect your Personal Statement, and Other Tips on Applying to Graduate School

MPSA Professional Development Roundtable Preview In advance of this year’s MPSA conference (April 4-7, 2019 in Chicago), we asked panelists from the upcoming “Tips on Applying to Graduate School” to…

Uncategorized,Professional Development,#MPSA19,Grad Life

Juggling Academic Time and Technology: Advice from a Millennial

By Garrett Pierman of Florida International University The digital age is in full swing, especially in academia. In class, our students, if they are allowed, are browsing, tweeting, liking, and…

Garrett Pierman,Teaching and Learning,Work-Life Balance

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…

Chapman Rackaway,Charmaine N. Willis,Eric Min,Michael A. Smith,Professional Development,Public Engagement and Advocacy,Research and Publishing,Teaching and Learning,Work-Life Balance,#MPSA18,Alex Ellison,Election 2018,Gender and Politics,Grad Life,MPSA Annual Conference