Political Science Majors Present Research at Midwest Conference

Four College of Wooster seniors share results of I.S. projects at poster sessions in Chicago

WOOSTER, Ohio — Four political science majors from The College of Wooster presented the results of their Senior Independent Study projects at the Midwest Political Science Association (MPSA) Conference at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago this past weekend (April 1-3). The four were also invited to submit their research to an undergraduate research journal associated with Creighton University.

"The venue is perfect for Wooster's political science students,” said Angela Bos, assistant professor of political science at Wooster. “Each of our seniors delivered high-quality projects at the poster sessions."

Leah Inglis of Arvada, Colo., discussed “Targeted Messaging and Its Effect on Candidate Evaluation When Considering Voter Personality Traits.” Her experimental study looked at the relationship between a targeted political message and candidate evaluation when personality traits are taken into account for effective targeting of the voter.

Linda Kuster of Murrysville, Pa., talked about “The U.S. Christian Right and India’s Hindu Nationalism: A Comparative Study of Rhetoric’s Impact on Social Movements’ Governmental Acceptance.” Her project examined the relationship between religious nationalist social movements’ framing strategies and their interactions with the government.

Sarah Minot of Worthington, Ohio, addressed “U.N. Peacebuilding and Economic Development: Evolution of Peacebuilding Mandates and Impact on Implementation.” Her study analyzed the relationship between UN peacebuilding and economic development.

Natalie Noyes of Lancaster, Ohio, presented “Madam Chief Justice and May It Please the Court: Women Demonstrating a Different Voice in the Judiciary.” Her research provided an in-depth analysis of the reasoning of male and female judges on the U.S. Supreme Court in both gender-related and non-gender-related cases.

"Having undergraduates present at this conference builds an important tradition of mentoring them in political science as a discipline,” said Bos. “They are able to meet the scholars they've cited in their I.S. projects, hear presentations about cutting-edge research related to what they are studying, and engage with scholars from across the country as they discuss their own original research."